Tom Cathcart's F7U

262crew · **Joined:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 7:24 pm **Posts:** 877

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

What's the story on this? Is it now with the MOF Museum?

262crew · **Joined:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 7:24 pm **Posts:** 877

Tom pulled this F7U out of a park in eastern Washington 10+ years ago and has been slowly restoring it to flight condition! When he got it to KPAE he serviced it and fired up the engines :!:

n5151ts · **Posted:** Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:01 pm

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 12:22 am

I have a HUGE ammount of respect for what he is doing - THAT is dedication. But from the little that I know about Cutlasses
they were a death trap. He's not really going to fly that thing, is he?

wixlova · **Joined:** Wed May 14, 2008 5:16 am **Posts:** 59

Will take someone with BIG brass nomex covered balls to fly this Gutless Cutlass i say.

Whos brave enough to stand up and do it i wonder nowdays?

262crew · **Joined:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 7:24 pm **Posts:** 877

Agreed, it will take BIG BIG STAINLESS STEEL ONES to fly that thing and if it happens I for sure will be there! One problem Tom has is that the wing skins are laminated aluminum balsa and they are rotted and corroded to h%ll.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:03 am

Interestingly enough, the new issue of FLIGHT JOURNAL showed up in the snail box today and it has quite an article on the Ensign Killer. :shock:

I realy don't think anyone would be dumb enough to try to fly that thing, but I've been wrong before-(I've never met anyone in aviation who walked to work from Midway Island, in spite of what their own personal opinion of themselves was). :wink:

I understand Tom could be courced into parting with it-

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:34 am

Bud would fly it :idea:

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:55 am

The main problem with flying the Cutlass was carrier ops, wasn't it? Underpowered, slow to spool up, and the nosegear fully compressed (with serious back injuries) on really hard landings from what I remember reading. It shouldn't be a real bear for a good jet guy to fly the thing on normal runways, but the check-out would be interesting. :shock:

That would be just about the ultimate jet warbird on the circuit if it ever flys again.

Bill Kistler · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:55 am

That front strut never ceases to amaze me.

Bill.

EXPAT0149 · **Joined:** Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:44 am **Posts:** 163

looks like an RAF roundel on the inner pylon ?

Curtis Block · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 1:45 pm

Give Bud the manual to study for a few days and he'll fly the snot out of anything.

I'm confused though. The aircraft is at the Museum of Flight restoration building in Everett. I thought they only restored there own stuff there.

Are you sure the aircraft will be flown?

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:23 pm

I highly recommend finding the latest issue of Flight Journal and reading just how many ways this thing could kill you while you thought you were doing just swell and had no issues playing John Neversweat, fighter pilot.

It was grossly underpowered even after it finally was fitted with it's 'designed for it' J-46's (which made about 60% of the designed thrust) and it was a hydraulics systems nightmare-

PinecastleAAF · **Joined:** Fri May 25, 2007 4:50 pm **Posts:** 1028

Serious question if that were to fly would it have a working ejection seat? It is something I've wondered about in jet warbirds before now so this seems like a good time to ask.

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