Vought Aircraft - VE-7 & Regulus I 4-15-08

[RickH]

Funny thing, Mark. I pulled this spec sheet off of the Vought Heritage site too.

[RareBear]

The 1350 HP rating listed fits the R-2000.

Walt

[Wheels up]

Has anyone noticed the propellers (rotary wings? ) on the XF5U-1 schematic and assembled pics? Two blades are an entire shank diameter ahead of the other two. That is one complex hub! The construction photos appear to be basic Hydromatics. The "completed" version has an entire different prop with the aforementioned staggered blade shanks. That has to be a whacky thing to deal with! Is this due to aerodynamics or mechanical interferance issues with those huge cuffs and wide ranging pitch angles?

[Tailspin Turtle]

My guess is that the large diameter of the propeller and the angles of attack involved required a propeller that "flapped" to relieve root bending loads. (Note that the propellers also turned in opposite direction.) The props were one of the development problems. The Corsair-type props might have been okay as "clubs" for engine turn up but they were probably just on there for photos.

[Wheels up]

I would agree the Hydromatics are there for mock up and such. But there is a curiousity with the pics of the XF5U with them installed....they obviously are both normal turning direction props when we know the drive train was designed to turn opposite on port prop. It loooooks a whole bunch like the port Hydromatic has its blades installed....backwards! Doesn't it look like the face of the blades are forward and the cambered sides are on aft end??? Furthered by the presence of the decals on the "normal" starboard prop and absence of decals on the port prop! Either way they are still pitched wrong rotation on port side. That's one fishy flapjack!

[bdk]

Where was the XF5U built?

[Warbird Kid]

Stratford CT.

[Mark Nankivil]

Greetings All -

Here's the next batch of photos for your perusal and viewing pleasure. The Pirate was Vought's first jet fighter and though not particularly successful, primarily due to the engine and lack of thrust, it did hold the distinction of being the first afterburner equipped aircraft in service. The only known surviving airframe is slowly coming back to life at the Vought Retiree's Club/Heritage Foundation hangar at the Vought factory in Grand Prairie, TX.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

[mustangdriver]

Are there any of these left?

[Ztex]

Greetings All -
The only known surviving airframe is slowly coming back to life at the Vought Retiree's Club/Heritage Foundation hangar at the Vought factory in Grand Prairie, TX.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17306&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=f6u
Sole remaining F6U Pirate:

[mustangdriver]

Wow Thanks! I wonder if it will go to Pensacola?

[Connery]

Hmmm I have the Vought original's of some of those photos in my collection

[Mark Nankivil]

Hey Connery, I hope you do Any you other photos you can add to the posting?

MustangDriver, I doubt it'll go there - it will more likely end up at the Frontiers of Flight Museum up at Dallas Love Field. A number of their other restorations are on display there already such as an RF-8G and an A-7A.

Ztex, thanks for the update photos on the Pirate restoration. I look forward to seeing an F6U, F7U and an F-8 side by side one day (I know I'll be waiting a long time though!)

I have my F7U photos finished and will post those shortly.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

[Connery]

Here are the scans of the photos that I have. They are scans from 8x10's that my dad acquired from when he ran the photography department at Vought. These are reduced in size quite a bit for posting.

[Mark Nankivil]

Greetings All -

Next in line of the Vought fighters is the F7U Cutlass. The F7U-1 and the later and more developed F7U-3 are considerably different beasts as you can see. There's an excellent new book titled "U.S. NAVAL AIR SUPERIORITY: Development of Shipborne Jet Fighters 1943-1962" that notes the F7U-3 would likely have had a far better reputation if it had not been for its engines (true for about every Navy jet fighter of that time period) and the straight deck environment aboard carrier. The angled deck simply came too late for the Cutlass. All the same, I find it an impressive aircraft and when you get up next to one (Pensacola and Tom Catchcart's machine out in Seattle come to mind), it really is a beaut of brute.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

F7U-1 Cutlass -











F7U-3 Cutlass -

Note the bulb nose in the first couple of images - 15 of the -3s were produced this way before the transition to the more pointed nose and revised canopy shape due to its better visibility on approach





















































and the rather rare F7U-3P...



and a lead in to the next aircraft, the F-8 Crusader...