The Vultee P-66 - More of a Rearguard than a Vanguard
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Just about every US aircraft designer in the 1930s tried their hand at building fighters for lucrative home and export markets.
Some became great successes. Most...not so much.
The Vultee P-66 Vanguard falls somewhere in the middle. Actually getting into production, it was delayed by circumstance and was well past any prime it would have had by the time it got into action.
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![The Failed Airliner That Became A Bomber - Vultee V-11 [Aircraft Overview #80]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bq-L9D9Cb8w/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Failed Airliner That Became A Bomber - Vultee V-11 [Aircraft Overview #80]](/img/tr.png)
Chinese Republican ace pilot "Fatty" Chung scored 4 consecutive victories, in a single sortie, flying a "borrowed" P-66. Chung was a P-43 Lancer pilot who landed his damaged fighter on a neighbouring airfield that was under attack from Ki-43 fighters. He saw a pilot running for a warmed up P-66 cut down by a strafing attack, so leapt out of his P-43, ran across to the P-66 and told the ground crew to strap him in. Chung had never flown the P-66 before but quickly, latching onto a strafing Ki-43 and chewed it up. in the next 5 minutes he downed 3 more. Chung scored more victories later and survived the war as China's highest scoring ace.
Could you post your sources for tis story? Very interesting.
Just a correction of the name ... it was Capt. Chow Chi-Kai (known as "Fatty")
interesting little bit of history thanks
Im glad they repaid our kind help in korea , vietnam,and the last election.
This air battle took place over Liangshan on 6 June 1943, Fatty Chow is a Chinese Nationalist (not Republican) pilot flying the P-40, he took off in that borrowed P-66 and with his ldg gear still down, shot down two Ki-48 Lily bombers before retracting his wheels to pursue a third and shooting it down. All three wrecks were found and his claims verified. He was awarded the Blue Sky - White Sun award from Chiang Kai-Shek for his achievement. He's the most successful P-66 pilot despite the fact that his kills were scored on his first and (most likely) only flight flying the P-66, an amazing feat. References are from 'The Vultee P-66 in Chinese Service' by Richard Dunn.
I've been building WWII Aircraft models for 55 years my father being a WWII veteran. This plane until today flew under the radar. I had never heard of it until today. Thank you ED for the education. 😁👍
Well it was particularly good at low level flying...
I was in a similar state with this thing until very recently. I think of all places it was the See Also section of Wikipedia which lead me to finding out this thing even existed lol
AZ Model did make a limited run kit including one in RAF Markings as BW209, I have one in my collection.
"S" Model makes a nice 1/48 vacuform kit with resin interior and engine. Pretty nice, slow build so far.
@@johnholt9399 Cool!
2:03 First thought "....that's got to be a radial engine" second thought "It's going to overheat"
Yep. Putting tight fitting cowlings around radial engines didn't really work all that well. the only design that, to my mind, made it work from that era was the Fw 190, due to Kurt Tank getting the bright idea to put a fan inside the cowling to increase the airflow (but even then he still have to modify the cowling for production, but I think this was more because the original design just didn't offer enough of an aerodynamic advantage to make a difference in performance).
It looks somewhat similar to the Vought F4U Corsair, obviously without the inverted gull wing and a somewhat smaller propeller.
Agreed, you beat me to it. The entire tail section looks very similar to a Corsair.
With these standards of comparison I can easily say: "Reminds me of a MiG 3. It has wings,... an engine (okay, it's a radial engine but..) hey, a cockpit AND it requires a pilot. The similarities are undeniable. ^^
👍
So when I was a kid I had a book published in 1942 titled “Air News Yearbook Vol. 1.”
This was in the 1970’s and I liberated it from one of my older brother’s collection of aircraft books.
In it there was this aircraft which I have never seen nor knew anything about…until this video.
Cheers and thanks for the education.
The Republic P-43, a precursor of the P-47 and seen taking off at 9:33 suffered a very similar fate. Yet another most interesting video. Thank You!!
J.B. ..............good spot !!!!!!!!
@@dannycalley7777Thank you. Sometimes the stuff in the background is as interesting, if not more so, than the main subject. This particularly applies to vintage aircraft photos.
Horse people always say "No hoof no horse"
So I'm proposing
"No engine no fighter."
In some ways I'm reminded of the saga of the Bell P-39 Airacobra, another potentially excellent aircraft that ended up in foreign service (due in that case to USAAF meddling with the design). The reason the P-66 reminds me of the P-39 is that when the Russians started using the Airacobra, one of their biggest complaints was not that the engine's performance died after about 14,000 feet because on the Eastern front combat happened at low level. In fact, the Red Air Force's complaint was with the P-39's four wing-mounted 30-calibre machine guns, which Russian pilots felt were surplus to requirements and made the aircraft heavier than it needed to be. The Bell Aircraft Company listened the the Russian pilots' feedback and eliminated the wing-mounted guns, leaving the Airacobra with two cowling-mounted machine guns and the 37mm cannon firing through the hub, and the new variant of the P-39 had improved performance. Long story short, maybe the P-66 could have gone down that route, retaining the two heavy-hitting machine guns in the cowling and stripping out the wing guns. Maybe that could have improved the Vultee's survivability.
At the expense of the already small firepower. If that were the case, however, then the vanguard would be the american oscar (ki-43, only two MGs), &/or the nate (ki-27, also only two MGs)
It's a decision between maneuverability and firepower. While Ki-43 was the most agile aircraft, it lacked firepower. When they added 20mm cannons to the wings, it lost speed - which wasn't great to begin with - and maneuverability.
The Russian used the P-39 mainly in ground support; by 1943 they had better aircraft themselves. Not saying they didn't use the Airacobra successfully as a fighter as well.
Bell didn't remove wing guns, they added .50s instead. The Russians removed wing guns in the field.
@@jehoiakimelidoronila5450 true both both those Japanese types acquainted themselves well in their theater of operation
There was an assembly plant for these operated by Vultee contractors at Namhkam, Shan State. Dr Gordon Seagrave had a famous hospital in Namhkam and often met with the Vultee people. At one point there were 3 airfields in and around Namhkam. When the Japanese came in, then hurried moves were made to shift production and incomplete aircraft to a new manufacturing location, with Kunming or Baoshan being possible.
There was a legend that was going around, during WW2, about a straight winged Corsair. This myth has been largely attributed to the Vought V326, which was a test bed for a high altitude pressurized cockpit. Looking at some of the pictures in this video, I wonder if the P66 was the actual origin.
I think that idea's more likely, since it does look a lot like a Corsair in a number of ways.
@@z3r0_35 Yes, you can easily see the Corsair tail in the P-66.
The P-66 was featured in the historical fiction novel "Flame of the Rising Sun" by M.R. Shinavier. I love these prewar birds and this novel featured several of these designs.
Thank you for the excellent video on the P-66. Please consider doing a video on the Beechcraft 18. Not a combat aircraft. But a plane that not only trained thousands of pilots. But also fly in large numbers well after WWII had ended.
And is still flying
I own and fly a BT 13. Great aircraft. It has the 985 at 450 hp in yet it takes off in a third the runway of a Texan (Harvard) lands in half and flies as fast despite having fixed gear. I am a fan of Vultee. Too bad few have survived. The Vultee Vengeance dive bomber did ok with the British in yet is rarely heard of.
Thanks for keeping the memory of the "Vibrator" alive. My Dad was an AAF Basic flight training instructor at a small base in Cortland, Alabama during WWII. He taught instrument navigation with the Link Trainer, and instrument landing from the back seat of the Vultee Valiant. As I understand it, the plane had a complete control set for the back seat. A canvas canopy would be placed over the pilot (cadet trainee) seat in front, and the cadet would have to land the plane using his five basic instruments. Dad sat in the back giving instructions and making certain that the plane did not fly into the ground, or the trees, or another plane. I guess he was successful in this role, because we are all here. There are several versions of the story of how the Vibrator got its name. Dad's was that ground instruction took place in a large grouping of very basic, tar-papered buildings with windows in simple sliding frames, positioned next to the runways. Every time a pilot trainee would fly overhead the exhaust pulses from the Pratt and Whitney radial motor would cause the windows in the buildings to shake. Works for me! Stay safe out there.
BT13 is a great airplane. Soloed one on my 16th birthday. It's was actually a 15 with a 420 wright. Just a great airplane all around. The one I flew was owned by Ed Austerman. Quite a character. He had to be to let a 16 year old fly his airplane. The Vibrator was a strange nickname since the airplane was smooth as glass in the air. The legend was that it was going to snap and go straight in turning base to final. With full flaps down and a little power on, it could certainly turn turtle if you were ham-fisted. But the airplane was honest as the day is long. I really enjoyed it, and the visibility was tremendous.
Another candidate for Ed's videos.
So close to FW 190 goodness. Tank also tried the streamlined cowling with the same results.
The best video I've ever seen of the P-66, well done!!!
Thank you.
one of the big problems for these aircraft manufacturers was that the US wouldn't let certain of the better engines go for export so a lot of good designs were not so good once you took away the engines which made them good...usually a Pratt & Whitney type. Also a lot of these countries had no money to pay for the products as the great depression had wiped out the whole world's economy !
@@clickbaitcharlie2329 as an Australian dont get me started on the F 35 we gave up our F 111s for them . I realise the F 111s would be out of hours by now but I still rage .
@@mathewkelly9968
There is a very good interview with former RAAF pilots of the F-111 on the fighter pilot podcast. Ep. 111, I believe!
@@mathewkelly9968 And the F-111 was widely disparaged by all and sundry at the beginning of ITS career.
I'm a moderator on a Star Wars role-playing forum, and a large part of my job is creating ships, droids and other gadgets to flesh out our site's personal canon. I love watching stuff like this, because it gives me ideas for backstories and features that I can use. Great video, as always!
06:43 a small quibble...
the US didn't form the Flying Tigers.
They *allowed* Chennault to form the American Volunteer Group as a private venture
funded through Madame Chiang using Kuomingtang resources.
Excellent point.
Great one Ed, please keep ‘em coming 😁👍.
Interesting video, another promising aircraft hamstrung by failure to upgrade. The Navy XF4U flew at about the same time and clocked 400mph on 1400 or so horsepower and Republic's XP43 350+ on the same 1200 HP engine as the Vultee. Both needed extensive redesign and upping the power to 2000 to give world-beaters by their 1943 service entry. One wonders how well the P-66 would have done with a little more design work and a more powerful engine?
Sweden: We'd like some decent fighters, please.
Vultee: How about our new, very good fighter?
America: We would like to, but we don't trust you with our highly advanced, high performance machines. Britain, do you want them?
RAF: Not advanced or high-performance enough. Canada, do you want them?
Canada: Sure, we'll find a use for them.
China: [cautiously raises hand]
America: Not now, China.
Japan: [makes poor life choices]
America: Okay, NOW, China.
China: What am I supposed to...?
Vultee: *sigh* Well, at least we finished the order.
Oh I hope you also do on the BT-13 bcuz the plane was used in many Hollywood WW2 movies where it played the role of the Aichi D3A Val Dive Bomber. Tora Tora Tora (1970), Midway (1976), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Letters From Iwo Jima (2005).
Thank you. A rather unknown bird. As a model builder, it's only available as a vacuum formed kit, which is soon to be built!
I had an acquaintance who was a member of the WASPs (Woman Auxlliary Service Pilots. I don't know specifically which plane she was referring to, but she called one of the Vultee aircraft the "Vultee Vibrator."
BT-13
Or the Vindicator dive bomber. In a dive the fabric covered rear fuselage ballooned and caused the tail to buffet due to disruption of airflow, added to the vibration caused by opening the dive breaks it makes sense.
She must have had many an enjoyable flight in it?
I can see lines similar to the lines seen on the F4U Corsair. Just bend the wing in two places, put a much larger engine and 4 blade propeller and away you go. Great video.
Its like a Corsair and Zero love child
Early variant with the enclosed cowling reminds me of the Ki61 Tony.
and Bf109 wings
Still a "Vultee" sign on One Old Building in Downey CA old Rockwell Int sight of all space race work!
Ed, I knew about this one however enjoyed this short video. Please send more!
Another would've , should've ,could've . But if you try you don't get ! Thanks Ed.
Nice video, and good job tracking down rare photos and film footage!
Hi Ed! I hope all those aircraft in the montage all get their own episodes, I didn’t recognize most of them. I would especially like to see something on a Seversky aircraft such as the P-35, there’s not much on youtube about them. Keep up the great work, your channel is a gem.
Ed Nash Your next mission should you decide to accept it is to do the Vultee A11/12 which also served with the Chinese.
Three Curtis Demons also ended up in Chinese caves.
That is a very hansom airplane. Some nice features. Interesting that it incorporated separate aspects of other very successful designs. Too bad they couldn't address the last 10%. It had potential.
It looks like the love child of a Hawk 75 and Corsair.
Great vid Ed, I love learning about the fighter designs that didn't make it.
Thank you sir; another one with excellent detail not found elsewhere.
Thanks for the info on a somewhat rare type. I always wondered if any saw military action.
Thank you for covering this aircraft, I was nor aware of it.Great work.
Thanks, good vid. A rare subject done quite well.
Thank you. Good collection of photos. I knew Dick Palmer. He told me he knew the bird was in trouble long before first metal was cut. Too much weight and frontal area, not enough power. He was obliged to work with a P&W 1830 with a 2 speed, but not 2 stage, blower. He wanted a V-1710 with turbo. He thought he could have done a better job with a low drag turbo installation than Bell did with the original P-39. The govt. had allocated all the Allisons to other a/c. The trick cowl on the first P-66 was a long shot. You say the airplane was a ground looper. Was the landing accident rate really higher than for short fuselage P-40s?
Must admit dont know if its rate was worse than the Hawks. But it seems to have more fragile. The Hawks, whatever failings they did have, certainly were tough. Suspect theyd be less likely to get written off. But this is me speculating tbh
@@EdNashsMilitaryMatters Ed: gear "more fragile?" Do you have any source other than your eyeballs? Just looking at the two, this old twheel pilot guesses the P-66 was probably a lot easier to keep straight. Assuming it did not have P-40 or Corsair twitchy stall characteristics, my unsourced guess is the 66 could have had downright delicate gear and still suffer fewer landing dings. We KNOW the short bodied 40s had big time problems, hence the elongated tailwheel and then the longer fuselage. Dick Palmer didn't put it quite as starkly to me, but what happened was the govt. gave him a P-36 engine and he made an airplane that outperformed the P-36, but never had a chance to be better than the next generation.
Looks like a Brewster Buffalo and an F4U got jiggy with it🤪😮😂
A military historian was searching a Chinese cave for a P-66. A bat far above dropped something onto his helmet. He touched it, and the rest is history.
Fascinating about the link between Vultee and the Hughes H1. A replica of that gorgeous racer was built, and the intention was to use it in filming of the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator; however the replica crashed, killing the pilot/builder, so the H1 in the film is CGI. Except, that is, for in-cockpit shots of "Hughes" (Leo diCaprio) in flight, for which another aircraft was cosmetically modified to look at first glance like the H1 in the shots. The aircraft modified? A Vultee Valiant...
I think the best way to summarize this aircraft is a pinch better than a p36 and substandard compared to everything else.
Nice looking plane.
As a Swedish citizen i did know about this aircraft, in Sweden it would be called J10 (J stands for Jakt meaning in this case pursuit or fighter).
Some interesting lines there reminiscent of a Corsair.
When you look at the side profile, if it had inverted gold wings, it would almost look like a F4 U corsair at least to my old eyes. Have a nice day everybody.
Nice video! While touching on Sweden … why not make a video about the J22? Its a strange story, involving a swedish copied twin wasp.
On the list, never fear :)
To be fair, every contemporary aircraft was less agile than a Ki-43. And compared to other US aircraft, this was a good-looking little thing.
The prototype with the streamlined cowling looked really good; it reminds me of Macchi 202. Interestingly, the Focke-Wulf 190 prototype had the same cooling problems when it was first delivered with a streamlined cowling/spinner.
Not a bad looking airplane. The premise..trainer & fighter had merit.
Enjoyable history.
The BT-13 is a really nice looking little aircraft in that silver scheme. I wasn't familiar with it until now :-D
The numbering of this scrapy fighter has caused many a "what" - how's it after a P-51 or P63 King Cobra but in the fight before them? I was at Langley in 80s and our squadron history listed this plane. There were photos of one hitting a cow. OK cadet explain that to your flight trainer. Had something about the AVG got these planes but said they passed through Panama Canal, so you cleared that up...bringing them back from UK. Although many US pilots got training on the Vibrant Vultee BT-13, only a hand-full got to fly in the P-66. At 7:11 you mentioned the 14th Fighter Group. That had 3 squads on Hamilton field: the 48th, 49th & 50th. Traingin on BT-13s, P-40s & P-43s, then these as said when Pearl was attacked. Became Coastal patrol/air defense. Could joke they did the real Stuff of John Belushi's 1941 Movie. Most these pilots went on to fly P-38s in North Africa during Operation Torch the Fall of '42. The 50th got stuck in Iceland, as they flew over to England via the Northen Bluie route. Plane buffs might know these Ace's names from 48th & 49th: George Welch-9, Virgil Smith-5, Herbert Ross-7, Michaael Brezas-12, Irvin Ethell-4 Author, Harry Hanna-5, & a guy that got grounded while in the 49th who did better in the Pacific Theater-- Richard Bong-40. I can't verify they all flew the P-66 but seems they were there at right time.
Enjoyed your info & seeing some new photos... even a video of the Vultee Vanguard.
Read about the P-66 but never knew they made production. Worse didnt know they saw combat!
Well Ed, if you go after forgotten sky warriors of China... then Lancer is on the list I presume. 😉
Oh yes...one day... 😁
Thank you for posting
This plane is modeled in War Thunder and given it is placed alongside its contemporaries there it performs quite well.
Yeah, I wouldn't take anything from War Thunder as "historically accurate". Its just a computer game.
Its actually quite accurate
Hello I operated that type BT 13 very elegant machine. Saludos
When tech is rapidly advancing, looking good does not long suffice.
Wonder if they scored any kills? Excellent vid! 👍
Compare the F4 Wildcat which had the same engine and was developed at the same time to the P66. The P66 was faster in level flight and could climb almost 30% faster (3300 ft/m vs 2300ft/m) but it also wasn’t lugging around arresting gear and had less firepower. A great fighter for 1939, adequate for 1941, and obsolete in 1943.
Looks like a 3/4 scale FW-190 from a distance.
“In a musty cave far far away lie’s the relic that is the P66”
It seems there was something awfully wrong with military production and procurement processes in the US, UK and other countries in the 1930’s. So many flawed aircraft (and tank) designs ordered into production before before being fully tested in real-world situations. Relegating the failures to training roles or flogging them off to countries considered unworthy of care was such an insulting waste of time and resources.
My Grandfather was a lawyer for them and when I turned 16 he gave me three lithos from the mother company. Very cool indeed
Wow, if the series is "Forgotten Aircraft" the P-66 is a great choice. Never heard of peep about it.
Thanks Ed....Lt.Shoe (Axel) Nam
It seems strange that an fighter with good aerobatics was not successful in a war where good aerobatics was a necessary requirement
the description of the P-66, to me, reminds me of the Japanese Zero in many ways (which I have been researching a lot lately). Comparable speed, described as maneuverable (likely still less so than the Zero though). The word fragile was used, which to me implies it is of lighter construction than typical US fighters. And the tail..... look at that tail. Looks part Zero, part Corsair.
Unlike the Zero, who's armament was factored into the design from day one, the later addition of armament was clearly detrimental to the P-66.
Its no coincidence. Vultee loaned one of these to the Japanese to test out, while they were still a prospective buyer. The Japanese never returned the plane but appeared to have copied it!
@@clintfalk That's a lie.
The Japanese did evaluate every foreign plane they got their hands on in the years prior to designing the Zero. But I see no evidence the Japanese ever got to see one of these P-66 airplanes.
The Zero started full development in 1937. The P-66 didn't start development until 1938. The A6M's first flight was in April of 1939 and the P-66 didn't fly until later in September of 1939. Literally impossible for Japan to have seen the aircraft prior to designing the Zero, as the Zero existed first.
I'm literally studying the Zero's history in minute detail right now, even have books with copies of some of the original blueprints for the A6M. I am an engineer, which is driving my interest in the A6M right now from a structural and aerodynamics engineering perspective. I'm studying the Zero from a structural engineering standpoint. But I have also read Jiro's book on the Zero, as well as reading another book on the Zero from the Japanese perspective. And I've read about it for the US and allied perspective. When you read into the actual historical references after WW2, and Jiro's explanation of why he designed it the way he did, and the changes they had to make and why, it's clear the Japanese designed this organically.
Some external influence was surely there, even if Jiro didn't acknowledge it, but most of the designs people compare the Zero to most either never existed when Jiro designed the Zero, or Jiro never saw personally except maybe a picture of at some point. The design of the Zero in many ways is unique to anything the Western nations designed.
I didn't know the Zero's armament was factored in from the beginning. I'm surprised because I know the 20mm cannon barrels were cut down on the early models and this affected the muzzle velocity, rof, and accuracy. They also only had 60rds/gun.
@@SoloRenegade
The Japanese Raiden's cowling kind of resembles the P-66 prototype.
@@fazole Yes, the armaments of the Zero was in the requirements. So the weights and structural elements accounted for that. To pull off the combination of range, speed, agility, and firepower, it was necessary to factor it in from day one.
The Raiden cowling looks nothing like the P-66 cowling. Rained has a fat sloping long nosed look to it. Both the P-66 and Raiden cowlings were designed to fit their airframes and engines. Most radial engine cowlings have the same basic form factor, there is no reason to copy another rather than fit your cowling to your specific airplane unless your goal is to sabotage your own design.
Not uncommon that training planes were used as basis for many fighter designs since it meant easier development time during war.
Catch 22. Too good to risk falling into enemy hands, but not good enough to be used by allies.
I want to see one of these things with an R-2800 in it
Put gull wings on it and stretch the nose and you've got yourself a Corsair
Very interesting. More videos on the Chinese theater please, I imagine there are a number of older and/or obscure aircraft that only got combat service in Chinese forces
Check out my vid on bob short. One of earliest, so bit rough.
@@EdNashsMilitaryMatters Will do thanks
You've done it again, Ed.
I have never heard of this plane before today.
I am just leaving now for China to go and find these planes in the caves.
Surely there must be some market here in the 'West' for them today.
And even though I have no money, no idea where these planes are, cannot fly a plane or speak Chinese...plus, I have a tattoo of Chiang Kai-shek on my forehead...these facts will not deter me.
Will let you know how many I flew out, when I get back.
☮
You might as well nip over to Burma to dig up the 50 spitfires buried in crates in the jungle while you're at it ;)
@@EdNashsMilitaryMatters Great! Then I won't have to fly them out.
Which means I can skip the 'learning to fly' part.
Thanks Ed. ;)
☮
Handsome sort of thing, some more work on the original faired nose might have been beneficial,
which would have provided figures between the 'OK" original and the subdued, not all that useful subsequent version.
Vanguard was definitely not a Swedish name for it, and in Swedish service it would probably been armed with two 13,2mm machine guns and two 8mm machine guns as that was the standard in the Swedish air force at that time...
Nice. Now something different. How about making a report on the Ryan STM as having seen service in the former Netherlands East Indies Air Force against the Japanese invasion in 1941/42.
Very Corsair like aft of the cockpit.
Its a Corsair without the gull wing :)
"War is good for Buisness" 35th Rule of Aquisition 🖖
I do not know if its a myth, created by Swedish frustration, or it have some truth in it, that a smaller number of J-10 (P-66) that did fight in asia, did have parts of the Swedish "coat of arms" of 3 crowns still visible.
The v-48 (or v48?...) to me looks like a ki-61 but with a radial in aerodynamic cowling... especially when viewed at the side.
Perhaps a film about the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber would be a good follow up to this as it at least had a modicum of success in the far East with the RAF . 👍
An excellent dive bomber in it's day, but came along just in time for dive bombing to go out of favor in most air forces. Most pilots who flew them liked them.
Why does it seem like most Vultee aircraft have stability problems and need larger tails? I know the Vindicator had the same same problem(s) and had to have a tail redesign.....
I surmise it’s from the tail being angled down behind the canopy, creating significant separation and turbulence across the rudder and elevators. Turbulence negates rudder and elevator authority, poor maneuverability, and inevitable instability. The only solution is to supersize the tail.
There was one in flyable condition in the US a few years ago.
? Don’t think any survived long past WW II.
Wonder if it’d be feasible to build one up from a BT-13
What were they thinking with that cowling? The one benefit of a radial engine is having all the cylinders exposed for efficient air cooling.
You need a vanguard....so nobody steals your instruments outside the gig venue....
Shoulda been a warning:"Faulty Aircraft".^^ Greetings from Germany.
Wow, imagine a Chinese spelunker wandering into a cave in Western China and finding some of these.
Looks like a Corsair tail.
Looks like Fokker D.XXI
Vanguard, an ironic name!
Oooooh ... Cave Fighter ..
Any thoughts on making videos about the Messerschmitt Me-209 or Me-309?
*US* No Sweden, you can't have our fighter.
*Sweden* Ok then, we'll just build our own, better one. (look up the J22)
@@dave8599 We supplied both sides, that's how you make money and avoid being invaded.
Maybe better as a conversion trainer than a pure fighter...
it looks like the. result of a copulation between a corsair and a Curtiss P 36....
The RAF named nearly every other American made aircraft.....and a few tanks......why wouldn't they have named the Vanguard ?