Vought F7U Cutlass - Aircraft On Display

Aircraft On Display

Seven F7U Cutlass aircraft are known to have survived.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 128451, is under restoration at the USS Midway (CV-41) Museum in San Diego, California, to be combined with BuNo 129565 to make one complete aircraft. Prototype F7U-3. Formerly at the Fred E. Weisbroad Aviation Museum/International B-24 Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. It was unrestored and incomplete, in poor condition.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129554, is under restoration at the Museum of Flight in Everett, Washington. Purchased by Len Berryman from Geiger Field, Washington in May 1958 and displayed outside the Berryman War Memorial Park in Bridgeport, Washington from 1958 until 1992. In June 1992 it was sold to Tom Cathcart of Ephrata, Washington for restoration to eventual flying condition.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129565, was undergoing restoration for display at the USS Hornet (CV-12) Museum at the former NAS Alameda in Alameda, California. It has now been transferred to USS Midway (CV-41) Museum in San Diego, California to be combined with BuNo 128451 to make one complete aircraft.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129622, is under restoration by F7U historian Al Casby of Phoenix, Arizona. Ex VA-34 / VA-12 aircraft that was flown to Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU) Glenview, NAS Glenview, Illinois, where it was sporadically flown by Naval Air Reserve pilots and used for instruction of enlisted Naval Reserve aircraft maintenance personnel; ownership was then transferred to the Northbrook East Civic Association and the aircraft was moved to the Oaklane Elementary School for playground use. It was subsequently removed and dissected to be sold for its engines. Forward fuselage was part of Earl Reinart's collection in Mundelein, Illinois, while the rest of the aircraft went to J-46 dragster builder Fred Sibley in Elkhart, Inidana. Its components are currently reunited in the collection of noted F7U historian Al Casby.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129642, is on display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The aircraft belonged to Attack Squadron 12 (VA-12) and was flown to NAS Willow Grove in May 1957 to take part in an air show. Upon arrival the aircraft was stricken from active duty. It was transferred to the Naval Reserve for use as a ground training aircraft, and eventually placed as a gate guard in front of the base on US Route 611. The airframe has only 326.3 hours total flight time.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129655, is on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida. Although marked as an F7U-3M, this aircraft is in reality an F7U-3 which was factory upgraded to F7U-3M standards. Formerly displayed at Griffith Park, California.

• F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129685, is on display at the aircraft collection of the late Walter Soplata in Newbury, Ohio. Like most aircraft on this famous farm, the aircraft appears complete, though it is exposed to the elements and unrestored.