Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray 4-View
July 1954 Air Trails Hobbies for Young Men

July 1954 Air Trails

Table of Contents These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

Here is yet another of Walter M. Jefferies, Jr.'s inked masterpieces as it appeared in the July 1954 issue of Air Trails - Hobbies for Young Men magazine. This 4-view drawing of the experimental Douglas XF4D−1 Skyray reveals many details of airframe components, fuselage cross-sections, and panel lines.

Per Wikipedia: The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Although it was in service for a relatively short time (1956–1964) and never entered combat, it was the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, at 752.943 mph, and was the first United States Navy and United States Marine Corps fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company before it merged with McDonnell Aircraft and became McDonnell Douglas.

Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray

Official holder of world's speed record over 3-kilometer course at an average speed of 753.4 mph, the Skyray is Navy's first carrier interceptor with delta-like wing shape. Douglas does not call the XF-4D wing a delta, claiming that it actually is a highly swept form with interfuselage gap closed up. Plane is now in production. "X" prefix dropped.

Posted April 18, 2020