Description
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 5,500 hp Allison YT40-A-16 turboprop engine. It was intended to be a high-performance fighter aircraft capable of operating from small warships. Landing the XFY-1 was difficult as the pilot had to look over his shoulder while carefully working the throttle to land.
On 19 April 1954, a Convair engineering test pilot 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.
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 150 ft (45.7 m) 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 2 November 1954. But 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. Due to these problems, the XFY Project was put on hiatus.
The Pogo was moved to the National Air and Space Museum in Suitland, Maryland in 1973, where it currently resides.
