The Cutlass was the WORST aircraft that the US Navy ever purchased, bar none! It was AWFUL. For details, read "The Wrong Stuff," by John Moore, a test pilot who flew the aircraft. ISBN: 188380910X Fully 25% of all of these aircraft crashed! They were powered by two Wasting gas J-34 engines, along with many, many other problems! The plane was an insult to the American aviation industry and the US Navy!
@MrColorfulcat -- Worse even than the Brewster Buffalo and Vought Vindicator? I always thought it was a cool-looking design that was let down by the technology of the era. Most obviously those abominable Westinghouse engines.
...it'd sure have been interesting to see what this ship would have done with mature-tech jet engines. Also apparently true that even the F-14 always had trouble getting the best available development, especially engines. Troublesome TF-30s, reportedly supposed to be an "interim measure," became the most prevalent power and biggest problem. Many mysteries in the murky world of military procurement!
The Naval museum in Pensacola has one inside and its beautiful, Its always looked good to me and sometimes i wonder if they just redesigned the nose cockpit area for better visibility and upgraded the avioncs one could have a quite capable fighter. Using this aircraft as a template base in customizing my `94 Olds Cutlass SL.
The color footage at the end is the old Dallas Naval Air Station, the two Cutlass' are departing South toward Mountain Creek Lake. Thank you for sharing this video!!!
For those that are in Washington state. The Museum of Flight restoration facility at Paine Field in Lynnwood is currently restoring a Cutlass as a static display. Worth the 5 dollar admission.
@Vethraxx This particular F7U was up for auction at Airventure this year. It is actually being restored to fly. The starting bid was $80,000 and the photos (newest I've seen) show the engines installed and the plane itself is really clean! Wasn't at the auction, so I don't know if there were any takers and it is still listed on the roster for the Spirit of Aviation Auction. Hopefully we'll see it in the skies soon!
My dad was on a 10month Med Cruise aboard the USS Ticonderoga in 1955. During that cruise numerous mishaps involving the Cutlass occurred including pilot being killed by landing gear punching through the cockpit on landing.
It also was unstable on the pitch-axis, had really bad stalling characteristics (violent pitch-up and severe spin tendencies) with the flaps and slats up and with a high AoA for landing the flight-deck wasn't visible and you could take on a high sink-rate quickly if you weren't careful.
There's a reason they called this airplane the Ensign Eliminator...
All they had at that time period was westinghouse turbojets so you'd never find a powerful enough single engine.
What a narrow-minded statement. It's not the plane that's "crap", it's a component, in this case the powerplant. It was a very creative and advanced aerodynamic design.
Funny, because at the time, the F3 demon and the A4 skyhawk came about. Both of which had no problem in the means of power. Single engined too.
The F4D Skyray had the same engines, two of em, and flew fine. The Cutlass design is highly flawed, the engine choice was poor (a number of engines available at the time actually) alongside multiple problems.
You can cover shit in steaksauce and call it kobe beef, but it's still not good.
The Cutlass, great design but sadly under powered engines kept this Navy bird from being a real killer. If only it had better engines it could have been a more successful jet.
"Successful"? The much-maligned "Gutless Cutlass"? Just because Vought managed to sell a few hundred to the Navy? At least the F6U was less deadly to aircrew.
This aircraft was a notable failure as a combat asset, but it is of great interest to students of history and aeronautics. The F7U helped to pioneer guided missile armament, afterburners, swept wings, tailless flight control, high-pressure hydraulics, and other tech that would become common in later fighters.
This plane had alot of aviation first for the time. To bad it didn't have the right engines for it. I've read it was a bitch to land on a carrier but it was fun to fly.
The Cutlass and the Demon were widow makers, radical fighters for their time, both being some of the first fighters to carry radar guided aim-7s, but it took balls of steel to fly one of those off a pitching a flight deck, especially with the engine problems.
Only failing of this plane was engine choice. WAY too small. Other than that, they did a very good job with such an outlandish design.
evilintel 3 months ago
The Cutlass was the WORST aircraft that the US Navy ever purchased, bar none! It was AWFUL. For details, read "The Wrong Stuff," by John Moore, a test pilot who flew the aircraft. ISBN: 188380910X Fully 25% of all of these aircraft crashed! They were powered by two Wasting gas J-34 engines, along with many, many other problems! The plane was an insult to the American aviation industry and the US Navy!
MrColorfulcat 4 months ago
@MrColorfulcat -- Worse even than the Brewster Buffalo and Vought Vindicator? I always thought it was a cool-looking design that was let down by the technology of the era. Most obviously those abominable Westinghouse engines.
JimHadar1 3 months ago
...it'd sure have been interesting to see what this ship would have done with mature-tech jet engines. Also apparently true that even the F-14 always had trouble getting the best available development, especially engines. Troublesome TF-30s, reportedly supposed to be an "interim measure," became the most prevalent power and biggest problem. Many mysteries in the murky world of military procurement!
408knw 1 year ago
This aircraft makes me think about a Sci-Fi space fighter...
jerrymail 1 year ago
The Naval museum in Pensacola has one inside and its beautiful, Its always looked good to me and sometimes i wonder if they just redesigned the nose cockpit area for better visibility and upgraded the avioncs one could have a quite capable fighter. Using this aircraft as a template base in customizing my `94 Olds Cutlass SL.
riche7711 1 year ago
I am going to build a 1/72 scale model of this. It is one of a kind.
Craigers22763 1 year ago
US Navy Serial Killer... It was underpowered
SrAlvaroEd 1 year ago
The color footage at the end is the old Dallas Naval Air Station, the two Cutlass' are departing South toward Mountain Creek Lake. Thank you for sharing this video!!!
solidlift 1 year ago
Carrier landings are "controlled crashes". The nose gear of this potentially useful craft was underdesigned.
Dad was an A7 jockey off a carrier in VN.
Now that was a plane to sustain heavy drops. Curiously the same group of designers.
oriskany 2 years ago
For those that are in Washington state. The Museum of Flight restoration facility at Paine Field in Lynnwood is currently restoring a Cutlass as a static display. Worth the 5 dollar admission.
Vethraxx 2 years ago
@Vethraxx This particular F7U was up for auction at Airventure this year. It is actually being restored to fly. The starting bid was $80,000 and the photos (newest I've seen) show the engines installed and the plane itself is really clean! Wasn't at the auction, so I don't know if there were any takers and it is still listed on the roster for the Spirit of Aviation Auction. Hopefully we'll see it in the skies soon!
jpatt1000 1 year ago
My dad was on a 10month Med Cruise aboard the USS Ticonderoga in 1955. During that cruise numerous mishaps involving the Cutlass occurred including pilot being killed by landing gear punching through the cockpit on landing.
elcid95q 2 years ago
Yeah, that was one of it's major problems.
It also was unstable on the pitch-axis, had really bad stalling characteristics (violent pitch-up and severe spin tendencies) with the flaps and slats up and with a high AoA for landing the flight-deck wasn't visible and you could take on a high sink-rate quickly if you weren't careful.
There's a reason they called this airplane the Ensign Eliminator...
CVKent317 2 years ago
It sucks. Jesus, it even looks like it's prone to failure.
peepeevagi 2 years ago
Let me see you design a plane.
nuclear944 2 years ago
Okay. The one thing i'll do different is give it a single, more powerful engine.
It's automatically gone from crap to front line worthy.
peepeevagi 2 years ago
All they had at that time period was westinghouse turbojets so you'd never find a powerful enough single engine.
What a narrow-minded statement. It's not the plane that's "crap", it's a component, in this case the powerplant. It was a very creative and advanced aerodynamic design.
nuclear944 2 years ago
Funny, because at the time, the F3 demon and the A4 skyhawk came about. Both of which had no problem in the means of power. Single engined too.
The F4D Skyray had the same engines, two of em, and flew fine. The Cutlass design is highly flawed, the engine choice was poor (a number of engines available at the time actually) alongside multiple problems.
You can cover shit in steaksauce and call it kobe beef, but it's still not good.
peepeevagi 2 years ago
The Cutlass, great design but sadly under powered engines kept this Navy bird from being a real killer. If only it had better engines it could have been a more successful jet.
BlueKyne 2 years ago
And if it had canards and a new nose leg, this thing would be better than the F-4.
Canashea 2 years ago
f7U was a flying coffin....
cajunhornet60 2 years ago
lol id be afraid to fire all 4 20's at the same time it might cause the engine to fail
AirpowerAirforce 2 years ago
HOLD UP! The "Gutlass" was RELIABLE?? They got to go easy on the glorified history lesson.
imnazhole 2 years ago
"Successful"? The much-maligned "Gutless Cutlass"? Just because Vought managed to sell a few hundred to the Navy? At least the F6U was less deadly to aircrew.
TsurugiJiri 3 years ago
There's some truth to that. The Pirate was simply an unremarkable plane. The Cutlass was sometimes called the Ensign Eliminator.
CVKent317 2 years ago
This aircraft was a notable failure as a combat asset, but it is of great interest to students of history and aeronautics. The F7U helped to pioneer guided missile armament, afterburners, swept wings, tailless flight control, high-pressure hydraulics, and other tech that would become common in later fighters.
TimothyLM 3 years ago
This plane had alot of aviation first for the time. To bad it didn't have the right engines for it. I've read it was a bitch to land on a carrier but it was fun to fly.
megashegem 3 years ago
The Cutlass and the Demon were widow makers, radical fighters for their time, both being some of the first fighters to carry radar guided aim-7s, but it took balls of steel to fly one of those off a pitching a flight deck, especially with the engine problems.
ironroad18 3 years ago