Douglas Skyray

"Andrew Chaplin" wrote in message
...
Arved Sandstrom wrote:

"Kevin Brooks" wrote in message
...

[ SNIP ]
"It was also very maneuverable, featuring an incredible rate of roll,
and
one Navy test pilot who flew the Skyray said that Air Force
chase-plane
pilots were desperate to find a USAF machine that could out-turn it.
Air
Force pilots flew the F4D, no doubt with an eye to assessing its
strengths
and weaknesses. It did have weaknesses, significant ones. Along with
its
agility came a degree of instability, particularly in the critical
transonic
speed range. This does not seem too surprising given the aircraft's
aspect
in the top view, which suggests some of the aerodynamic features of a
pancake; it also had a steep glide ratio, being described as a "lead
sled".
One pilot said the Ford's handling "bordered on the bizarre." In fact,
there
were some test pilots who despised the F4D and felt it should have
never
been accepted into operational service. This appears to have been a
minority
opinion, but even its admirers admitted the Ford's instability made it
a
handful for a relatively inexperienced pilot. Skilled pilots who liked
the
machine also found it tiring to fly for long distances: keeping it on
the
level was a continuous balancing act."

Presumably it was as well-loved as the F-101 Lawn Dart....ummmm, Voodoo.

F-104 was the Lawn Dart.

The UH-60 also garnered that sobriquet earlier in its career; those
uncommanded stabilator pitch overs at low altitude made it an apt descriptor
until they got the problem in hand, IIRC.

Brooks

--
Andrew Chaplin
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