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F9F Cougar (Rob Richardson)

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Would really like to see a two-seater. Just something very attractive about that aircraft shape with the longer canopy. But happy for anything.
:ernaehrung004:
 
fsafranek said:
Would really like to see a two-seater. Just something very attractive about that aircraft shape with the longer canopy. But happy for anything.
:ernaehrung004:
Click to expand...

Yes I like the two-seater, there is also something quite appealing about the long nose P model, in a strange sort of way.
The Cougar had some rather unusual systems such as the flaperettes and the yaw damper rudder, only the bottom half of which was controlled by the rudder peddles.
The T model was also one of the first aircraft to have zero-zero ejector seats, courtesy of Martin Baker.
The bulge under the nose housed a UHF homing antenna.
And of course it was used by the Blue Angels who even took it to war in Korea, one of their number being killed.

RobR
 
I got a lot of time in Cougars - first as a student in Kingsville, Texas in 1966, then an instructor at Beeville in 1970-1971. We had both single and two seaters as a student, but only the 2-seat "orange and white Easter egg" later on in the 1970s. TA-4Js started to come in around 1972.

All the types I flew were the "-8" versions, with fixed, cambered leading edge wings.

You are right - some really weird concepts and systems due to Navy paranoia about transonic, irreversible flight controls. It had a bewildering amount of double or triple redundancy in different places. The speed brake system, the horizontal tail, flaps etc were a watchmakers nightmare, but it was in the end pretty reliable. We did not get the zero-zero MB seats until late 1970 as I recall.

It had a centrifugal flow engine that could eat a wrench with no damage, but of course not too powerful or efficient. It was a dog taking off on a hot Texas afternoon, for sure.

A curious point was the non-retractable tail hook.

A U-shaped handle was attached to a cable; three aft pulls on this handle - sort of like trying to start a lawnmower - and the hook mechanisms rolled aft on a trolley-like assembly below the tailpipe. Once it rolled back far enough, it dangled down from its pivot point to its proper orientation and a light showed that it was extended.

By pushing a button, it could be raised hydraulically after a carrier landing to a horizontal, but aft-extended position (called the "stinger" position) to clear the landing area. Then two guys from the arresting gear crew would shove it into the stowed and locked position with a piece of iron pipe that had what I believe was a hunk of matress wrapped around it. They held the pipe, one man on each side of the tailpipe, at a 90 degree angle to the airplane, the padding was placed against the backside of the hook point, and the heave forward to shove the hook home.

The F9F Panthers worked the same way.

Oh well, whatever works --
 
fsafranek said:
Would really like to see a two-seater. Just something very attractive about that aircraft shape with the longer canopy. But happy for anything.
:ernaehrung004:
Click to expand...

i'm much the same actually, would love a TF-9 but I'll takes what I can gets.

Mike, I've heard that a lot actually, something along the lines of it only taking off on a hot day because the surface of the Earth was curved, much the same as the F-84 and the Jaguar. Regarding the Hook, if I'm not mistaken the Panther was the same and Vertigo actually managed to model this, only way to re-stow the hook was to reload the aircraft.
 
Takeoffs on a hot day - hold on to your hat! There were days when we would not fly due to temperatures that limited climbout after takeoff. Problem was -- the damn inboard gear doors had to OPEN to retract the gear, momentarily increasing drag at a critical point, especially for students. Some days at certain hours, only dual hops were allowed, some days at times it was so hot no one flew until it cooled down.

Remember, I'm talking south Texas in July-August. Hotter than the hinges of hell at times.
 
fallenphoenix1986 said:
. . . . .Regarding the Hook, if I'm not mistaken the Panther was the same and Vertigo actually managed to model this, only way to re-stow the hook was to reload the aircraft.
Click to expand...
Yep, a nice touch to model it like the actual aircraft, however it became a point of much debate by those of us who thought it interesting but not very user friendly. They finally (after about a year) released an update that allowed for resetting the hook from the cockpit. Aside from that I thought it was a nicely done model and still have it active.
 
Mike71 said:
Takeoffs on a hot day - hold on to your hat! There were days when we would not fly due to temperatures that limited climbout after takeoff. Problem was -- the damn inboard gear doors had to OPEN to retract the gear, momentarily increasing drag at a critical point, especially for students. Some days at certain hours, only dual hops were allowed, some days at times it was so hot no one flew until it cooled down.

Remember, I'm talking south Texas in July-August. Hotter than the hinges of hell at times.
Click to expand...
Probably no problem after strapping or hooking a couple of JATO bottles to each side of the aircraft and lighting them off! I remember watching JATO practice with the EKA-3b Skywarriors at NAS Whidbey just before our 1970 WestPac deployment.
 
Cees Donker said:
I'm getting that Buck Danny feeling again!

:encouragement:

Cees
Click to expand...

Me too, Cees ! :D

BDGO.jpg



Sjeesss, Buck, Sonny and Thumbler are flying the F-35 now.... they must be over 70 years old...:biggrin-new:
 
Just yesterday, I was thinking while flying Rob's Seahawk that we could use a good Cougar in FS. What a great surprise!
 
One of the first plastic kits I ever built was a Cougar, by, I think, Comet.

only way to re-stow the hook was to reload the aircraft.
Click to expand...

Wasn't there a Sea Hurricane like that, maybe in FS9?
 
Besides the two-seat TF-9J I'd love to have the single-seat RF-9J photo bird too but I'll be happy with the gunfighter if/when Rob puts it out. Nice companion to the Vertigo Panther.
 
A Cougar Story

I have a special affinity for the Cougar. These 2 newspaper photos will tell the story of what happened when I wrote to the Navy for aircraft photos. This happened in 1956 when I was 10 years old. BTW, I still have that model.

Click on each photo.

Scan-171126-0002.jpg Me on the right

Scan-171126-0003.jpg Me on the left
 
Much as I would like any Cougar, the two seat version remained long after the single seat version left service. It was unusually attractive, and trained a great number of Naval Aviators. I remember it fondly. Please Rob.
Bill
 
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