Anybody know what the purpose of the markings on the nose of early U.S. Navy fighters like F2H and FJ were? My presumption is that it had something to deal with the kneeling landing gear, but that's just a guess.
[1] Alternatively, I know some of the nose gears could be extended for a better angle of attack during takeoff (a la the
variable incidence wing on the F-8).
[2][3] So maybe it is related to that instead?
(Source:
Wikimedia Commons)
The only picture of an F2H I've seen with the markings so far is of one in use by the Naval Air Test Center and comes from the
Standard Aircraft Characteristics sheet. Given that they had an
F3D with similar markings on the tail, maybe it was just for testing? Since the FJ entered service first, it's possible it was a short lived practice that only existed long enough to show up on the acceptance tests before it was phased out.
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