The Plane that Was Deadly Even to Itself

It was 1956, and Grumman Aircraft had developed a new aircraft that could counter the MIG-15, a Soviet jet fighter establishing its dominance over the skies of Korea, engulfed in a furious war between Communism and the Free World.

Like the Mig, Grumman had introduced the F11F Tiger: an innovative, swept-wing carrier-based fighter that had already achieved an impressive Mach 1 speed during its maiden flight, turning it into the second US Navy aircraft to reach supersonic speeds.

Test pilot Thomas Attridge was now testing the Tiger’s 20-millimeter guns off the coast of Long Island while simulating a dogfight. The pilot aimed at the ocean, then fired four quick, accurate bursts and immediately went into a dive. Precisely 11 seconds later, he noticed something unusual.
Something had struck his Tiger’s canopy glass and one of the engine intake lips. The Tiger began going down immediately. Attridge was sure it was a bird, but the truth was much more unusual…

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[bobharrison]

The F-11 was the nicest flying plane I ever flew. It would practically fly itself in formation and was easy to land. It was under powered with the J-65 and didn't have the range that the F-8 did. The F11F-1F reengined with the J-79 was a world beater in performance, easily topping Mach 2. It was as fast as the F-104 and had much better handling characteristics. Grumman offered the -1F to the Germans and Japanese who's pilots much preferred it to the 104, but bribery won out over capability.

[armorer]

That's USS Forrestal, not USS Forester.

[TimDocHarper]

My Dad was with Grumman for over 40 years. When he was in Flight Test, the F-11 was one of the programs he was on. What the AI narrator fails to mention is the "coke bottle" shape of the fuselage. That was one of the big reasons for the performance of the aircraft. Tommy Attridge was one of the best "pure" pilots ever. He and Dad were often roommates on the road. He was a crazy man, but, God, could he fly! The family stories about the wild stuff Tommy did were legion. Tommy gave me my first ride in a jet -- an F-9F-8T. It was a 12th birthday present. (Never could do that nowadays!)
As the head of the flight test photographic team on the project, I'm sure many of the film clips in this are Dad's. Especially those of Jake Swirbul, one of Grumman's founders and a true aviation genius. Quite the trip down memory lane.

[robertstorck]

I concur with Bob Harrison. I managed 29 hours in the last phase of Advanced Jet Training at NAAS Chase Field, Beeville TX ... VT-25 IIRC. Sweeter than any other jet I've flown, from T-2Js to G600s. If the Navy had the Air Force budget and politics, there would have been thousands ordered, but it was the wrong time. I went to the F-4B/J which were fabulous workhorses, but the Tiger was a thoroughbred.
It's a shame that our clickbait emphasis makes you concentrate on the dramatic titles and incidents.

[SpacePatrollerLaser]

The self-shootdown was quite famous at the time, with the pilot appearing on the panel game show I'VE GOT A SECRET with that story

[jonathangehman]

Of all the awful music on these vids, I think this is the worst

[showxating]

He was Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet.

[lancerevell]

F11F-1Tiger was a good aircraft, which served well. The Blue Angels flew it, over crowds. They wouldn't fly a widow-maker in such a venue. The Tiger wasn't the only fighter to "shoot itself down" by it's own guns. Happened with the USAF's F-100 Super Saber too. The fault was the flight course matching the 20mm projectiles. We don't see this nowadays due to higher velocities of later 20mm guns.

[chuckcawthon]

I saw the Blue Angels in 1967 at NAS Dallas Hensley Field flying the F11F Tiger.

[JLanc]

Such a pretty bird! You can see the Tomcats DNA in her!

[VidarLund-kq]

It was supposed to match the MiG 15, but the MiG 17 was introduced in 1952 and the MiG 19 in 1955.

[brucehutcheson]

I really appreciate this documentary. Growing up seeing the Blue Angels fly these jets and never seeing them set up for combat, I never understood how such a great aircraft was never deployed to the Navy for duty. Now I know. Thank you!

[billgund]

This a/c has a strong resemblence to the Douglas D558 "Skyrocket." Just sayin'

[NedskiYT]

You can see a beautiful F-11 in the Blue Angels color scheme at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY on Long Island. Grumman's factory where the Tiger was built is a few miles away from the museum.

[chuckmesser]

The F11F-1 Tiger was the only Grumman aircraft that could be described as svelte. The Cougar was sleek and beautiful, but next to its successor, it looked positively chunky.

[robertmarshall]

Not mentioned was the use of the F11 in Navy Training Command in the 60's to introduce flight students to high performance fighters before joining the fleet.

[johnwsinkankas]

I would like to see you 'Dark Skies' folks spend a little more time & effort editing your "story clips"...
I've watched other peices you've done & they are a mess, especially when it comes to ACCURATE citing
of think you are in it for the $$ and not true Archivests.

[daystatesniper]

Iv'e heard of the phrase shooting your self in the foot but this takes it to a new level lol

[edgein]

Hard to believe the Blue Angels replaced this with the F-4. The F-4 may have been an excellent plane but it wasn’t as well suited for acrobatics.

[miketeeveedub]

Great plane once the J79 was fitted. It would've served the NATO forces better that the F-104 Starfighter. The F-11 was more versatile; no F-104 flew from an aircraft carrier. Too bad the 'alleged' Lockheed sales scandal potentially tanked the Grumman sales.