Stan,
Vought designed the pancake~flapjack shaped aircraft in an effort to create a fast, highly maneuverable, yet slow take- off and landing design capable of slow take-off and arrested landing on USN aircraft carriers. This, like many late WWII development projects begun much earlier...were doomed to contract cancellation as jets were rapidly brought onboard.
Online resources state clearly issues with four bladed props developed explicitly for the XF5U caused unmanageable and life threatening vibrations...reduced/resolved with installation of F4U-1 three bladed props as shown in my last photo post.
The yellow "smaller" Vought V-173 was a succeessful precursor development as a proof of concept. The V-173 is in the Dallas, TX "Frontiers Of Flight" Aviation Museum.
The XF5U is said to have ROG'd on short hops down a runway but project was not completed due to contract cancellation.
References/Notes:
Chant 1984, p. 53.
Winchester Concept Aircraft 2005, p. 247.
Naval Fighters Number Twenty One Chance Vought V-173 and Xf5U-1 Flying Pancakes. Steve Ginter. 1992. pp. 15, 23.
Norton 2008, p.165
Naval Fighters Number Twenty One Chance Vought V-173 and Xf5U-1 Flying Pancakes. Steve Ginter. 1992. p. 15.
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/SAC/XF5U-1_Flapjac kACP-440601.pdf[bare URL PDF]
Winchester X-Planes 2005, p. 222. Suggestions of first XF5U flight were confused the V-173 test flying that continued into 1945.
Jerram 1980, p. 71.
Jerram 1980, p. 72.
"It became known why the USA created the world's slowest XF5U plane — SUNDRIES". 8 September 2022.
Bibliography:
Chant, Christopher. Fantastic Aircraft. New York: Gallery Books, 1984. ISBN 0-8317-3189-3.
Ginter, Steve. Chance Vought V-173 and XF5U-1 Flying Pancakes (Naval Fighters Number Twenty-one). Simi Valley, CA: Steve Ginter Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-942612-21-3.
Guyton, Boone and Paul Marcus. "The Ups and Downs of The Flying Pancake." True, July 1951. Vol. 29, no. 170.
Jerram, Michael E. Incredible Flying machines: An Anthology of Eccentric Aircraft. New York: Exeter Books, 1980. ISBN 0-85685-835-8.
Norton, Bill. U.S. Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects: Fighters 1939-1945. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2008, pp. 165–168. ISBN 978-1-58007-109-3.
XF5U Standard Aircraft Characteristics. Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center at the U.S. Navy Yard. Retrieved: 25 July 2009.
Winchester, Jim. "Vought XF5U-1". Concept Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes and Experimental Aircraft. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc., 2005. ISBN 978-1-84013-809-2.
Winchester, Jim. "Vought V-173 and XF5U-1 'Flapjack' (1942)". X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-40-7.
__________________ Ed
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