Credit: U.S. Navy
Convair XFY Pogo
Convair’s XFY Pogo looks a lot like a combination between the X-13 Vertijet and the XF-85 Goblin. The Pogo had three wings arranged as a triangle, and three-bladed rotating propellers
It was an experiment in vertical takeoff and landing. The plane was known as a tailsitter because it launched and landed on its tail. Its developers believed that this would make it possible to operate them from small warships.
Issues with the Pogo’s design prevented it from leaving the testing phase. Because it was so lightweight and had no spoilers, it lacked the ability to slow down and stop efficiently after moving at high speeds.
Landing also turned out to be a problem. The pilot had to look back behind himself during a landing to properly stabilize the craft. So like the Aerocycle, the Pogo could only be flown by the most experienced pilots.
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I may be nitpicking, but "three wings arranged as a triangle" right under a photo showing two wings and two stabilizers, and "three-bladed rotating propellers". I think she meant "counter-rotating".
Also, not many aircraft have the ability to "stop", except for helicopters and VTOL. Light weight would make it easier to shed speed, one would think. I would also posit that a pilot provided with a couple of level indicators and a low-power rear-facing radar to give height above ground would have made landing reasonably easy...
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