The Vought F8 Crusader was the only production military aircraft I
know of with a variable incidence wing. This feature was used to
improve pilot visibility on take off and landing, a critically
important thing for a carrier plane; several aircraft such as the
earlier Vought Cutlass and Douglas Skyray had the nose and cockpit
greatly revised in production versions for better visibility.

In operation off land bases, did the variable incidence wing have any
disadvantages? Did the approximately 7 degree wing incidence cause any
noticeable increase in drag during the take off run? In landing, did
the wing produce undesirable continued lift after touch down that
reduced braking action? Was it possible or practical to level the wing
after touch down to kill the lift, similar in effect to extending
spoilers on some aircraft?

Thank you,

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist