Vought F7U Cutlass 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 , semi - tailless design , allegedly based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of World War II , 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 . Over one quarter of all Cutlasses built were destroyed in accidents . The poor safety record was largely the result of the advanced design built to apply new aerodynamic theories and insufficiently powerful , unreliable engines . Design and development . The Cutlass was Vought ' s entry to a U . S . Navy competition for a new carrier - capable day fighter opened on 1 June 1945 . Former Messerschmitt AG senior designer Waldemar Voigt , who supervised the development of numerous experimental jet fighters in Nazi Germany , contributed to its design with his experience in the development of the Messerschmitt P . 1110 and P . 1112 projects . The requirements were for an aircraft that was able to fly at at . The design featured broad chord , low aspect ratio , swept wings , with twin wing - mounted tail fins either side of a short fuselage . The cockpit was situated well forward to provide good visibility for the pilot during aircraft carrier approaches . The design was given the company type number of V - 346 and then the designation F7U when it was announced the winner of the competition . Pitch and roll control was provided by elevon s , though Vought called these surfaces " ailevators " at the time . Slats were fitted to the entire span of the leading edge . All controls were hydraulically - powered . The very long nose landing gear strut required for high angle of attack takeoffs was rather weak , and a collapse could seriously jeopardize the pilot ' s safety . The F7U was also largely let down by its underpowered Westinghouse turbojets , an engine that some pilots quipped , " put out less heat than the same company ' s toasters . " Naval aviators referred to the F7U as the " Gutless " or , in kinder moments , as the " Praying Mantis " . Operational history . Three prototypes were ordered in 1946 , with the first example flying on 29 September 1948 , piloted by Vought ' s Chief Test Pilot , J . Robert Baker . The maiden flight took place from Naval Air Station Patuxent River and was not without its problems . During testing one of the prototypes reached a maximum speed of 625 mph ( 1 , 058 km / h ) Production orders were placed for the F7U - 1 in a specification very close to the prototypes , and further developed F7U - 2 and F7U - 3 versions with more powerful engines . Because of development problems with the powerplant , however , the F7U - 2 would never be built , while the F7U - 3 would incorporate many refinements suggested by tests of the - 1 . The first 16 F7U - 3s had non - afterburning Allison J35 - 29 engines . The - 3 with its Westinghouse J46 - WE - 8B turbojets would eventually become the definitive production version , with 288 aircraft equipping 13 U . S . Navy squadrons . Further development stopped once the Vought F8U Crusader flew . The F7U bore the fleet nickname of the " Gutless Cutlass " in reference to its lack of sufficient engine thrust ; consequently its carrier landing and takeoff performance was notoriously poor . The J35 was known to flame out in rain , a very serious fault . The first fleet squadron to receive F7Us was Fighter Squadron 81 ( VF - 81 ) in April 1954 ; the last with Cutlasses was Attack Squadron 66 ( VA - 66 ) in November 1957 . Few squadrons made deployments with the type , and most " beached " them ashore during part of the cruise owing to operating difficulties . Those units known to have taken the type to sea were : Blue Angels . The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron , the Blue Angels , flew two F7U - 1 Cutlasses as a side demonstration during their 1953 show season in an effort to promote the new aircraft , but did not use them as part of their regular formation demonstration . Both the pilots and ground crews found the aircraft generally unsatisfactory and it was apparent that the type was still experiencing teething troubles . During the Blue Angels ' first airshow appearance in 1953 , pilot LT Edward " Whitey " Feightner , the former program manager for the F7U , experienced a total loss of hydraulics on a full afterburner takeoff and steep climb . While trying to gain enough altitude for ejection he was able to stay with the aircraft until the back up system came on . He clipped trees on the end of the runway , causing the left engine to flame out . With hydraulic fluid streaming back in a bright flame , he made a hard turn and got the plane back on the runway , much to the excitement of the crowd . Later , while traveling to an airshow at Naval Air Station Glenview in Chicago , Illinois , Blue Angel pilot LT Harding MacKnight experienced an engine flameout in his Cutlass , forcing him to make an emergency landing at NAS Glenview . Traveling with him , LT Feightner was redirected to make his landing at Chicago ' s former Orchard Airpark , which had been expanded and renamed O ' Hare Airport . The runway had just been completed and was covered with peach baskets to prevent aircraft from landing until it was opened . LT Feightner was told to ignore the baskets and land on the new runway . As a result , LT Feightner ' s F7U became the first aircraft to land on the new runway for Chicago ' s O ' Hare International Airport . Following these incidents , the two Cutlasses were deemed unsuitable for demonstration flying and were flown to Naval Air Station Memphis , Tennessee , where they were abandoned to become aircraft maintenance instructional airframes for the Naval Technical Training Center . Aircraft on display . Seven F7U Cutlass aircraft are known to have survived .