What You Need to Know: Fighter jets are iconic symbols of aviation, but not all have lived up to their reputation. From the Soviet Yak-38 to the U.S. F7U Cutlass, several designs have been plagued ...

The F7U Cutlass, born from post-WW2 experimental designs, entered service with promise—yet quickly earned a deadly reputation. What went wrong with this bizarre, tail-less Navy jet?

Despite its Oldsmobile namesake, from 1953 to 1957, the Vought F7U Cutlass was an unconventionally designed jet known for its mechanical shortcomings.

The F7U made its maiden flight in 1948. For an aircraft that would lose a quarter of its rolling stock to accidents, many of them fatal, the Cutlass had a fairly trouble-free first few test flights.

The Navy wised up in 1949 and canceled an order for 88 F7U-2s in favor of the F7U-3. The -3 version of the troubled fighter boasted several improvements. But it still was underpowered, however.

But Beisel also invented the F7U Cutlass jet, which was not anyone’s idea of a fine fighter.The Cutlass “was ahead of its time and the capabilities of available power plants, resulting in its ...