The idea was that it would protect various types of ships at sea. It would take off & land on platforms similar to the helipads you find on modern ships & oil rigs.

The problem was that it was insanely difficult for the pilot to land the Pogo, period. Even though the seat would tilt forward giving a slightly more natural position, backing this aircraft down vertically with no line of sight was very tricky.

It became obvious that the odds of a Navy Lieutenent pilot putting it down on a pitching, rolling destroyer or cruiser or cargo vessel was impractical.

Another problem was the Allison XT-40 turboprop engine and contra-rotating propeller. That setup could not be perfected and ended up being the doom of a lot of otherwise promising designs.

That said, pilots reported that once you got the XFY-1 horizontal, it was a real hot rod. Very powerful, very fast, very maneuverable.