Douglas F4D Skyray

[Triton]

Aircraft Recognition - Douglas F4D Skyray (1957)

View: http://youtu.be/cR99KoHJDt4




Aircraft Familiarization - The F4D-1 Skyray - Operating Procedures

United States Navy training film shows ground, in flight, approach and landing of Douglas F4D-1 Skyray.

View: http://youtu.be/IR59InDwL0U

 

[Johnbr]

Good Video.

 

[windcalm]

classic aviation videos. Previous links are dead. Updated links below.

Aircraft Recognition - Douglas F4D Skyray (1957)

View: https://youtu.be/mwnEhU1H7fg


Aircraft Familiarization - The F4D-1 Skyray - Operating Procedures (1955)

View: https://youtu.be/d2ZvOzsHJ3E

 

[TJDougherty01]

Since several of the videos have disappeared, here is a walk around of the F4D-1 that was employed at Patuxent River NAS Naval Test Pilot School.

 

[crabanero]

Since several of the videos have disappeared, here is a walk around of the F4D-1 that was employed at Patuxent River NAS Naval Test Pilot School.

When I was a kid, I would go to this museum, way before it was at its current location, and when they had a fraction of the aircraft that they do on display. One day I was able to get lifted up high enough to see inside of the cockpit. To my disappointment, the cockpit was completely stripped out. Not even the spaces where you could put instruments remained. Just all the wiring for everything.

 

[TJDougherty01]

When I was a kid, I would go to this museum, way before it was at its current location, and when they had a fraction of the aircraft that they do on display. One day I was able to get lifted up high enough to see inside of the cockpit. To my disappointment, the cockpit was completely stripped out. Not even the spaces where you could put instruments remained. Just all the wiring for everything.

Pax River was at one point Naval Air Test Center (NATC). It still does quite a bit of testing. A lot of the aircraft at the museum were either prototypes or early test aircraft. It's not surprising if items were removed. Why the entire cockpit would be missing is somewhat of a mystery. Right now, the Museum has a very early V-22 Osprey, still full of orange painted data boxes. Their F-18 is a very early version with a wooden addition underneath the LEX (Leading Edge Extension), which on one side is rotting through. My understanding (which may not be correct) is that the original LEX had a gap and testing demonstrated that it was better if the gap was absent, so a piece of wood was cut and fitted into the gap. The explanation in Wikipedia says:
"During flight testing, the snag on the leading edge of the stabilators was filled in, and the gap between the leading-edge extensions (LEX) and the fuselage was mostly filled in. The gaps, called the boundary layer air discharge slots, controlled the vortices generated by the LEX and presented clean air to the vertical stabilizers at high angles of attack, but they also generated a great deal of parasitic drag, worsening the problem of the F/A-18's inadequate range. McDonnell filled in 80% of the gap, leaving a small slot to bleed air from the engine intake."

On the left side of the aircraft the paint has chipped away from the wood; the right side has rotted away (see photos). They also recently received a twin seat F/A-18B used for a few years (2015-2021) by the Blue Angels prior to Super Hornet transition.

 

[BlackBat242]

Here are pics that show the LERX slots:

YF-17 pics (slots are similar to those on first F/A18 developmental airfames):





First F/A-18A developmental example:



Shown on a model of the early layout:



And how they look now... note that only the aft-most slot is still open: