Mock-up of a Pirate (XF6U-1 that is!) Part II

     Continuing with the Pirate mock-up, one of the interesting features was the ability to kneel the aircraft to allow for tighter parking on the flight deck. Kneeling required the nose landing gear to be retracted after a small kneeling nose wheel was installed.

CV-18454 XF6U-1 Kneeling 

     Nose image with panels removed showing the gun camera, oxygen bottle and avionics installations.

CV-18445 XF6U-1 Nose Installation

     Second view of the open nose compartment showing the details of the equipment installed inside.

CV-18446 XF6U-1 Nose Installation

     One of the areas of interest that gets a considerable level of detail in the mock-up is the cockpit. The first image shows the instrument board with control stick. The second image shows the chart board extended as it would be during use. 

CV-18446 XF6U-1 Instrument Board

CV-18306 XF6U-1 Chart Board Installation

     The next post in this series will feature the armament and landing gear.

     These images come from the National Archives II Record Group 72. The Vought and NARA images numbers are in the file names.

  

Mock-up of a Pirate (XF6U-1 that is!)

     In aviation mock-ups are a fascinating subject. I enjoy looking at them and comparing them to the actual aircraft that was derived from them. Mock-ups are the collision of the designers vision and the reality of systems integration that has yet to be tested in the sky.

     The following images come from the National Archives II Record Group 72. The Vought and NARA images numbers are in the file names.

     I will post some actual aircraft images in a later post for comparison purposes. Of interest is the wing mounted drop tank on the first image.

CV 18191 XF6U-1 Mock-up Left Side

CV 18193 XF6U-1 Mock-up Rear Right Hand Side

     The plan views show the clean lines of the wings and fuselage to advantage. Metalite construction was planned for use on the Pirate. 

CV 18194 XF6U-1 Mock-up Plan View

CV 18195 XF6U-1 Mock-up Plan View

     The cockpit is fairly conventional and includes a chart board for navigation information essential to the Naval Aviator. 

CV 18303 XF6U-1 Mock-up Pilot in Cockpit

CV 18304 XF6U-1 Mock-up Pilot in cockpit

     Finally a couple of images of the "jet unit" used to power the Pirate.

CV 18367 XF6U-1 Mock-up Left Side Jet Unit Installation

CV 18365 XF6U-1 Mock-up Jet Unit Lowered on Torpedo Truck

When is a Vought not a Vought?

The Naval Aircraft Factory was established in 1918 by the US Navy to help increase production of aircraft needed by the Navy as the majority of aircraft production was absorbed the the US Army. 

The Vinson Trammel Act of 1934 required the Navy to build 1/10 of all it's aircraft which enabled the NAF to keep producing aircraft for the Navy. The NAF is best known for building large quantities of the N3N "Yellow Peril".  

The NAF took on production of the Kingfisher to allow Vought to concentrate efforts on the F4U Corsair needed by combat squadrons.

Approximately 300 Kingfishers were built by the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia PA as the OS2N-1 which was the equivalent of the Vought OS2U-3. The NAF ceased building aircraft in 1945.

Here are some photos from the National Archives II Record Group 72-AC Box 45

Front view of an unidentified OS2N-1 in land plane configuration. NAF photo.

Right rear image of an OS2N-1 again in land plane configuration. NAF photo

Head on image of an OS2N-1 on floats. NAF image.

Right front view of the same aircraft in the float plane configuration. NAF photo.

Finally a very nice side view of the OS2N-1 sitting on the ramp at Philadelphia. NAF photo.