Today’s Poster from the Facebook Vault of the Atomic Space Age, here.

It’s a great claim by Convair, but in the end it wasn’t a great result.

The exciting F2Y Sea Dart (a very unusual marine jet aircraft that hydroplaned on skis) proved an abortive concept though they managed to fly prototypes (XF2Y-1) which survive on museum displays to today. The other design, the XF-92, which the publicists don’t name, but claim pointed the way to the F-102 Delta Dagger, as it did. Unfortunately, neither the XF-92 nor the original design of the Delta Dagger (or, indeed the Sea Dart*) could get thorough the sound barrier – both were limited by their actual shape, but it wasn’t the delta or triangle wing planform that was the issue, but the problem was solved by redesign on the F-102 with ‘area rule’ being applied. The poor XF-92 also missed it’s chance as a film star, being filmed, but being cut from the John Wayne movie Jet Pilot.

A very neat design of poster, with a style that Convair used in several other posters in the period, but the certainly of the ‘triangle’ advantage didn’t come true.

James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.

*The Sea Dart was flown to supersonic speed – but only in a shallow dive, making it the only supersonic seaplane, though an actual FAI speed record would require multiple level passes in opposing directions.