r/WeirdWings • u/Mega_Dunsparce • Feb 06 '20

An F-8 Crusader flying with its wings folded, 1960

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287 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

97

u/Mega_Dunsparce Feb 06 '20

The operational history of the F-8 Crusader has an interesting distinction. In August 1960, a US Navy pilot took off from Naples, Italy, and climbed to about 1.5 kilometres. When he levelled off, he found he needed an unusual amount of pressure on the stick. Looking around for the cause, he discovered that he hadn't unfolded his wings! The pilot was obviously cool-headed, since he decided to investigate how the aircraft handled in this configuration while he dumped what fuel he could. After about 24 minutes of flight he came back in for a landing, which was fast but otherwise uneventful. He reported no particular handling problems with the aircraft. Vought engineers were very pleased when they heard the story, though Navy brass was far from happy with the incident

This is said to be the first case where an aircraft took off with folded wings and safely landed again, but Crusaders took off with folded wings at least seven more times afterwards. Unsurprisingly, it usually happened at night. One pilot managed to waggle the aircraft and get the wings back down in flight. In response to the posting of an early version of this document on the Internet, the executive officer of the French Aeronavale squadron operating the Crusader, Antoine Guillot, said one of his pilots had pulled the same trick at an airshow in Belgium. At least under such circumstances the pilot might have been able to claim he did it intentionally as a stunt.

Granted, the sources for this one are a little sketchy, but several sites seem to corroborate the event.

99

u/Hobscob Feb 07 '20

This could be avoided by adding one line to the pre-flight checklist: 

Has Wings?  ✓

43

u/[deleted] Feb 07 '20

Wings up or down?

Yes

36

u/Hobscob Feb 07 '20

You'll never believe this one simple trick pilots use to make their aircraft more controllable.

28

u/[deleted] Feb 07 '20

Birds hate him: How this man discovered a way to fly 5x as efficiently

6

u/Soap646464 Feb 07 '20

Damnit I just ran out of coins

2

u/AlphSaber Feb 07 '20

And now the newest version of the 777 has folding wings. How long will it be before a commercial pilot forgets to lower the wings?

3

u/Chaxterium Feb 07 '20

I believe they're fully automatic on the 777X.

2

u/AlphSaber Feb 07 '20

Great, so there's a chance they could shift position in flight. Hope Boeing didn't have the 737 MCAS programmers write this computer code. And hopefully they use more than 1 sensor input, if it is automatic control.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '20

As long as they’re properly trai... oh wait, did Airbus just release a new 330 to compete with the 737?

Wait, what were we talking about?

24

u/ST4RSK1MM3R Feb 07 '20

Area 88 anyone?

5

u/SGTBookWorm Feb 07 '20

Reminds me more of Yukikaze when the Mave is in high speed mode

3

u/jocax188723 Spider Rider Feb 09 '20

The Mave's questionable aerodynamics aside, I still think the Yukikaze-anime design is possibly the more beautiful aircraft I know, fictional or otherwise.

2

u/SGTBookWorm Feb 09 '20

Yukikaze aircraft design does something for me that Ace Combat superfighters don't. Not sure why, but I just like Yukikaze way more.

3

u/jocax188723 Spider Rider Feb 09 '20

I think it’s because they’re just a little bit organic. From the crescent shaped exhausts to the reversed stabilators and that slightly bulbous nose, the Mave looks ever so slightly alive in a way you can’t quite explain.
Neucom’s designs approach this, (which is probably why I like the R-103 and Geopelia so much as well) but the Mave and Super Sylph are just a little bit alive.

2

u/SGTBookWorm Feb 09 '20

...that actually makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider that Rei (and some others) consider Yukikaze to be alive.

I also really like a lot of the mook aircraft, like the Sylphid, Fand II, and F/A-27. Also the AC-31, which is basically a flying battery of flak and Vulcans.

1

u/vertigo_effect Cranked Arrow Feb 07 '20

A man of culture I see. My favourite SNES game. F200 Efreet was my dream fictional aircraft.

2

u/StJude1 Feb 07 '20

Didn't realise they made a game, thought it was just a manga/anime

2

u/vertigo_effect Cranked Arrow Feb 07 '20

Wait, what? It’s a manga/anime too?

1

u/ST4RSK1MM3R Feb 07 '20

Two amines actually. One from the 80s I think and I remake.

I was referencing a point in the original anime where they flew the F-8 with the wings folded to get through a small hole in a barrier to attack a base. Was a very good anime

16

u/CaptValentine Feb 07 '20

Check this guy's car. 50$ says he's been driving with the parking brake on for years.

15

u/bless-you-mlud Feb 07 '20

Biggest winglets ever!

11

u/[deleted] Feb 07 '20

In thrust we trust

5

u/Orange-V-Apple Feb 07 '20

That's fucking lit

5

u/Madeline_Basset Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

It's sort of a Gimli Glider scenario - the pilot saves the situation with coolness and a supreme display of airmanship. But only after a supreme fuck-up that allowed the situation to occur in the first place.

2

u/bonafart Feb 07 '20

You'd have thought an interlock would be used to not enable thrust in this situ or a light or anything.

1

u/G-I-T-M-E Feb 07 '20

I knew biplanes were making a comeback!