In the midst of the 1950s Cold War, the U.S. Navy set its sights on a radical transformation of naval aviation. The star of this high-stakes endeavor was the XF2Y-1 Sea Dart, a seaplane with a mission: to shatter the norms of carrier-based aircraft and touch the edge of supersonic speeds.
Conceived by Convair’s visionary minds, this delta-winged marvel sliced through conventions with its unique hydro-skis, designed to glide over water and then lift into the air with an exhilarating rush. It was more than an aircraft; it was a bold statement in engineering, intended to make water runways obsolete and to outmaneuver the enemy with unmatched agility.
As the Sea Dart, equipped with its twin Westinghouse engines, thundered across the water, it was a spectacle of power and speed. The hydro-skis, tucked beneath its sleek frame, deployed gracefully, cutting through the waves as the aircraft surged towards takeoff speed.
Inside the cockpit, pilots were at the helm of an aircraft that was both a warrior and a water bird, armed with Colt Mk12 cannons and unguided rockets. Yet, in its wake of white foam and roaring engines, there lingered a quiet whisper of the Sea Dart’s impending struggle with nature’s elements—a struggle that would ultimately test the limits of this groundbreaking machine.
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It is apparent the original engineers knew nothing of the sea. Any significant open ocean sea state would make takeoff and landing impossible. Salt water would corrode and destroy the engines. To this date, on carriers, salt water mitigation on aircraft is a major issue. How in the world would it be fueled and armed mid ocean, and by whom? Fascinating concept; thoroughly impractical.
Looks like a totally stupid idea to me.
Convair took the Supermarine Spitfire origin story a bit too seriously.
Said a Convair spokesperson: "Well, Supermarine started on the water as a floatplane, and won the Schneider Trophy like a gazillion times and became the famousest aircraft ever, well we can do that too!"
Interview ends in tears…
I've seen one of those. There was one on display at sun n fun in Florida. Pretty cool looking thing and good idea. Just bad execution
They always put in too small of an engine. This happens again and again. Doomed many an interesting design.
“Supersonic seaplane” is a perfect example of being too concerned with whether they could to think about whether they should.
How they planned takeof at even very small waves?
Convair really was the gigachad of US aeronautical development
Cool looking aircraft. The early days of jets is so fascinating and exciting. Yeah, you would need consistent calm water for it to work – stresses must have been bad. 👍
Stupid idea. Getting the planes into the water and retrieving them would be very challenging. Much of the time, the sea wouldn't be calm enough. The salt corrosion on the engines and other parts would be horrific.
Pretty amazing engineering, but I wonder what the overall doctrine was to integrate it into the fighting force?
Dear Greenpeace ….
Looks Like This Design Did A Belly Smacker.
Ground breaking? Almost exactly the opposite…
It was a silly idea as it was obvious even small waves would drown the engines convair looked on it as foolish folks giving them a ton of money
With retractable hydrofoils instead of that pair of skiis, it would not bounce dangerously on the water.
Great conversation
The only real problem this aircraft truly had was that it was ahead of its time. New Naval doctrine could reinvigorate a desire to return such aircraft back to a promising career. Planes like the E-2 Hawkeye and the P-3 Orion could be replaced with larger, faster, more advanced turboprops, or even jet engine equipped watercraft. Now with advanced materials and designs, this is the best time to reconsider water based aircraft. Also the "Wing in ground effect" is also promising as well, offering a much larger craft cruising fast just above the water.
I wish I owned one of those…I can dream, can't I 🙂 ?
I know it's full of flaws but whatever…
If they could have made it work a quick reaction force of SeaDarts , Seamasters and Tradewinds could have been a place holder until the Fleet arrived
I learned something new today, thank you.
Better title. Sickest jet-ski ever.
Salt. We salute the brave test pilots!
The ship I was assigned to frequently tied up at North Island, NAS. Sea Dart was being tested at the time, witnessed it airborne for the first time.