--- product_id: 10835718 title: "Killer Rays: Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray & F5D Skylancer" brand: "mark frankel" price: "VT51839" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10835718-killer-rays-story-of-the-douglas-f4d-skyray-and-f5d store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Killer Rays: Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray & F5D Skylancer **Brand:** mark frankel **Price:** VT51839 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Killer Rays: Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray & F5D Skylancer by mark frankel - **How much does it cost?** VT51839 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10835718-killer-rays-story-of-the-douglas-f4d-skyray-and-f5d) ## Best For - mark frankel enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted mark frankel brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Killer Rays: Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray & F5D Skylancer - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EK5EUl6YL.jpg) ![Killer Rays: Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray & F5D Skylancer - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41+xkp5qz9L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A good reference on an overlooked aircraft *by P***2 on Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2011* 'Killer Rays' is an above-average treatment of an important aircraft in naval aviation history. It is not, however, a 'modeler's reference', as it lacks cockpit and other structural detail photos - you should buy Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters volume on the Skyray if that's what you're looking for. This book does provide more context and more in-depth background on the Skyray than does any other volume to date.As noted in a previous lengthy review by 'Inteltek', this book is not without its faults, of which there are several. But in my view, the faults are not serious enough to prevent me from recommending it to others. At first, I was a little dismayed at the space devoted to the parallel Air Force programs of the F-102 and F-106. But after reading them, I'm glad they were included, as they provided insight on how the Air Force and Navy took different approaches to the same problem of a developing a high-performance interceptor. I found especially intersting the final chapter in which critics and supporters of the 'Ford' addressed wheather or not the aircraft was sultimately a success or a failure.I'm an avid builder of 1/48 scale models of US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and have ammassed a personal library of well over 300 aircraft references over the years, and this one I'd give a letter grade between C+ and B-. Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of the Skyray, so I'm probably predisposed to like ANY book on this plane. But having read it cover to cover, I recommend it as a pretty good developmental and operational history of the F4D. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent reference *by G***Y on Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2010* I brought this along with the Schiffer book on the F7U Cutlass, and the contrast is striking. The Cutlass title was disappointing, but this one is excellentThis book provides excellent context of the whole F4D-1/F5D-1 program, i.e. why the US Navy needed an interceptor rather than another fighter, and the comparisons with the Convair F-102/106 program are insightful. The Westinghouse engine saga is also covered, looking at problems in the engineering culture and the wide separation of design and production facilities.The lengthy business of getting from initial design to operational acceptance is covered, in summary, rather than in detail, but readily understandable.The operational history is covered in terms of incidents since the F4D never actually entered combat or served with any other than the US Navy or Marines.There is good coverage of all the F4D-1 units both front and secondline, with both descriptions and colour profiles.Photos are of good quality and well reproduced.The little known F5D-1 Skylancer is well covered too with detailed descriptions of how it was evolved from the F4D-1, trying to correct the problems. Some measure of the success is the F5D being 63% faster on the same power. The NACA / NASA use is covered esp the Dynasoar abort profile and the vortex research.Good book, worth the price. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Colorful introduction to the F4D and the F5D *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2011* A very specialized volume. But for those interested in the development of military aircraft, this is a nice work. First, there are many slick color photos, so one gets a really good sense of what the F4D Skyray and F5D Skylancer looked like. The latter was never really deployed, but the former put in service. Mark Frankel, the author, begins by laying things out for the reader (Page 7): "My purpose in writing this book was to provide the reader with an explanation of how and why the Skyray came to be, to examine the technological problems that it overcame, to analyze its service history, to recreate how it was flown, to study its stillborn successor, the Skylancer, and to explore its place in Naval Aviation history with the advantage of 50 years of hindsight."The book explores the development of this plane, the extraordinary demands placed on the engineers, how Douglas Aircraft attempted to answer the challenges, its service, and its legacy. A nice work for those interested in this aircraft. . . . --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10835718-killer-rays-story-of-the-douglas-f4d-skyray-and-f5d](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10835718-killer-rays-story-of-the-douglas-f4d-skyray-and-f5d) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*