One Sparrowhawk was configured without wheels for a focused airship-carrier experiment. Removing the undercarriage saved weight because the aircraft was supposed to return to Akron's trapeze rather than land on a runway. A centerline fuel tank occupied the freed position, and the aircraft relied on the airship for the rest of its support. Other Sparrowhawks normally retained their wheels, so this machine tested how completely an aircraft could depend on its flying carrier.
Notable Point · 1:27:30-1:28:02
The Sparrowhawk built to land only in the air
One F9C Sparrowhawk trial removed the landing gear and substituted a centerline fuel tank because the aircraft was expected to recover only to its airborne carrier.