{"id":1466013,"date":"2026-06-03T17:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?p=1466013"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:59:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:59:51","slug":"the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#8217;s Most Hated Fighter"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n\n<p>The deck crew on USS Hancock froze as the Cutlass approached from astern, its twin vertical fins silhouetted against a Pacific sunset in the summer of 1955. Lieutenant Commander Jay Alkire lined up his approach, but the underpowered Westinghouse engines couldn&#8217;t generate the thrust he needed. The jet drifted left, descended too fast, and slammed into the ramp at the stern of the flight deck. The airframe disintegrated in a fireball. Alkire was killed instantly. It was one of dozens of fatal accidents that would earn the F7U Cutlass the most terrifying nicknames in naval aviation history: the &#8220;Gutless Cutlass&#8221; and the &#8220;Ensign Eliminator.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a2e 0%,#16213e 100%);border-radius:12px;padding:28px 32px;margin:28px 0;color:#e0e0e0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.8\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 16px;font-size:20px\">Quick Facts: Vought F7U Cutlass<\/h3>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse\">\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa;width:40%\">First Flight<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">September 29, 1948<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Role<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">Carrier-based multirole fighter<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Manufacturer<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">Chance Vought<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Engines<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">2x Westinghouse J46-WE-8B turbojets<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Number Built<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">320<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Accident Rate<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">78 major accidents, 25% of all airframes destroyed<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Pilots Killed<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">4 test pilots + 21 Navy pilots<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Nicknames<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">&#8220;Gutless Cutlass,&#8221; &#8220;Ensign Eliminator,&#8221; &#8220;Praying Mantis&#8221;<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#aaa\">Retired<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 12px;color:#fff\">March 2, 1959<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BNMsgjEh9s8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:22px\">Born from Nazi Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The F7U Cutlass began its life in 1945, when the U.S. Navy launched a competition for a new carrier-capable day fighter capable of 600 mph and 40,000-foot ceilings. At Chance Vought, chief designer Rex Beisel &#8212; the man who had designed the first fighter built specifically for the Navy back in 1922 &#8212; assembled a team that included a rather significant consultant: former Messerschmitt senior designer Woldemar Voigt, who had supervised the development of swept-wing jet fighters in Nazi Germany, including the radical Messerschmitt P.1110 and P.1112 projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result was unlike anything the Navy had seen. Designated V-346 internally, the design featured a tailless configuration with broad-chord, low-aspect-ratio swept wings and twin vertical fins mounted on the wings rather than a conventional tail. It was America&#8217;s first tailless production fighter, the Navy&#8217;s first swept-wing jet, and the first designed from the start with afterburners. The Navy was intrigued enough to order three prototypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1665954715  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:-th0.bf3b\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/f7u-cutlass-va83-uss-intrepid-1956.jpg\" alt=\"F7U-3 Cutlass of VA-83 aboard USS Intrepid, 1956\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F7U-3 Cutlass of VA-83 on the deck of USS Intrepid, 1956. Note the distinctive tall nose landing gear that elevated the pilot 14 feet above the flight deck. U.S. Navy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Engine Problem That Ruined Everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On September 29, 1948, Vought test pilot J. Robert Baker took the first prototype aloft from NAS Patuxent River. The aircraft flew &#8212; but barely. The pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojets produced so little thrust that pilots would later joke they &#8220;put out less heat than Westinghouse&#8217;s toasters.&#8221; The engines delivered considerably less power than Westinghouse had promised, yet they were the only powerplant that could fit the Cutlass airframe without a complete redesign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The later F7U-3, which became the main production variant with 288 built, received the improved Westinghouse J46-WE-8B engines. But even with afterburners producing 6,000 pounds of thrust each, the engines were woefully inadequate for an aircraft that weighed over 31,000 pounds fully loaded. The resulting thrust-to-weight ratio of just 0.45 made the Cutlass one of the most underpowered fighters ever to serve on a carrier deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #c0392b;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/f4\/Wally_Schirra_Mercury.jpg\/220px-Wally_Schirra_Mercury.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"flex-shrink:0\"><img data-opt-id=574587257  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/f4\/Wally_Schirra_Mercury.jpg\/220px-Wally_Schirra_Mercury.jpg\" alt=\"Wally Schirra\" style=\"width:96px;height:96px;border-radius:50%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center;display:block;border:2px solid #ddd\"><\/a><div><em>&ldquo;I considered the F7U-3 to be accident prone and a widow maker.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Wally Schirra<\/strong> &mdash; NASA Astronaut and Navy Test Pilot<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iLVFse5Dyto\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:22px\">Carrier Landing Nightmares<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cutlass&#8217;s design created a cascade of problems on the carrier deck. Its tailless configuration meant it needed an extremely high angle of attack for takeoff and landing, which required an absurdly long nose landing gear strut that elevated the pilot 14 feet above the flight deck. This created visibility problems &#8212; the pilot could barely see the deck during approach. The high stresses of barrier engagements and side-loads during carrier landings frequently caused the nose gear&#8217;s internal down-locks to fail, resulting in nose gear collapse and severe spinal injuries to pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problems went even deeper than the landing gear. The F7U&#8217;s hydraulic flight control system operated at 3,000 psi &#8212; twice the pressure of any other Navy aircraft at the time. The system proved hopelessly unreliable. Many components had actually been designed for lower-pressure systems and failed at an alarming rate. On top of all this, firing the 20mm cannons could cause the engines to flame out &#8212; a problem discovered during flight testing by none other than future astronaut John Glenn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #27ae60;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Those people knew what they were doing. Maintenance was good, and we knew the plane&#8217;s limitations. When everything was working right, it was an excellent fighter-bomber &#8212; rugged, maneuverable and fun to fly.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Ensign Dick Cavicke<\/strong> &mdash; VF-124 Pilot, 1955<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=460447762  decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0kRF.bf4a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/f7u-cutlass-in-flight-us-navy.jpg\" alt=\"Vought F7U Cutlass in flight over the ocean\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F7U Cutlass in flight. Despite its radical appearance and dangerous reputation, some pilots praised the aircraft&#8217;s roll rate of 570 degrees per second &#8212; three times faster than most production jets of the era. U.S. Navy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Deadly Statistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1957, when Chance Vought finally analyzed the accident record, the numbers were damning: 78 major accidents across just 55,000 cumulative flight hours, with a full quarter of all airframes destroyed. Four test pilots and 21 operational Navy pilots had been killed. The Cutlass had the worst accident rate of any swept-wing fighter in U.S. Navy history. And unlike other aircraft, Cutlass accidents tended to be more severe &#8212; when something went wrong, it typically went catastrophically wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stories from the fleet were harrowing. During VF-124&#8217;s single 1955-1956 deployment aboard USS Hancock, the squadron lost five of its sixteen Cutlass pilots. After pilot George Millard was killed in a landing accident &#8212; his malfunctioning nose gear triggered the ejection seat, launching him 200 feet into the tail of a parked A-1 Skyraider &#8212; the captain of the Hancock ordered every single Cutlass off his ship. The squadron spent the rest of its Pacific cruise grounded at the Atsugi naval air station in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nFln5JzNSdY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"padding-top:22px\">Even the Blue Angels Said No<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the most telling indicator of the Cutlass&#8217;s problems came in 1953, when the Blue Angels reluctantly flew two F7U-1s as a side demonstration during their show season. Political pressure from senior officers and senators had pushed the Navy to promote the aircraft. The result was a public relations disaster. During the demonstration tour, the team experienced landing gear failures, hydraulic failures, engine fires in flight, and &#8212; in one memorable incident &#8212; a landing gear door that fell off and crashed into a spectator grandstand. Through sheer luck, no one was injured. The Blue Angels promptly abandoned the Cutlass and went back to the Grumman F9F Panther.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vice Admiral Harold M. &#8220;Beauty&#8221; Martin, air commander of the Pacific Fleet, had seen enough. He ordered the Cutlass replaced with the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, and an outstanding order for 250 more Cutlass variants was cancelled. By March 1959, the last Cutlass was retired &#8212; replaced by Vought&#8217;s own far superior creation, the F-8 Crusader, which would become one of the most successful Navy fighters of the Cold War era. Only seven Cutlass airframes survive today, silent monuments to one of aviation&#8217;s most ambitious &#8212; and deadly &#8212; experiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HWh3DoW3Mic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f0f0;border-radius:10px;padding:20px 24px;margin:32px 0 18px;font-size:14px;color:#555\">\n<strong>Sources:<\/strong> Smithsonian Air &amp; Space Magazine, Tommy Thomason&#8217;s <em>U.S. Naval Air Superiority<\/em>, Wikipedia, National Naval Aviation Museum, Avgeekery.com, The National Interest, HistoryNet\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a2e,#16213e);border-radius:12px;padding:24px 28px;margin:32px 0\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 16px;font-size:18px\">Related Posts<\/h3>\n<ul style=\"list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/what-actually-happens-after-a-mid-air-collision-inside-the-ntsb-investigation\/\" style=\"color:#8ab4f8;text-decoration:none\">What Actually Happens After a Mid-Air Collision<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The deck crew on USS Hancock froze as the Cutlass approached from astern, its twin vertical fins silhouetted against a Pacific sunset in the summer of 1955. Lieutenant Commander Jay Alkire lined up his approach, but the underpowered Westinghouse engines couldn&#8217;t generate the thrust he needed. The jet drifted left, descended too fast, and slammed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":1465162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1466013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#039;s Most Hated Fighter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy&#039;s most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the &#039;Gutless Cutlass&#039; and &#039;Ensign Eliminator.&#039;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#039;s Most Hated Fighter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy&#039;s most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the &#039;Gutless Cutlass&#039; and &#039;Ensign Eliminator.&#039;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MiGFlug.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1699\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf\"},\"headline\":\"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#8217;s Most Hated Fighter\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1189,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy's Most Hated Fighter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf\"},\"description\":\"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy's most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the 'Gutless Cutlass' and 'Ensign Eliminator.'\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg\",\"width\":2100,\"height\":1699},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#8217;s Most Hated Fighter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug.com Blog\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor is the writer you want when a story deserves 2,000 words instead of 200. A self-taught aviation enthusiast who once spent six months researching a single ejection seat mechanism, he brings obsessive depth and genuine wit to long-form features. His articles are the ones readers bookmark and share.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy's Most Hated Fighter","description":"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy's most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the 'Gutless Cutlass' and 'Ensign Eliminator.'","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy's Most Hated Fighter","og_description":"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy's most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the 'Gutless Cutlass' and 'Ensign Eliminator.'","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/","og_site_name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","article_published_time":"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2100,"height":1699,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf"},"headline":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#8217;s Most Hated Fighter","datePublished":"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/"},"wordCount":1189,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/","name":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy's Most Hated Fighter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-03T15:45:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-03T16:59:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf"},"description":"The F7U Cutlass killed 25 pilots and destroyed 25% of all airframes built. The story of the Navy's most dangerous Cold War fighter -- the 'Gutless Cutlass' and 'Ensign Eliminator.'","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:xz3J.bf3a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/vought-f7u-cutlass-us-navy-1954.jpg","width":2100,"height":1699},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-vought-f7u-cutlass-the-navys-most-hated-fighter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Vought F7U Cutlass: The Navy&#8217;s Most Hated Fighter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/464c5f53053cb99e1fa991cbf6c7edcf","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor is the writer you want when a story deserves 2,000 words instead of 200. A self-taught aviation enthusiast who once spent six months researching a single ejection seat mechanism, he brings obsessive depth and genuine wit to long-form features. His articles are the ones readers bookmark and share.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1466013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1466013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1466013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1466030,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1466013\/revisions\/1466030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1465162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1466013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1466013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1466013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}