GRUMMAN XF5F-1/XP-50 SKYROCKET NAVAL FIGHTERS 31 . GIN031

The Skyrocket story was originally published in the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) Journal in 1989.

All of the comic book reading public during the 1940's followed the adventures of "Blackhawk" and his mighty men as they conquered the world of evil. Those of us with a mindbent toward things aeronautical knew that it was not "Superman" or "Batman" who held the keys to a crime-free society, bring on "Blackhawk." Dressed in daring dark uniforms, the dashing figures of this 1940's version of the "A-Team" were mounted on the very latest of aircraft. Through the paint brush the artist portrayed an entire squadron of snub-nosed twin engine fighters which those of us old enough to remember know that only a single actual aircraft existed for the artist to illustrate, the Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket.