A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

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Enjoy. :)
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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-02-03 AT 03:45 PM (GMT)]Nice. so when is Shrove Tuesday ?

Strange to see the stars on both 'wings' ???. I thought they only went on top on one side and underneath on t'other

Got the full write up on the development of this baby if anyones interested (must get my scanner to work !)

cheers

Gary

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

Whats the name of the bee is what i am interetstd in right now. :)

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

XF5U-I. Flying Flapjack...Revealed June 1946 by Chance Vought division of United Aircraft corporation/.. A new shipboard fighter. Proposed speed range 40 - 460(it could take off vertically in a 25 knot wind !)Powered by two Pratt and Whitney R-2000-2D Twin Wasp yurbo-supercharged 14 cylinder twin row radials.

scrapped in 1948, the original flying model was given to the Air Museum of the Smithsonian Institute.

Cheers

Gary

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

I think you'll find the photo is of the small scale (3/4 full size) prototype airframe.

The actual XF5U-1 Flying Pancake was never flown (sadly).

Willow

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

Was it built for some specific purpose?

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

Shipboard fighter.I'll get more details typed out when I can over the next few days. Watch this space.

I've even downloaded a version for Combat flight Sim 2 !!! (Not really sad...honest !)

cheers

Gary

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,078

RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-02-03 AT 03:23 PM (GMT)]The pic that started this thread off is in fact the V-173 full scale low powered lightweight flying model of the VS-315 (XF5U-1) fighter being flown over Long Island Sound by Boone T Guyton (Vought cheif test pilot)

Te V173 was powered by two 80Hp Continental A-80 four cylinder engines driving 16ft 6in propellors. For simplicity the undercart was fixed !.

First flown on 23 Nov 1942 for 13 minutes with high stick forces. later they found that with full power and full aft stick and a flight attitude aproaching 45 degrees it was possible to maintain full lateral and longitudinal control and was impossible to stall or spin. Went on to fly a total of 131 hours.

The first XF5U-! was rolled out on 25Jun 1945 ready for flight testing. Using temporary Hydromatic airscrewas nicked from a couple of F4U-4 Corsairs was ready to start engine ground runs on Aug 20 1945

The XF4U was being readied for shipment by sea through the Panama Canal to Muroc Dry Lake California when the project was cancelled (Queue nasty noisy horrible turbojet era !!!). The fighter was reduced to scrap in the sprng of 1948.

Reckon it would have been an awesome bit of kit if it had gone into production...bit like the TSR2, but thats another story !.

and yes...that is a row or 'flight' (?) of stairs leading up its back so the pilot could get into the sharp end easily !!

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Gary

PS: apologies for the piccies...my scanners not that good...actually its Cr*p but its all I got at the mo' !

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

cheers for that!

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RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

For all you aeromodellers out there, the 1/72 scale Hasagawa kit of the XF5U-1 is trully excelent.

Willow

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Posts: 133

RE: A pic for Sunday... something a little weird and different.

That odd ball remonds me of the Cutlass (called the "Gutless" by pilots who had the misfortune to fly the underpowered misery). Does anyone know if they are related in design?