Manufacturer: U.S. Navy / Convair / Douglas

Model: unknown

Name: Sky Dart

Type:

Date: 1957

Status: Experimental

Country: United States

Service: U.S. Navy

Designation: XF4N-1

In an effort to get the best out of existing designs, Convair and Douglas produced, at the request of the U.S. Navy, the single XF4N-1 Sky Dart, which integrated design elements from the XF-92 Dart and the F5D Skylancer.

The Sky Dart is just what it claims to be: a Convair Dart with elements of the Douglas Skylancer grafted onto it! Tail, cockpit, engine intakes, top fuselage and exhaust from an F5D, bottom fuselage and wings from an XF-92, nose and markings of my own doing.

It is unlikely that Convair and Douglas would have agreed to collaborate on a joint project, and I don't think the Navy had the structure anymore to be producing designs under its own name like it did at the time of the Naval Aircraft Factory.

The original photos I used are presented below right. The design of the Sky Dart is not revolutionary, it probably would have flown. How good is just anyone's guess...

• It's a very nice plane. (Slerski)