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Opposite page: Opposite page: Vought V-173 undergoing wind tunnel testing at NACA Langley in 1941. NASA Vought V-173 during a test flight. US Navy This page, top to bottom: V-173, parked at the company airfield. US Navy V-173 being prepared for flight. US Navy V-173 makes an emergency landing at Lordship Beach, Connecticut following a fuel supply problem on 3rd June 1943. The pilot, Richard Burrows, escaped without injury and, despite flipping over in the soft sand, the aircraft was relatively undamaged. via Bill Rose taking it towards the theoretical limits of pro- peller-driven performance. The XF5U-1 had a normal loaded weight of 16,802 Ib (7,621kg), partly made possible by the extensive use of newly developed Metal- ite, which was a composite material formed from balsa wood sandwiched between alu- minium sheets. This effective material was also used for sections of the Corsair ship- board fighter and would find its way into sev- eral later jets. When final calculations for the XF5U-1’s performance were completed, the aircraft’s 217-gallon (986.5 litres) fuel capac- ity was expected to provide a range in excess of 900 miles (1,448km). The XF5U-1 had a width of 32ft (9.75m) and an overall length of 28ft 74in (8.71m), but its wing area was exactly the same as the V-173. On the ground, the aircraft was angled upwards by 18° to improve lift, which was some 4° less than the V-173. Proposed arma- ment for the production F5U-1 was initially six .50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns, which were later replaced by four 20mm cannons, and there were provisions to carry two 1,000 Ib (453kg) bombs or additional fuel tanks. By early 1945 taxying trials had largely been completed at the company’s airfield. Never- theless, the complex engine and gearbox lay- out continued to cause headaches and these, combined with what Vought described as ‘accountancy problems’, are said to have caused further delays in the test schedule. Dur- ing August 1945, the XF5U-1’s three-blade pro- pellers had been changed to four-bladed Hamilton Standards that were used on the F4U-4 Corsair fighter. This addressed concerns about asymmetrical airflow, which stemmed directly from a vibration problem experienced with the V-173. But the change was only a half- measure and, while the new four-bladed pro- pellers might have been satisfactory in level flight, there were serious concerns about their performance at high angles of attack. V-173 makes an emergency landing at Lordship Beach, Connecticut following a fuel supply problem on 3rd June 1943. The pilot, Richard Burrows, escaped without injury and, despite flipping over in the soft sand, the aircraft was relatively undamaged. via Bill Rose 29 Vought V-173 undergoing wind tunnel testing at NACA Langley in 1941. NASA Vought V-173 during a test flight. US Navy This page, top to bottom: V-173, parked at the company airfield. US Navy V-173 being prepared for flight. US Navy Early Circular-Winged Aircraft