On the other hand, I love to fool folks by asking them to identify this:
Posted on 07/08/2023 3:15:12 PM PDT by fugazi
Hot link:
Boy the F3H sure does foreshadow the F4.
There are always prototypes and R&D aircraft that never make production. I’ve worked with many secret aircraft that never made it past a few development prototypes. What becomes production is usually the best and should be celebrated for all the works of the prototypes before them.
Any plane in particular you worked with that you thought was pretty neat?
The hypersonics from the late 80’s era. I always thought they would make it into the civilian fleets and we’d be going around the world in minutes by now.
I’m surprised the Martin P6M wasn’t mentioned. It was a jet-powered strategic bomber—with a flying boat hull. Developed for the Navy, it was designed to carry nuclear weapons to targets and perform take-offs from and make landings on the water.
I recognized several. The Tigercat, the Sea Dart, the Guppy and Super Guppy. A version of the Guppy or Super Guppy was based at an airport I worked at. It was used to ferry a Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe around.
...Forget to add: it came close to entering service.
And the Tarhe is an interesting whirly-bird all on its own!
That was an interesting plane. Before satellites and intercontinental missiles our warplanes were constantly changing. Aprons had to have been so incredibly diverse, considering each plane had a different mission and so many platforms were phasing in and out very rapidly.
It would be interesting to go back in time and introduce the F7F during World War II to see how Navy pilots would have stacked up with a twin-engine fighter.
On the other hand, I love to fool folks by asking them to identify this:
My father worked a Mcdonnell as a aircraft mechanic. During a 1959 open house he took me into a hush house and sat me in the cockpit of a F3H. I was only 5 but still remember it. The Demon was only one of two single engine fighters Mc built. The other was the Goblin.
It would have been a P 38 on steroids. Japanese had some damn good fighters late in war but lacked enough great pilots. My two cents.
I’m going with the North American A-36 Invader “Apache” with an Allison engine. Ground attack/dive bomber version of the P-51 Mustang.
Cool post. I actually remember most of these planes from the Power for Peace card series.
Well, I’ve heard of all of them, and I’m surely the only person posting on FR who actually saw am XF-91 in flight, and doing aerobatics at that. Grew up near Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA in the ‘50s.
So why did they only build 500 North American A-36’s after its first flight in 1942?
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