McDonnell FH Phantom
FH Phantom | |
---|---|
An FH-1 Phantom landing aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1946 | |
Role | Carrier-based fighter aircraft
|
Manufacturer | McDonnell Aircraft
|
First flight | 26 January 1945 |
Introduction | August 1947 |
Retired | 1949 (USN, USMC) July 1954 (USNR)[1] |
Primary users | United States Navy United States Marine Corps |
Number built | 62 |
Developed into | McDonnell F2H Banshee |
The McDonnell FH Phantom is a twinjet fighter aircraft designed and first flown during World War II for the United States Navy. The Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier[2][N 1] and the first jet deployed by the United States Marine Corps. Although only 62 FH-1s were built it helped prove the viability of carrier-based jet fighters. As McDonnell's first successful fighter, it led to the development of the follow-on F2H Banshee, which was one of the two most important naval jet fighters of the Korean War; combined, the two established McDonnell as an important supplier of navy aircraft.[4]
McDonnell chose to bring the name back with the Mach 2–class McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the most versatile and widely used western combat aircraft of the Vietnam War era.[5]
The FH Phantom was originally designated the FD Phantom, but this was changed as the aircraft entered production.
Design and development
In early 1943, aviation officials at the United States Navy were impressed with McDonnell's audacious
McDonnell engineers evaluated a number of engine combinations, varying from eight 9.5 in (24 cm) diameter engines down to two engines of 19 inches (48 cm) diameter. The final design used the two 19 in (48 cm) engines after it was found to be the lightest and simplest configuration.
When the first XFD-1,
The first prototype was lost in a fatal crash on 1 November 1945,
Production Phantoms incorporated a number of design improvements. These included provisions for a flush-fitting centerline
Halfway through the production run, the navy reassigned the designation letter "D" back to Douglas, with the Phantom being redesignated FH-1.[12] Including the two prototypes, a total of 62 Phantoms were finally produced, with the last FH-1 rolling off the assembly line in May 1948.[15]
Realizing that the production of more powerful jet engines was imminent, McDonnell engineers proposed a more powerful variant of the Phantom while the original aircraft was still under development – a proposal that would lead to the design of the Phantom's replacement, the F2H Banshee. Although the new aircraft was originally envisioned as a modified Phantom, the need for heavier armament, greater internal fuel capacity, and other improvements eventually led to a substantially heavier and bulkier aircraft that shared few parts with its agile predecessor.[16] Despite this, the two aircraft were similar enough that McDonnell was able to complete its first F2H-1 in August 1948, a mere three months after the last FH-1 had rolled off the assembly line.[17]
Operational history
The first Phantoms were delivered to USN fighter squadron VF-17A (later redesignated VF-171) in August 1947;[18] the squadron received a full complement of 24 aircraft on 29 May 1948.[19] Beginning in November 1947, Phantoms were delivered to United States Marine Corps squadron VMF-122, making it the first USMC combat squadron to deploy jets.[18] VF-17A became the USN's first fully operational jet carrier squadron when it deployed aboard USS Saipan on 5 May 1948.[20][N 4]
The Phantom was one of the first jets used by the U.S. military for exhibition flying. Three Phantoms used by the
The Phantom's service as a frontline fighter would be short-lived. Its limited range and light armament – notably, its inability to carry
The F2H Banshee and
Civilian use
In 1964, Progressive Aero, Incorporated of Fort Lauderdale, Florida purchased three surplus Phantoms, intending to use them to teach civilians how to fly jets. A pair were stripped of military equipment and restored to flying condition, but the venture was unsuccessful, and the aircraft were soon retired once again.[22]
Variants
- XFD-1
- Prototype aircraft powered by 1,165 lbf (5.18 kN) Westinghouse 19XB-2B engines (J-30). Two built.[2]
- FH-1 (FD-1)
- Production version with 1,600 lbf (7.1 kN) Westinghouse J30-WE-20 engines (originally designated FD-1). 60 built.[2]
Operators
Aircraft on display
- FH-1
- BuNo 111759 - National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., United States.[23] This aircraft served with Marine Fighter Squadron 122 (VMF-122). It was retired in April 1954, with a total of 418 flight hours. The aircraft was transferred to the Smithsonian by the U.S. Navy in 1959.[24]
- BuNo 111768 - Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona, on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, Virginia. It has had a busy post-retirement life. Formerly a Progressive Aero aircraft c/n 456 (civil registration N4283A) it was placed on display at the Marine Corps Museum. The aircraft was later transferred to the St. Louis Aviation Museum, and then the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York. In 2006 the aircraft was moved to the [24] Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, New York.,[25] and moved to Tucson in 2016.
- BuNo 111793 - National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.[26] This aircraft was accepted by the navy on 28 February 1948. After flying for a brief time with Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 122, the first Marine jet squadron, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, it was stricken from the naval inventory in 1949. The museum acquired the aircraft from National Jets, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1983.[24]
Specifications (FH-1 Phantom)
Data from Naval Fighters #3 : McDonnell FH-1 Phantom,[27] and McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920 [28]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 37 ft 3 in (11.35 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 9 in (12.42 m)
- Width: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m) wings folded[8]
- Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
- Height folded: 16 ft 10 in (5 m)
- Wing area: 273.74 sq ft (25.431 m2)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 66-218 a=.6; tip: NACA 66-215-414 a=.6[29]
- Empty weight: 6,683 lb (3,031 kg)
- Gross weight: 10,035 lb (4,552 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 12,035 lb (5,459 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 375 US gal (312 imp gal; 1,420 L) gasoline internal, with optional 295 US gal (246 imp gal; 1,120 L) external belly tank.
- Powerplant: 2 × Westinghouse J30-WE-20 (or J30-P20) turbojet, 1,600 lbf (7.1 kN) thrust each (Westinghouse 19 XB-2B)
- Powerplant: 2 × Aerojet 14AS-1000 D5 JATO bottles, 1,000 lbf (4.4 kN) thrust each for 14 seconds
Performance
- Maximum speed: 505 mph (813 km/h, 439 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
- Cruise speed: 248 mph (399 km/h, 216 kn)
- Landing speed: 80 mph (70 kn; 130 km/h)
- Range: 690 mi (1,110 km, 600 nmi)
- Ferry range: 1,400 mi (2,300 km, 1,200 nmi) with external belly tank.
- Service ceiling: 41,100 ft (12,500 m)
- Rate of climb: 4,230 ft/min (21.5 m/s)
- Wing loading: 36.4 lb/sq ft (178 kg/m2)
- Thrust/weight: 0.32
Armament
- Guns: 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
- Rockets: 8 × 5 in (127 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets[6]
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
- List of fighter aircraft
- List of military aircraft of the United States
References
Notes
- FR Fireball, designed to utilize its piston engine during takeoff and landing. On 6 November 1945, the piston engine of an FR-1 failed on final approach; the pilot started the jet engine and landed, thereby performing the first jet-powered carrier landing, albeit unintentionally.[3]
- ^ The U.S. Navy had earlier used the XFD-1 designation for the prototype Douglas XFD biplane fighter, which did not enter production due to changing Navy requirements.
- ^ McDonnell assistant Chief Engineer Kendall Perkins has stated that this "first flight" was no more than a "hop", and that the real first flight would wait until a second engine was fitted a few days later.[12]
- ^ Squadron VF-5A, flying the North American FJ-1 Fury, had conducted the navy's first all-jet aircraft carrier operations at sea on 10 March 1948 aboard Boxer, but the entire squadron was not considered operational at the time.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Mills 1991, pp. 226-227.
- ^ a b c Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 268.
- ^ "First Jet Landing". Naval Aviation News, United States Navy, March 1946, p. 6.
- ^ USN F-4 Phantom II vs VPAF MiG-17/19: Vietnam 1965–73. Osprey Publishing.
- ^ "USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Penguin Random House Books". Archived from the original on 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- ^ a b c d e f Mesko 2002, p. 7.
- ^ Air International November 1987, p. 233.
- ^ a b Air International November 1987, p. 234.
- ^ Mesko 2002, p. 5.
- ^ Air International November 1987, pp. 234–235.
- ^ Francillon 1979, p. 382.
- ^ a b c d e Air International November 1987, p. 258.
- ^ Angelucci and Bowers 1987, pp. 297–298.
- Aviation Safety Network[dead link]
- ^ Wagner 1982, p. 503.
- ^ a b Mesko 2002, p. 10.
- ^ Wagner 1982, p. 504.
- ^ a b c d Air International November 1987, p. 259.
- OCLC 1084309969.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Grossnick 1997, p. 171.
- ^ Goebel, Greg. "The FH-1 Phantom." Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom & F2H Banshee, 1 November 2010. Retrieved: 10 May 2011.
- ^ Mesko, 2002 p. 8.
- ^ "FH-1 Phantom/111759." Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine NASM. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
- ^ a b c Hamilton, Hayden. "The McDonell FH-1 Phantom: the Forgotten Phantom". AAHS Journal, Vol. 55, No. 2, Summer 2010.
- ^ "FH-1 Phantom/111768." Wings of Eagles Discovery Center. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
- ^ "FH-1 Phantom/111793." Archived 2015-03-18 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of Naval Aviation. Retrieved: 15 January 2015.
- ^ Ginter, Steve (1981). Naval Fighters #3 : Mc Donnell FH-1 Phantom. Simi Valley CA: Steve Ginter.
- ^ Francillon 1979, p. 383.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Angelucci, Enzo and ISBN 0-85429-635-2.
- Bedford, Alan (May–June 1999). "Earl American Carrier Jets: Evolving Jet Operations with the US Fleet, Part One". Air Enthusiast (81): 13–19. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam & Company, Ltd, 1979. ISBN 0-370-00050-1.
- Ginter, Steve. McDonnell FH-1 Phantom. (Naval Fighters Number 115) Simi Valley, California: Steve Ginter Books, 2022. ISBN 978-0-942612-53-0
- Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters. London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (sixth impression 1969). ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-356-08222-9.
- Grossnick, Roy A. "Part 6: Postwar Years: 1946–1949". United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1997. ISBN 0-945274-34-3.
- Hamilton, Hayden. "The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom: the Forgotten Phantom". AAHS Journal, Vol. 55, No. 2, Summer 2010.
- Mesko, Jim. FH Phantom/F2H Banshee in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2002. ISBN 0-89747-444-9.
- Mills, Carl. Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991. ISBN 0-9695200-0-X.
- "Mr Mac's First Phantom: The Story of the McDonnell FH-1". Air International Vol. 33, No. 5, November 1987, pp. 231–235, 258–260. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Wagner, Ray. American Combat Planes. New York: Doubleday, 3rd edition, 1982. ISBN 0-385-13120-8.
External links
- "Phantom Development" a 1947 Flight article by John W. R. Taylor