F2H-4's of VF-23 "The Demons" inflight refueli

The R3Y-1 Tradewind was supposed to be amphibious raiding transport designed to delievery commandos or Marine raiders deep into enemy terrority to either harass them or to sieze unoccupied islands or harbors. This was an advanced amphibious aircraft at the time it used a laminar flow wing and the new turboprop engines that were then being developed near the end of the 40's and begining of the 50's. However, with the rise of carrier air power the its ability to project power at long distances and the helicopter with its vertical take off and landing capabilities, the need for a transport such as the Tradewind started to fall out of favor. The final nail in the coffin for this experimental aircraft was a series of spectaular crashes in the mid-50's all due to the high failure rate of its Allison T40 turboprop engines.