If everything aeronautical seemed possible in the heady post-war jet age, some aircraft designs found where the limitations were.
The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was one of four delta-wing jets in design or production by that San Diego company in the 1950s. Convair embraced the delta planform as its ticket to supersonic performance.
But early supersonic jet fighters plus the restrictions of aircraft carrier decks were problematical, plus one alternative was to create supersonic seaplane fighters for the U.S. Navy.
Anyone who has ever skipped a flat stone across a pond knows the physics involved in a planing surface that, when moving fast enough, does not sink beneath the waves. Hydro skis leveraged that phenomenon into flat plates that could keep a moving aircraft skimming on top of the water.
Convair amalgamated hydro skis, a delta wing, plus two turbojets into a floating fighter that could get up on extendable skis plus take off from a bobbing start on the ocean’s surface.
A Sea Dart in flight over San Diego shows hydro skis extended. High mounted engine inlets were an effort to keep the Sea Dart from ingesting excessive amounts of sea water. (Peter M. Bowers collection)
The Sea Dart was said to be theoretically capable of operations from snow or ice as well. During its test program at San Diego, the F2Y used small wheels on each hydro ski plus the lower aft fuselage to permit it to taxi up plus down a seaplane ramp.
The idea of a supersonic Navy jet fighter that was mandiri of aircraft carriers looked attractive.
When at rest on the sea surface, the Sea Dart floated low in the water, its delta wing nearly awash at the trailing edge. As the two Westinghouse jet engines were throttled up, the F2Y gained speed while floating on its hull until sufficient forward motion was achieved to extend the hydro skis plus rise into the planing position. From here, the jet’s vastly decreased water friction made takeoff possible.