Warbird Information Exchange

I thought another factor favoring the tail dragger was the barricade on straight deck carriers. The barricades were a sting of wires designed to stop an aircraft from crashing into aircraft parked forward if the aircraft failed to catch cross deck pendants (cables), or caught one of the last ones. I even believe the US Navy specified tail draggers partially for this reason- happy to be corrected.

The forward landing gear was a major part of helping stop an aircraft going into the barricade. Barricade engagements were routine, and thus robust main landing gear were required. A nose gear would more easily "trip" an aircraft, or would not be strong enough to slow/stop the aircraft. Damage was common, but would have been worse with nose gear aircraft.

The angled deck essentially stopped barrier engagements, except for emergencies when a barrier was erected for an aircraft with a problem.

I note the above photos show both straight and angled deck carriers. So I offer perhaps tail draggers were better for straight deck operations, nose gear for angled deck carriers.

Another similar design is the FJ-1 Fury. North American was rapidly figuring it all out. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it have been cool to see the T-28C used in Southeast Asia as a ground attack platform for the Marines?