Test pilot
None of the 14 F7U-1s built between 1950 and 1952 became approved to be used in squadron service. On 7 July 1950 Vought test pilot Paul Thayer ejected from his burning prototype in front of an airshow crowd. On 20 December 1951, the F7U-3 version took off for its maiden flight. The F7U-3 featured other engines, a stronger airframe larger by a third and extra maintenance panel for service access. Test pilot and later astronaut Walter Schirra wrote in his autobiography that he considered the F7U-3 accident prone and a "widow maker". On the positive side, test pilots found it a stable weapons platform, maneuverable, fun to fly and the strengthened airframe to be sturdy. Test pilots particularly praised its high roll rate at 570 degrees/s, three times faster than most production jets at the time.