The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service during the late 1920s.
16-516: Pleased with the company's VE-7 , in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $ 459,709 contract for 20 convertible land/sea fighters. Vought already had a two-seat observation plane, the UO-1 , basically a VE-7 with additional fuselage streamlining and a Wright J-3 radial engine. This was made into a fighter simply by covering over the front cockpit of the observation plane, mounting machine guns in that area, and upgrading to
32-622: A 220 hp (160 kW) Wright R-790 Whirlwind with a supercharger . With the help of the supercharger, the newly designated FU-1 was able to reach a speed of 147 mph (237 km/h) at 13,000 ft (4,000 m). The FU-1s were delivered to VF-2B based in San Diego, California . With their float gear mounted, one was assigned to each of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet , where these observation seaplanes were launched from catapults . They spent eight months in this role, but as
48-705: A replica Bluebird was completed in early 2007 by volunteers of the Vought Aircraft Heritage Foundation. It is now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola , Florida . Data from Janes Fighting Aircraft of World War I by Michael John Haddrick Taylor (Random House Group Ltd. 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, 2001, ISBN 1-85170-347-0 ), 320 pp. General characteristics Performance Armament VF-6 Fighting Squadron 6 or VF-6
64-494: A shorter faired cabane , and two Vickers guns. Two were completed. Flight test results were disappointing, the aircraft was overweight, with heavy controls, inadequate stability and sluggish performance. The VE-9 variant, first delivered to the Navy on 24 June 1922, was essentially an improved VE-7, with most of the improvements in the fuel system area. Four of the 21 ordered by the U.S. Navy were unarmed observation float seaplanes for battleship catapult use. The VE-7s equipped
80-448: The Navy's first two fighter squadrons VF-1 and VF-2 . A VE-7 flown by Lieutenant Virgil C. Griffin made history on October 17, 1922, when it took off from the deck of the newly commissioned carrier Langley . The VE-7s were the Navy's frontline fighters for several years, with three still assigned to the Langley in 1927; all were retired the following year. No survivors remain, however
96-596: The intention of servicing war needs. The company's trainer was patterned after successful European designs; for instance, the engine was a Wright Hispano Suiza of the type used by the French Spads . In practice, the VE-7's performance was much better than usual for a trainer, and the Army ordered 1,000 of an improved design called the VE-8. However, the contract was cancelled due to the end of
112-477: The left side and synchronized to fire through the propeller. Some planes, designated VE-7SF, had flotation gear consisting of inflatable bags stowed away, available to help keep the plane afloat when ditching at sea. The Bluebird won the 1918 Army competition for advanced training machines. The VE-8 variant completed in July 1919 had a 340hp Wright-Hispano H engine, reduced overall dimensions, increased wing area,
128-574: The next 15 years, the squadron was variously called VF-6B, VF-3, and VF-6 based on their ship assignment ("B" appended meant the squadron was attached to the Battle Fleet, while "S" indicated that it belonged to the Scouting Fleet. In 1937, the last letter of Navy squadron designations was removed.) VF-6B made two Langley deployments in 1930 and 1931 flying Boeing F2Bs . They later transitioned to Boeing F3B high altitude fighters. In December 1937,
144-529: The potential of naval aviation and recommended that USS Lexington and USS Saratoga be completed as soon as possible. In 1926, VF-2B flying Curtiss F6C Hawks was the 1st squadron to demonstrate the concept of dive-bombing, carrying out mock attacks on Pacific Fleet ships. Commanders of the surface ships, expecting standard, low-altitude, level bombing, were surprised when the VF-2B aircraft attacked unseen from 12,000 feet, making simulated drops before
160-404: The ship's defenses could be manned. In 1927, VF-6 flew FU-1s and was tasked to provide one aircraft to each fleet battleship, with the remaining planes shore-based at NAS North Island . The squadron's FU-1s were launched from ship catapults , landed as seaplanes and then hoisted back aboard by crane. In 1928, the squadron transferred to Langley and was redesignated VF-2B. Over the course of
176-523: The squadron began a transition to the F3F-2. In 1939 the squadron operated at least two F3F-3s Grumman F3F alongside their F3F-2s. . VF-3 served aboard USS Saratoga , USS Lexington , and USS Yorktown until the Battle of Midway . The commanding officer of the squadron during 1942 was then - Lieutenant Commander John Thach . VF-3 and VF-6 swapped designations on 15 July 1943, resulting in
SECTION 10
#1732909863369192-530: The squadron went to aircraft carrier operations, the further-aft cockpit proved to have a visibility problem when maneuvering around a carrier deck. In response, the forward cockpit was re-opened, the resulting aircraft being designated FU-2 . By this time they were obsolescent, and the two-seaters served primarily as trainers and utility aircraft. Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 General characteristics Performance Armament Vought VE-7 The Vought VE-7 "Bluebird"
208-576: The war. However, the Navy was very interested in the VE-7, and received the first machine in May 1920. Production orders soon followed, and in accordance to Navy policy at the time, examples were also built by the Naval Aircraft Factory . In all, 128 VE-7s were built. The fighter version of the VE-7 was designated VE-7S. It was a single-seater, the front cockpit being faired over and a .30 in (7.62 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted over it on
224-544: Was an aviation unit of the United States Navy . Originally established as Combat Squadron 4 on 23 September 1921, it was redesignated VF-2 on 1 July 1922, redesignated VF-2B on 19 March 1923, redesignated VF-6B on 1 January 1927, redesignated VF-6 on 1 July 1927, redesignated VB-2B on 1 July 1928, redesignated VF-6B on 1 July 1930, redesignated VF-3 on 1 July 1937, redesignated VF-6 on 15 July 1943 and disestablished on 29 October 1945. Combat Squadron Four
240-519: Was an early biplane of the United States. First flying in 1917, it was designed as a two-seat trainer for the United States Army , then adopted by the United States Navy as its first fighter aircraft . In 1922, a VE-7 became the first airplane to take off from an American aircraft carrier . The Lewis & Vought Corporation was formed just months after the U.S. entered World War I, with
256-576: Was established on 23 September 1921, at Naval Air Station San Diego , California. VF-2 equipped with the Vought VE-7 biplane operated from USS Langley , the US Navy's first aircraft carrier. Between 1922 and 1925, VF-2/VF-2B experimented with carrier operations from the Langley off the coast of California. Air activity was initially limited to scouting, but the Commander-in-Chief, US Fleet saw
#368631