Convair XF2Y-1 "Sea Dart"
| The Sea Dart aircraft was to be powered by a pair of 6100 lb.s.t.
afterburning Westinghouse XJ46-WE-02 engines. The lower fuselage of the Sea Dart had the V-shaped profile of a boat. When sitting at rest in the water, the Sea Dart floated with the trailing edge of the wing and the elevons being flush with the water. The aircraft took off and landed on a pair of retractable hydro-skis. A total of five aircraft, dubbed Sea Dart, were built. Only three ever flew. The first flight tests revealed (as expected) that the aircraft was severely underpowered for its weight. In addition, the waterskis vibrated continuously during takeoff and landing. The absence of an area-ruled fuselage (plus the lack of adequate engine power) meant that that the XF2Y-1 could not exceed the speed of sound in level flight. The second Sea Dart exceeded Mach 1.0 on 3 August 1954. The four surviving Sea Darts are all preserved in museums. |
3view drawing by Josef Hueber / Airborne Grafix,
enlarged
version.
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