Vought F7u Cutlass

jpot1

Elite member
The Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a highly unusual, tailless aircraft allegedly based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of WWII, though Vought designers denied any link to the German research at the time. The F7U was the last aircraft designed by Rex Beisel who was responsible for the first fighter ever designed specifically for the U.S. Navy, the Curtiss TS-1 of 1922.

Regarded as a radical departure from traditional aircraft design, the Cutlass suffered from numerous technical and handling problems throughout its short service career. The type was responsible for the deaths of four test pilots and 21 other U.S. Navy pilots.

Source: Wikipedia
1280px-Vought_F7U-3_Cutlass_in_flight_c1955_(cropped).jpg


Decided to give this one a shot targeting a 2200KV 2826/6 Turnigy motor that I have with a 1300 or 2200 3S up front for balance. This was also the first time I tried Sketchup for the canopy design, following several posts by @DamoRC. Overall, this beta needs some work but happy with how it turned out for now. Just need to wait till the weekend to maiden.

Specs:
Wingspan: 26.5"
Weight: ~380g w/o battery
1300 3S with a 40A ESC relatively far up front to balance.


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To do:
1. Re-work nacelle area to better form the top and bottom angles.
2. Canopy needs to slide further forward
3. Better way to attach canopy to the hatch
4. Power pod mounting plate
5. Decals
 

CAustin

New member
jpot 1 : The work you have done is very impressive. I'm curious if you maidened the pusher version and how it flew. I am toying with the idea of doing a Prop in Slot based on this plane.
 

jpot1

Elite member
@CAustin - unfortunately the maiden did not go well. It did fly ok but rolled and nose dived. Not sure ultimately if it was a servo or something else.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Where is the CG that you need to add so much nose weight. Its basically a flying wing with a cockpit, with the amount of Vsatb surface area you should be able to fly it even tail heavy.

Those servo demons are like a surprise in a tiny box, now they are there, now they are not lol
 

jpot1

Elite member
Unfortunately this is an older thread and I don’t know what I did with the plans but I do know the cutlass was scavenged for servos that went into my 737.

@CAustin - love to see what you come up with. If I remember correctly there is a profile version over on rcgroups also.
 

jfaleo1

Junior Member
Unfortunately this is an older thread and I don’t know what I did with the plans but I do know the cutlass was scavenged for servos that went into my 737.

@CAustin - love to see what you come up with. If I remember correctly there is a profile version over on rcgroups also.
There are several old balsa plans on outerzone too. The Cutlas was flown by several of our early astronauts, including if I remember, Alan Shepherd.
 

SportyModder

Active member
Based on battery size and wingspan, I bet the initial build was a bit too heavy and g-stalled. built lighter, or larger and I bet she would be a sweet flyer, 32"-35" wingspan? I would be really curious to see her perform/fly.