Convair XFY Pogo The Convair XFY Pogo tailsitter was an experiment in vertical takeoff and landing . The Pogo had delta wings and three - bladed contra - rotating propellers powered by a Allison YT40 - A - 16 turboprop engine . It was intended to be a high - performance fighter aircraft capable of operating from small warship s . Landing the XFY - 1 was difficult , as the pilot had to look over his shoulder while carefully working the throttle to land . Design and development . After World War II , the Cold War prompted the United States Army and Navy to study VTOL operations . It was envisaged to protect task forces , convoys or any fleet , even without aircraft carriers , by placing VTOLs on any ship . These fighters would be housed within a conical protective housing , saving limited deck space available aboard ships . They would provide first line of airborne defense and reconnaissance capability , before more aircraft could be scrambled to help . In May 1951 , Lockheed and Convair were awarded contracts in the attempt to design , construct , and test two experimental VTOL fighters that would be suitable for use by the Armed forces . Although contract stipulations stated that each manufacturer have two fighters , each was only able to construct one , with Lockheed producing the XFV , and Convair producing the XFY , nicknamed the " Pogo " . The first XFY - 1 prototype was used for engine testing and the third for static testing and only the second prototype serial number " 138649 " was flown . Operational history . Testing and evaluation . On 19 April 1954 , a Convair engineering test pilot and Marine reservist , Lieutenant Colonel James F . " Skeets " Coleman , made the first tethered flight in the Pogo . The XFY - 1 was like no other propeller driven aircraft before it . No previous aircraft with a similar weight , engine power , or size had ever attempted to take off and land vertically . For the safety of both the craft and its pilot , the propeller hub cover was removed and replaced by safety tether lines for the first flight , in case Coleman would lose control of the craft and would need to be tethered to prevent the craft falling to the ground . On the other end of the tether was another engineer , Bob McGreary . If Coleman ever lost control , McGreary controlled the winch which could be turned to raise the tethers to prevent the craft from plummeting to the ground . For further safety preventions , four security cables were fastened to each wing in case control was lost in any axis . Throughout the next few weeks , Coleman logged almost 60 hours in test flights in the Pogo , and by August , the test was moved to outdoor conditions . On 1 August 1954 , Coleman logged two outdoor test flights , the second flying into the air , and shortly after he flew 70 takeoff – landing drills at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Brown Field , California . The first conversion to horizontal flight took place on 5 November 1954 . Upon later flights with longer durations , flaws in the design were found . Due to the Pogo ' s lightweight design , and the lack of spoilers and air brakes , the aircraft lacked the ability to slow down and stop efficiently after moving at high speeds . Landing was also a problem , as the pilot had to look back behind himself during a landing to properly stabilize the craft . It became evident that even if technical problems could be overcome , such VTOL aircraft would be flown only by the most experienced pilots . Thus , it was not feasible to place VTOL fighters — as previously hoped for — on every ship . Also , whereas jet - engined fighters had top speeds that approached Mach 2 , the turboprop VTOL fighter was at a disadvantage with a top speed around Mach 1 . Due to these problems , the XFY Project was put on hiatus . Later testing . Although a test flight was made on 19 May 1955 , it again ended with failure , and on 1 August 1955 the project was formally concluded . The last flight of the Pogo took place in November 1956 . Survivors . After several years on static display at Naval Air Station Norfolk , Virginia , the Pogo was moved to the National Air and Space Museum in Suitland , Maryland in 1973 , where it currently resides .