They had ALL kinds of problems with this aircraft, including engine placement on the aircraft, the ski positon and amount (one/two etc) the vibration on the water made the a/c almost unmanagable, the list went on and on until the USN decided maybe not such a great idea and dropped the whole project.
In the 60's something the comic-strip character "Buzz Sawyer", created by Roy Crane, and working as NAVY test pilot and secret agent, flew an aircraft very similar to this. It was much smaller and lacked the skis, but could land on water. I suspect that Crane had seen a picture of the Sea Dart and extrapolated a bit. It was called "Midjet", and of course some bad guys tried to sabotage or steal it.
Imagine trying to land that thing in open sea conditions! Can't ya just see a big ole shark waiting in his LZ? To borrow from "Jaws", instead of "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat", it'd be "I think we're gonna need a bigger airplane!"
Having read the accounts of the test pilot who flew the Sea Dart, it's a wonder he lived without permanent cervical damage to his neck! Landing in only moderately choppy water, said the test pilot, was akin to having his head hit the wind screen of a windshield of an automobile running into a tree time and time again. The Sea Dart never achieved supersonic flight in level flight, only in a shallow dive. It epitomizes what I love so much about early jet flight. All venues were explored...
Comments about the sea state needed for operation are probably correct. To that I will add that it looks as though control surfaces were under water during water taxi. That would be a bitch to clean and mitigate salt corrosion. It sure is pretty, though.
Anyone with half a brain should realise that this bird could only operate on dead calm seas.Can you imagine having to land it on even moderate swells?Beautiful but useless.
The last remaining sea dart is on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park San Diego Ca. I've seen it in person and it looks like its a prop from a Batman movie. Really wild looking... If anyone gets a chance to spend the day at the museum, do it, they've got a lot of great aviation history there.
@nuerotec Wow you are right. When I was in San Diego, i was under the impression based on the data they had there, that only one aircraft was produced and that it was the one they had there, as a matter of fact, I believe it even said that was the only one. No doubt after looking at your vid, that is another real aircraft. Interesting...
@TogieTung Never went bust. Convair reorganized as part of General Dynamics in the Sixties, and then eventually became part of Lockheed Martin in the Nineties.
From a calender "In 1953, the Convair F2Y Sea Dart, a jet that used a set of retractable skis so it could take off and land without the use of an aircraft carrier, was displayed to Naval officials and the press. The first demonstration was called off because the skis caused the plane to shake too violently. The second plane disintegrated in mid-ar, killing the pilot. The Pentagon was embarrassed, not because the plane was a failure, but because they had already ordered and paid for twelve."
I read somewhere on another video for this plan that one of the test pilots flying one of these plans was killed when it exploded. That's why they discontinued their use. Otherwise, these could have become really popular. Who knows... maybe if it had gone differently our jet fighters would all be based on this model instead of the carrier based models we have now. Crazy how one little turn in history like that can make all the difference.
@atliens81 -- Yes. One of my dad's best friends was killed when the thing disintigrated. It happened during an air show over San Diego bay. And it was because it followed too close behind a heavy transport and caught caught in the wake of the large plane.
@atliens81 -- I doubt that it would have replaced carrier-based planes. There are all sorts of problems with sea planes, not the least of which is corrosion from landing constantly in salt water. There were a whole bunch of sea planes developed in the 1950's that are not in use today. And landing and taking off is just one issue. It makes a lot of sense to have a floating airport (aircraft carrier) to contain all of the maintenance and support facilities you need for a fleet of aircraft.
bloody hell that's awesome. not really practical though due to water entering the engines and instability on the water. however it would work great on a larger wingspan bomber or recon aircraft.
Ah yes. This plane was an answer the growing concern about the feasability of jets on aircraf carriers. At the time, jets were ineffeicient in fuel compared to propeller engines, and the jets further had to reduce teh fuel and weapons load so they could maintain an acceptable weight for carrier operations. But by the time the Sea Dart was completed, the Navy had already perfected carriers and made jets a more useful asset.
I talked to one of the test pilots for this thing a couple weeks ago. Just wanted to come here and check it out. He is one of our life insurance clients. Name was Billy Jack Long. Pretty cool old guy.
guy show off with his new shiny jet ski
you show up with this
you lean out of the canopy- hey whats up
showoff- O,O
routhoula 1 month ago
They had ALL kinds of problems with this aircraft, including engine placement on the aircraft, the ski positon and amount (one/two etc) the vibration on the water made the a/c almost unmanagable, the list went on and on until the USN decided maybe not such a great idea and dropped the whole project.
usmctanks1 1 month ago
very rare video, something unusual! I've posted it in my aviation blog: kestrel-aviation-videos.blogspot.com
blackswan78 2 months ago
wow ... amazing
Chops1181 3 months ago in playlist More videos from jaglavaksoldier
Comment removed
fireplanes 4 months ago
THE CONVAIR F2Y SEA DART IS ON DISPLAY AT THE SAN DIEGO AEROSPACE MUSEUM
roscoe496 4 months ago
Amazing.
I dont want to seem irrespective but the look resembles very close to Anderson's marionetation fentascientific series!!
SettimaLegione 4 months ago
bet that took one hell of a pilot
phil656565 6 months ago 6
@phil656565
ROGER THAT!!!!!!!
0289XYZ 6 months ago
Fantastic
einherje71 8 months ago
stealth, it's not
tazztt1 10 months ago
In the 60's something the comic-strip character "Buzz Sawyer", created by Roy Crane, and working as NAVY test pilot and secret agent, flew an aircraft very similar to this. It was much smaller and lacked the skis, but could land on water. I suspect that Crane had seen a picture of the Sea Dart and extrapolated a bit. It was called "Midjet", and of course some bad guys tried to sabotage or steal it.
YDDES 10 months ago
Mother of Miss Budwieser !
Mac10Mackey 10 months ago
Imagine trying to land that thing in open sea conditions! Can't ya just see a big ole shark waiting in his LZ? To borrow from "Jaws", instead of "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat", it'd be "I think we're gonna need a bigger airplane!"
JimHadar1 11 months ago
Sea Dart nose remember the X-15
loudness96 1 year ago
Having read the accounts of the test pilot who flew the Sea Dart, it's a wonder he lived without permanent cervical damage to his neck! Landing in only moderately choppy water, said the test pilot, was akin to having his head hit the wind screen of a windshield of an automobile running into a tree time and time again. The Sea Dart never achieved supersonic flight in level flight, only in a shallow dive. It epitomizes what I love so much about early jet flight. All venues were explored...
mojofuel62 1 year ago
SICK!
Jhensy2012 1 year ago
Bat plane.
jauchiu 1 year ago
Comments about the sea state needed for operation are probably correct. To that I will add that it looks as though control surfaces were under water during water taxi. That would be a bitch to clean and mitigate salt corrosion. It sure is pretty, though.
barkon 1 year ago
Anyone with half a brain should realise that this bird could only operate on dead calm seas.Can you imagine having to land it on even moderate swells?Beautiful but useless.
laiosto 1 year ago
The last remaining sea dart is on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park San Diego Ca. I've seen it in person and it looks like its a prop from a Batman movie. Really wild looking... If anyone gets a chance to spend the day at the museum, do it, they've got a lot of great aviation history there.
210mt 1 year ago
@210mt There is one at the Willow Grove PA air museum. Look a my channel I have some video of it from when I visited there.
nuerotec 1 year ago
@nuerotec Wow you are right. When I was in San Diego, i was under the impression based on the data they had there, that only one aircraft was produced and that it was the one they had there, as a matter of fact, I believe it even said that was the only one. No doubt after looking at your vid, that is another real aircraft. Interesting...
210mt 11 months ago
It looks like something from the Thunderbirds TV series of the mid-60s.
westlock 1 year ago 4
@westlock rofl you'r right
lukefromdownunder 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Dear All,
I have some question about psychology:
(1) Why do we love flying?
(2) Why do we enjoy to fly on seaplanes?
(3) How does flying on seaplanes feel differently from flying on jets?
(4) What is the enjoyment (physically and emotionally) to fly on a seaplane?
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for your creative ideas and brainstorm!!! :)
applesweeter 1 year ago
whoa.. i never even heard of this before. i mean a 1951 (!) westinghouse (!) jet powered (!) water plane (!)... BADASS!!! talk about jet skiing
nanchoengineering 1 year ago
When was Convair company went bust?
TogieTung 1 year ago
Comment removed
leicam6 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@TogieTung Convair was purchased by General Dynamics. General Dynamics later sold their F16 and fighter aircraft business to Lockheed Martin.
leicam6 1 year ago
@TogieTung Never went bust. Convair reorganized as part of General Dynamics in the Sixties, and then eventually became part of Lockheed Martin in the Nineties.
FPilotBierce 1 year ago
all jet fighter planes should be like Convair F2Y so there no need so many aircraft carriers
ngleongkeong 1 year ago
From a calender "In 1953, the Convair F2Y Sea Dart, a jet that used a set of retractable skis so it could take off and land without the use of an aircraft carrier, was displayed to Naval officials and the press. The first demonstration was called off because the skis caused the plane to shake too violently. The second plane disintegrated in mid-ar, killing the pilot. The Pentagon was embarrassed, not because the plane was a failure, but because they had already ordered and paid for twelve."
geralic 1 year ago
I read somewhere on another video for this plan that one of the test pilots flying one of these plans was killed when it exploded. That's why they discontinued their use. Otherwise, these could have become really popular. Who knows... maybe if it had gone differently our jet fighters would all be based on this model instead of the carrier based models we have now. Crazy how one little turn in history like that can make all the difference.
atliens81 2 years ago
@atliens81 -- Yes. One of my dad's best friends was killed when the thing disintigrated. It happened during an air show over San Diego bay. And it was because it followed too close behind a heavy transport and caught caught in the wake of the large plane.
nesokretep 1 year ago
@atliens81 -- I doubt that it would have replaced carrier-based planes. There are all sorts of problems with sea planes, not the least of which is corrosion from landing constantly in salt water. There were a whole bunch of sea planes developed in the 1950's that are not in use today. And landing and taking off is just one issue. It makes a lot of sense to have a floating airport (aircraft carrier) to contain all of the maintenance and support facilities you need for a fleet of aircraft.
nesokretep 1 year ago
Gotta love Convair.
pelagic6 2 years ago
See Air & Space magazine (sept 2009) for a great article on this plane.
ArizonaDelRio 2 years ago
bloody hell that's awesome. not really practical though due to water entering the engines and instability on the water. however it would work great on a larger wingspan bomber or recon aircraft.
itsumonihon 2 years ago
Ah yes. This plane was an answer the growing concern about the feasability of jets on aircraf carriers. At the time, jets were ineffeicient in fuel compared to propeller engines, and the jets further had to reduce teh fuel and weapons load so they could maintain an acceptable weight for carrier operations. But by the time the Sea Dart was completed, the Navy had already perfected carriers and made jets a more useful asset.
brtshstel 2 years ago
I talked to one of the test pilots for this thing a couple weeks ago. Just wanted to come here and check it out. He is one of our life insurance clients. Name was Billy Jack Long. Pretty cool old guy.
atliens81 3 years ago