F7U Cutlass

[F-32]

Found this while looking on the net for pictures of the Gutlass........pretty cool

[Jschmus]

and dig, and dig...

I picked up the new Fine Scale Modeler last weekend, and there's a retropsective on the work of Paul Boyer, who is apparently retiring, or at least scaling back.  Buried in the middle of the retrospective is a teeny photo of Mr. Boyer at a modeling show, holding something which is labeled as the "silly F-7D".  In FSM, silly seems to refer to what we do here.  So I was prompted to search for this.  It turns out that the model appears in the April 2000, but you have to be a subscriber to view the article on their site.  After some digging, I found this, quoted on the Great Planes forum.

Mig-Killer Cutlass
In 1970, the US was deeply embroiled in Vietnam. After both the McDonnell F-4 Phantom and the Vought F-8 Crusader had proven to be such dismal failures, the burden of fleet defense interceptor and strike force cover fell to the radical Vought F7U-3 Cutlass.
(I must have browsed-over this part...har-de-har.)
Redesignated F-7 in 1962, the 1950's-vintage Cutlass was upgraded with new engines, modified intakes, improved radar and electronics, and had a radar-intercept officer added in a second, tandem seat.
With the increased thrust of of the two General Electric J-79-GE-10s, the F7D did away with the ridiculously-long nose-gear strut that earlier Cutlasses used to achieve a high-angle of attack on take-off, and adopted a modified strut with the new launch-bar developed by Grumman for the A-6 Intruder. Modern AIM-7 and AIM-9's were carried on typical MIGCAP missions.
VF-111 the "Sundowners" deployed on the USS Coral Sea, had the most colorful "Cuts" in the fleet. This aircraft, NL208 sports three MIG- kill-marks on it's tails and is ready to depart on another mission. Lt.Cdr Bruce "Suemish" Beamish and back-seater Lt. Ira M "Peerless" Fearless scored a triple kill on April 1, 1970--WHOOOOPS--flying NL208. The F7D would be used by the US Navy and replaced by the F-14.

[Damian2]

sounds cool...too bad we can't get to the pics

As for the retirement from the fleet I woneder what an F-7D or E would look like in Navy Reserve coulours? Maybe a little lo-viz grey and lots of wear on the paint job ala reserve F/A-18 units...

OR maybe an F/A-7D with an A2G load? Possibly an "ironhand" load out with Shirkes??

[Jschmus]

I forgot to mention, half the fun in reading the post on the other forum, was all the JMN responses about how "there was no such thing" and "the last Cutlass was retired in 1957", etc.

[Archibald]

I forgot to mention, half the fun in reading the post on the other forum, was all the JMN responses about how "there was no such thing" and "the last Cutlass was retired in 1957", etc.

So these people are unable to have IMAGINATION ? I'm just deseperate about such reaction... (albeit  the cutlass was really a huge crap, no chance that it stood in service so long   . I prefer the Skyray / skylancer / J-79 Skylancer lineage, that's the way to go )  

[The Rat]

I love the Cutlass!

There, I've said it. It's like admitting to microwaving kittens or something equally horrid, but there ya go. Until the B-2 it was really the closest thing to a flying wing that had ever seen service. Aside from that oversize canopy it really was a cool looking design, and it's main failing was that atrocious choice of a Westinghouse engine. I've said it before and I'll say it again - they ruined more aircraft than Erich Hartmann. They should have stuck to making refrigerators.

If there were any cheap kits around I would snap up a bunch and have a whiff party. Always liked the thought of an extended forward fuselage with canards, or perhaps giving it the Sea Vixen treatment with extended booms.

I LOVE THE CUTLASS!    

[anthonyp]

I've got a pic of this model somewhere on my hard drive...  (digging, digging, digging)  Hmmm, can't seem to find it right now, but I'll look for it later and post it.

I also love the Cutlass.  It was such a futuristic looking fighter, that failed spectacularly.  Lot's of Whiffy potential with it (been thinking of doing a single engined one).

[Gary]

The Gutless Cutlass...

The thing about her I love is that she was audatious. It was an approach to airframe design that blew apart all conventions and regardless of the woefully poor engine choice, she still had guile.

I can almost imaging the designer walking to his boss's desk with the sketch in hand, trembling and trying to justify what he had spent the last month scrawling and fiddling with his slide ruler to create.

We live basically in a time of grey airplanes, and, no offence to the gigantic brains working on these airplanes, the formula of fuselage, wings on the side, twin tails canted outwards.... Equally grey in the sense of imagination. While today's aircraft are masterpeices of engineering and work fantastically well for the most part, they simply are not audatious. The Raptor is so much a kin to the Eagle, the Raptor Light, sorry, Lightning 2, is the baby brother spawned from Raptor, the delta's are done to death. When will we see someone put on paper another true departure in fighter design? (Yes, that is an opinion and please feel free to outright disagree with me. In fact, I'd love for you to point out my flaws in thought)

In a manner of speaking, I miss the really exciting times the 50's gave us in airplane design.  

[Shasper]

While I dont have ther pic on me (wait 3 wks and we'll see), I do remember it looking like the nose oleo was cut by half (nolonger a nose-high bstrd), and the cockpit was enlarged for a RIO. Oh, and it was finished in VF-111 markings

Shas B)

[Maverick]

Hi Guys,

I came up with a whole family developed because of that one pic, two seater Recon, strike, multirole, you get the picture.  And speaking of pictures....

I have the beast on my HD, how does one post here without hyperlinking?

[Archibald]

You have to create a Photobucket album and put the URL of the pics here using IMG.  

[Damian2]

Oooh how about a USAF F-7D in SEA camo?  Maybe black undersides and some nose art??  

[Shasper]

I have the beast on my HD, how does one post here without hyperlinking?

Or you could just post it in one of the forms that has the upload pic attachment feature. If not, shoot it to me in a email & I'll put it in my photobucket for all these pervs to see


Yeah, I said *pervs*!

Shas B)

[gooberliberation]

I have the beast on my HD, how does one post here without hyperlinking?

Or you could just post it in one of the forms that has the upload pic attachment feature. If not, shoot it to me in a email & I'll put it in my photobucket for all these pervs to see


Yeah, I said *pervs*!

Shas B)

Hey just because we throw out terms like "AIRPLANE PORN!!!!" and "whiffgasm" doesnt mean we're perverts.  

[garys]

This bird is also featured in the back of an April FSM (forgot the year!!) on the page they dedicate to "History You Can Model".