and once airborne they discovered that their Phantom II was flying with outboard wings folded. They immediately understood that the locking mechanism was not properly set before launch.

and flying around the carrier, it was far from ideal. By employing a variable geometry wing, the Phantom could be more aerodynamic than ever before at high speed and more responsive at low speed.

On this day in aviation history, January 26, 1945, the McDonnell FH Phantom, the first pure-jet ... from the riveted aluminum ...