Ryan FR Fireball: Difference between revisions
Brutaldeluxe (talk | contribs) →References: clean up using AWB |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 147: | Line 147: | ||
[[Category:Mixed-power aircraft]] |
[[Category:Mixed-power aircraft]] |
||
[[Category:United States fighter aircraft 1940-1949]] |
[[Category:United States fighter aircraft 1940-1949]] |
||
Calvert says HELLO |
|||
[[Category:Ryan aircraft]] |
[[Category:Ryan aircraft]] |
||
Revision as of 12:38, 27 October 2010
| FR-1 Fireball | |
|---|---|
| |
| An FR-1 Fireball of VF-66 at NAS North Island, 1945 | |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Ryan Aeronautical |
| First flight | 25 June 1944 |
| Introduction | March 1945 |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Produced | 1944–1945 |
| Number built | 66 |
| Variants | XF2R Dark Shark |
The Ryan FR Fireball was a composite propeller and jet-powered aircraft designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Navy during World War II. The FR-1 Fireball entered service before the end of the war, but did not see combat. The Fireball was the United States Navy's first aircraft with jet propulsion.
Design and development
Design began in 1943 to a proposal instigated by Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. for a composite-powered fighter predicated on the belief that early jet engines had sluggish acceleration that was considered unsafe and unsuitable for aircraft carrier takeoff and landing. Ryan aeronautical engineer Benjamin Tyler Salmon was tasked with designing an aircraft to meet these criteria. His solution was a composite design that allowed for conventional piston-powered flight but provided a jet engine for higher speeds.
,_in_May_1945_(USN_1053774).jpg)
The first FR-1 prototype flew on 25 June 1944, but was lost in a crash at China Lake NAS in October that year. Investigation showed that the wing rivets were insufficiently strong, a problem cured by doubling the number of rivets, but not before the other two prototypes crashed in similar fashion.
The FR-1 Fireball was further developed into the XFR-2 which utilized a 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) Wright R-1820-74W in place of the -72W. One single airframe was converted to this configuration. No prototypes were built for the next proposed variant, the FR-3, which would use a General Electric I-20 turbojet. The fastest Fireball was the XFR-4, which had a Westinghouse J34 turbojet and was approximately 100 mph (161 km/h) faster than the FR-1.[1] The final variant was the XF2R-1 Dark Shark, which replaced the piston engine with a General Electric XT31-GE-2 turboprop, but this never entered service, though a prototype was built. This prototype was used by Al Conover to set a new world altitude record for turboprop aircraft of 39,160 ft (11,936 m) on 2 May 1947.[2]
Operational history
Orders for 700 aircraft were placed, but only 66 were delivered before Japan's surrender. One squadron, VF-66, was equipped with the aircraft before war's end, but they never saw combat. On 6 November 1945, a Fireball became the first aircraft to land under jet power on an aircraft carrier, albeit unintentionally. After the radial engine of an FR-1 failed on final approach to the American escort carrier USS Wake Island, the pilot managed to start the jet engine and land, barely catching the last arrestor wire before hitting the ship's crash barrier.[3][N 1]
The FR-1s were withdrawn in 1947, although development continued at Ryan but with the rapid advance in jet engine technology, the Navy decided to wait for more advanced aircraft to be developed.
Variants
- XFR-1
- Prototype aircraft, three built.
- FR-1 Fireball
- Single-seat fighter aircraft, 66 built.
- FR-2
- Conversion with a Wright R-1820-74W replacing earlier piston engine, one aircraft modified.
- FR-3
- Proposed variant with a General Electric I-20 replacing earlier jet engine; never built.
- XFR-4
- Variant with Westinghouse J34; one built.
- XF2R-1
- Final variant with General Electric XT31-GE-2 turboprop replacing the piston engine; one built.
Operators
The "Firebirds" squadron was known under three names:
- VF-66 (May 1945 – October 1945)
- VF-41 (October 1945 – mid-1947), redesignated VF-1E in November 1946
- VRF-32
Survivors
Only a single example, FR-1, Bu. 39657 still survives. Deployed first to NASA Ames, the aircraft served as an instructional airframe at a technical school before being acquired by the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California in the 1960s. After restoration to static display condition, 39657 was rolled out at Chino on 13 June 2009.[4]
Specifications (FR-1)
 |
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them. |
General characteristics
- Crew: one
Performance
Armament
- 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun with 300 rpg
- 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
- 8 × 5 in (127 mm) rockets under wings
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
- Notes
- ^ A month later on 4 December 1945, a Sea Vampire piloted by Royal Navy Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown was the first aircraft to perform an intentional and planned jet-powered landing on an aircraft carrier.
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Ginter, Steve. Ryan FR-1 Fireball and XF2R-1 Darkshark, Naval Fighters Number 28. Simi Valley, CA: Ginter Books, 1995. ISBN 0-942612-28-0.
- Green, William. "Ryan FR-1 Fireball". 'War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 6th impression 1969, 1961, pp. 186–187. ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Ryan FR-1 Fireball". WW2 Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976, pp. 66–68. ISBN 0-356-08222-9.
- McDowell, Ernest. FR-1 Fireball (Mini in action number 5). Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89747-344-2.
External links
Calvert says HELLO