Vought F6U Pirate: First and worst?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 10/01/2015 at 14:35 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history, planes you've (probably) never heard of, wingspan

6

24

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

From the Planes You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of Department of Wingspan, we bring you the Vought F6U Pirate .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The first XF6U-1 prototype over Muroc Army Air Base in 1947 (US Navy)

When the US Navy sought to field their first fighter jet, they turned to Vought, the company that had produced the hugely successful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The F6U Pirate would be the Navy’s first purely jet-powered fighter, and though it was ultimately unsuccessful, it paved the way for future Naval jet fighters, and gave Vought experience that would help them turn out some of the best carrier-based aircraft in the following decades (with one !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ).

Production F6U-1, with auxiliary fins added to the horizontal stabilizer for improved yaw stability, redesigned vertical stabilizer, wingtip fuel tanks, and lengthened fuselage with afterburning engine. (US Navy)

On September 5, 1944, the US Navy issued a requirement for a single-seat, turbojet powered fighter, and in December of that year, Vought was awarded a contract to build three aircraft that carried the company designation V-340. Since swept-wing technology had not yet been captured from the Germans, the Pirate had straight wings and tail like its piston-powered predecessors, and was propelled by a single Westinghouse turbojet engine. Designed with carrier operations in mind, the Pirate’s wings were short enough that they didn’t need to be folded for carrier storage, and with space on the carrier at a premium, the nose wheel could be retracted so the tail of one aircraft could overlap the nose of the one behind it. In an attempt to lighten the bulky fighter, the skin of the Pirate was made from a material Vought called Metalite, which consisted of two thin sheets of aluminum with a layer of balsa wood sandwiched between. And in a further attempt at adding lightness, the vertical stabilizer and rudder were constructed from a sandwich of fiberglass and balsa which was called Fabrilite.

The second production F6U-1), showing the stainless steel skin that replaced the Metalite around the afterburning engine. The only remaining example of the Pirate, this aircraft resides at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. (US Navy)

Unfortunately, the Pirate suffered the same Achilles heel as all of the earliest jets: lack of sufficient power. The Westinghouse J34-WE-22 turbojet only produced 3,000 pounds of thrust, just one-third the aircraft’s loaded weight. To address this shortcoming, the third prototype was lengthened by eight feet to accept a Westinghouse J34-WE-30 afterburning turbojet, becoming the first US Navy jet to have an afterburner. The new power plant provided 1,200 pounds more thrust with afterburner, but the Pirate still ended up with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.3:1, entirely inadequate for an effective fighter. Despite Vought’s best efforts, the Pirate was obsolete before it even entered production, and only thirty aircraft were built. After evaluating the new fighter, the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics pulled no punches, saying, “The F6U-1 had proven so sub-marginal in performance that combat utilization is not feasible.” The Pirate ended its brief career by helping to develop carrier arresting gear and crash barriers, and other more ignominious fates. The thirty production jets racked up only 945 hours of total flight time, and some had a mere six hours on the airframe, just long enough to certify the aircraft for acceptance and ferry it to its final resting place.

F6U-1 Pirate languishing in the New Mexico desert after being used for shaped charge testing. This aircraft was later restored and is the only remaining example of the F6U-1. (US Navy)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

If you enjoyed this post, please join in the conversation and let me know. For more stories about aviation, aviators and aircraft oddities, head over to   !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

ly2v8-Brian > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 14:55

2

The most basic looking plane ever. The 99 Camry of plane design.

ttyymmnn > ly2v8-Brian 10/01/2015 at 15:06

2

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 15:14

1

It’s kinda amazing that the same firm that designed the Corsair, one of the wilder, prettier designs of WWII could build a jet that looks like the Pirate.

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 15:18

1

I can see some resemblance to the Grumman A6 and the A10 in the nose, interesting. It sounds like this is an example of “if it looks right, it flies right” in reverse, because this thing looks awkward as hell.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 10/01/2015 at 15:21

1

Agreed. It’s like they forgot everything they knew about aerodynamics when they designed this thing. The lack of power was an issue all jets of the era suffered from, but the aerodynamic problems were inexcusable.

ttyymmnn > RallyWrench 10/01/2015 at 15:34

0

I think it’s pretty clear that Vought were still thinking with very much a propeller plane mindset. They discovered quickly that simply bolting a futuristic jet engine on an antiquated airframe was simply a recipe for disaster. Which is not to say that there were no good straight-wing fighters. Just look at the Grumman Panther and the Lockheed Shooting Star, both excellent first generation fighters. The Pirate seemed to suffer from a certain lack of imagination, and they went overboard with the F7U Cutlass before getting it all VERY right with the F7U (F-7) Crusader.

ttyymmnn > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 10/01/2015 at 15:39

1

You probably could have put that 2000hp P&W radial on a brick and flown it through sheer brute force. The Corsair’s sleek lines and flyability were hallmarks of the ultimate achievement in piston-powered flight. What Vought sorely lacked was any knowledge or imagination when it came to their first purely jet-powered design. They made up for it with the Crusader, though after another debacle with the Cutlass. Which, I just realized, is the sword used by a pirate. I guess they were still trying to make a swashbuckler.

Brian, The Life of > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 16:03

0

Childhood stomping grounds :)

ly2v8-Brian > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 16:05

1

Except this is aired to the air.

ttyymmnn > Brian, The Life of 10/01/2015 at 16:09

0

I can think of worse places to kick around as a kid. I was surprised to learn that Muroc is the backwards spelling of the name Corum, the family that settled out on the edge of Rogers Lake.

ttyymmnn > ly2v8-Brian 10/01/2015 at 16:09

0

Not really. See the last photo.

ly2v8-Brian > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 16:11

0

That's after it was withdrawn though.

Brian, The Life of > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 16:12

2

Whoa! I didn’t know that! Learn something new everyday ...

I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I would ride our dirt bikes out to Edwards to watch them fly cool shit.

ttyymmnn > ly2v8-Brian 10/01/2015 at 16:12

0

True. But they certainly didn’t wrack up the miles the way you would expect to in a Camry.

ttyymmnn > Brian, The Life of 10/01/2015 at 16:18

0

That would have been awesome.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 16:23

2

I guess they assigned the same guys, with the same loopy ideas, from the Pirate to the Cutlass and they took the naming inspiration along with it.

The Crusader made up for everything though. I <3 the Crusader.

And pictured with my other favorite Navy jet - the A-4 Skyhawk.

ttyymmnn > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 10/01/2015 at 16:26

1

The Crusader was truly one of the greats. And it also gave us the Corsair II, which was an excellent aircraft in its own right. When Vought got it right, by God, they got it right.

Hot Takes Salesman > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 10/01/2015 at 17:13

1

And the Corsair saw fighter bomber use in Korea, as opposed the poor Pirate

ttyymmnn > Hot Takes Salesman 10/01/2015 at 18:54

0

They never dropped bombs with the Pirate; however, they dropped bombs ON it.

TtoODDs > ttyymmnn 10/04/2015 at 15:23

1

Interesting that a Cutass was carried by a Pirate!

TtoODDs > ttyymmnn 10/04/2015 at 15:28

0

Having looked at the photos, I now wonder where is the air intake for the jet?

ttyymmnn > TtoODDs 10/04/2015 at 15:30

0

Kind of hard to see, but they are in the wing roots, under the wing.

TtoODDs > ttyymmnn 10/04/2015 at 15:35

0

Yes indeed. The Pirate had me recalling the Douglas Skynight, similar era of early jet designs.

ttyymmnn > TtoODDs 10/04/2015 at 15:43

0

Is this Dayton checking in?