XFY-1 Pogo Film from the National Archives
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It’s All In The Name
There were a lot of exciting and peculiar aircraft designs presented after the end of the Second World War. One plane that falls under this criteria is the aptly-named Convair XFY Pogo.
The Pogo was an experimental vertical takeoff and landing fighter prototype introduced in the 1950s. It featured delta wings, three-bladed contra-rotating propellers, and a tail-sitter configuration. Tail-sitters are a type of VTOL aircraft designed to take off and land on its tail.
As you might have expected, landing this thing was a difficult task even for a skilled pilot. In order to land the XFY-1 Pogo, the pilot would have to look over their shoulder while approaching the ground. The pilot’s seat was mounted on gimbals that tilt to 45 degrees in vertical flight and 90 degrees in horizontal flight.
The XFY-1 was fitted with an Allison YT40-A-6 turboprop engine, enabling the aircraft to reach a projected max speed of 610 mph.