Background
The highly unusual Vought Cutlass first took to the skies in 1948 as a naval fighter/interceptor. The Cutlass features a semi-tailless design, forward cockpit, and lengthy nose gear. Largely due to its underpowered and unreliable J34 engines, over one quarter of all F7Us built were destroyed in accidents, leading to the knicknames 'Gutless Cutlass' and 'Ensign Eliminator'. Armament consists of four guns mounted above the intakes and 2 Sparrow air-to-air missles.


Features
Airbrakes
Folding wings
Arresting hook
Custom landing gear
Elevons (which Vought called 'Ailervators' at the time)
Custom cockpit

Flying the Cutlass
The real F7U was temperamental and this one is no different. T/O and landing must occur at higher speeds then usual making it somewhat dangerous. It is recommended to pull back during the entire takeoff roll untill fully airborne. Note that large amounts of trim are necessary for high-speed flight. Using both pitch and roll simultaneaously can lead to heavy yaw. The airplane has a tendency to pitch up more after releasing the drop tanks and upon folding up the gear. Drop tanks hold about 16% of the total fuel load. The nosewheel steering locks above 40 MPH.

AG4 drops tanks
AG7 Allows wing folding
AG8 Locks tailhook