24 Feb 2006
Here’s a Cat that never got a “Cat” designation:
Nicknamed by some the “Skyrocket”, this experimental Cat never reached production. However, fans of the comic book series Blackhawk will be familiar with it, as the fictional squadron flew them for decades. Here’s a Global Security entry on the XF5F. The pic is from “THE CAT YOU NEVER SAW”
February 24th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
Ugly plane! Ugly, ugly. Still, she was a Cat. Wasn’t Skyrocket applied by some to the USAAC version? Interesting it has the diagonal tail stripes like the Enterprise aircraft at Midway. BTW, did you see that a Tomcat made the last combat mission trap for F-14s? A valiant Cold Warrior that made nary a shot in anger, soon to retire.
February 26th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Comrades, Well, if you look at her fuselage and tail, she could quite well be the ancestor of the A-10. I dunno, she’s ugly in a cool sort of way. I wouldn’t turn her down, especially after reading the test reports on her performance. Nice to dream about what might have been….. Respects, AW1 Tim
July 11th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I think it’s cool looking. First saw the F5F in Sea Classics magazine, ‘04, IIRC, Feb? (I’m a Navy /nautical fan, not air), the view in one pic made it look like a shark with a wing in it’s mouth.