[Llarry]

Chinese-designed and -produced narrowbody airliner the COMAC C919 made its first commercial flight yesterday, May 28th. The C919 is in the class of the 737 and A320. It looks like virtually all the orders so far are from various airlines in China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COMAC_C919

[Lady Jane]

"When the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass first entered U.S. Navy service in July 1951, the tailless, sweptwing jet fighter seemed to represent a leap into the future."

A beautiful but deadly design killing 4 test pilots and 21 line pilots. The Blue Angels (Pictured) flew two of them in 1953 but never in a Squadron routine.

Because of the need for a high angle of attack on departure, the very tall nose gear made the plane look like it was on stilts. And guess was usually broke upon landing...

https://www.historynet.com/voughts-visionary-fighter/

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

"When the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass first entered U.S. Navy service in July 1951, the tailless, sweptwing jet fighter seemed to represent a leap into the future."

A beautiful but deadly design killing 4 test pilots and 21 line pilots. The Blue Angels (Pictured) flew two of them in 1953 but never in a Squadron routine.

Those Blue Angels F7Us were the early -1 models. They never saw operational service. The later F7U-3 was slightly better, but still dangerous. They didn't last long in service. One claim to fame was that they had afterburners; the earliest operational Navy fighter to do so.

[Llarry]

The very first Navy aircraft to have an afterburner was also a Vought design: the F6U-1 Pirate. The F6U, like the F7U that followed, was a dud and never saw squadron service.

Vought, which had done so well through the 1920s-1940s, had gone from pure gold with the excellent F4U Corsair of WW2 and Korea, to a pair of duds.

It's a good thing they came up with the F8U (later F-8) Crusader, or they might have gone under.

The Vought run ended with the A-7 Corsair, which was based on the F-8.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Those Blue Angels F7Us were the early -1 models. They never saw operational service. The later F7U-3 was slightly better, but still dangerous.

It's too bad they didn't have the computer technology of modern aircrafts , especially the stealth designed ones that are inherently unstable.

[Llarry]

The early jet age had plenty of false starts and disappointments. Two standouts for the U.S. Navy were a pair of engines -- one turbojet and one turboprop -- designated -40: The Westinghouse J40 turbojet and the Allison T40 turboprop. These two engines wrecked a couple of aircraft programs and led to delays in a couple of more.

The Westinghouse J40 was an early jet with afterburner and in fact held the world record for speed at low level (about the speed of sound) in the early 1950s in the Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray delta-wing fighter. The J40 also powered the McDonnell F3H-1 Demon, which did not see squadron service, and -- in non-afterburning form -- the Douglas XA3D-1 Skywarrior. All three of these airplanes went on to provide squadron service to the Navy using other company's engines. The F4D-1 and the A3D-1 and -2 switched to the excellent Air Force-developed Pratt & Whitney J57 engine that powered many aircraft (B-52, KC-135, F-100, F-101, etc.) and the F3H-2 was powered by an Allison J71 engine.

The Allison T40, on the other hand, proved to be largely unsalvageable. The North American XA2J-1 and the Douglas XA2D-1 were failed programs; the former was eclipsed by the excellent Douglas A3D (later A-3) that provided decades of service and the latter, designed to replace the piston-powered AD (later A-1) Skyraider, was just a failure altogether.

Of all those aircraft powered by -40 engines, only the R3Y saw service, but that in limited numbers and for a limited period.

But the 1950s saw progress: The J57 turbojet in afterburning and non-afterburning form and the Allison T56 turboprop that went on to power the C-130, P-3 and the E-2.

[3798j]

staying with the unstable theme...

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

The Westinghouse J40 was an early jet with afterburner and in fact held the world record for speed at low level (about the speed of sound) in the early 1950s in the Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray delta-wing fighter. The J40 also powered the McDonnell F3H-1 Demon, which did not see squadron service, and -- in non-afterburning form -- the Douglas XA3D-1 Skywarrior. All three of these airplanes went on to provide squadron service to the Navy using other company's engines. The F4D-1 and the A3D-1 and -2 switched to the excellent Air Force-developed Pratt & Whitney J57 engine that powered many aircraft (B-52, KC-135, F-100, F-101, etc.) and the F3H-2 was powered by an Allison J71 engine.

As a result of the failure of the J40, the Navy and Marines got three serviceable aircraft with other engines:
-- The F4D-1 was J57-powered and with that big wing had a very rapid climb rate. On the debit side, it had limited fuel capacity and thus range and that delta wing proved tricky for aircraft carrier landings; the accident rate was high. It saw plenty of service with Marine Corps fighter squadrons. It was redesignated F-6A in 1962 but by that time was pretty much retired. The Navy Test Pilot School kept one around for several years as an example for student test pilots of what not to do in aircraft design.
-- The F3H-2 (later F-3B) got an Allison J71 engine and was a standard fleet carrier fighter before the F-4 Phantom replaced it. It was not exactly a sparkling performer but had a radar, was considered an all-weather fighter and was one of the early Navy fighters that carried air-to-air missiles.
-- The A3D-2 (later A-3B) became a legend in the fleet and stuck around for many years, being modified as a tanker, an electronic warfare jammer, a photo aircraft, a SIGINT reconnaissance aircraft and even a VIP transport. The early ones had a pair of 20mm cannon in a tail turret; these were pretty much useless and were soon replaced with electronic countermeasures equipment.

[Lady Jane]

Another oddity: Garrett STAMP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrett_STAMP

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

-- The F4D-1 was J57-powered and with that big wing had a very rapid climb rate. On the debit side, it had limited fuel capacity and thus range and that delta wing proved tricky for aircraft carrier landings; the accident rate was high. It saw plenty of service with Marine Corps fighter squadrons. It was redesignated F-6A in 1962 but by that time was pretty much retired. The Navy Test Pilot School kept one around for several years as an example for student test pilots of what not to do in aircraft design.

Douglas did not give up on the delta wing concept. They stretched the F4D's fuselage, gave it a thinner wing and taller tail and increased the fuel capacity by 35%. The result was the F5D. The F5D was supersonic -- and the proposal was to give it J79 power like the F-104 -- but still had the same delta wing-related problems with aircraft carrier use. Only four F5D-1s were built before the Navy pulled the plug -- by that time the excellent F8U (F-8) Crusader was entering service. Two of the F5Ds flew for NASA for a few years as research aircraft.

[Llarry]

The earliest U.S. Navy night fighters appeared in 1944; they were small detachments of four radar-equipped F6F Hellcats or F4U Corsairs per carrier. This system continued after World War 2, but the jet age was coming. During most of the Korean war, Navy and Marine night fighters were piston-engined F4U-5N Corsairs, but it was recognized that jet night or all-weather fighters were needed.

The first purpose-designed Navy night fighter was the Douglas F3D Skyknight, which first flew in 1948. The F3D used a two-man crew with a pilot and radar operator seated side-by-side. The F3D's performance was not particularly good, but it marked the entry into the jet age of radar-equipped fighters. During the last year of the Korean war, Marine F3D-2 fighters served in Korea with good results. However, the F3D was not considered carrier-suitable and Navy usage was limited.

The McDonnell F2H Banshee was a major Navy and Marine Corps player in Korea but was not radar equipped. The Banshee came into its own as a night or all-weather fighter after Korea when the F2H-3 variant was produced; this was the first all-weather fighter to be used in squadron size on U.S. aircraft carriers; 250 were built. The -3 was followed by the F2H-4 with slightly upgraded engines and a different radar set; 150 of these were built and together the F2H-3 and -4 became the basis of Navy and Marine all-weather fighter aviation until they were replaced by the Douglas F4D and the McDonnell F3H in the mid- to late-1950s. The F2Hs continued to serve in Navy Reserve units until about 1962.

The Royal Canadian Navy was interested in procuring all-weather F2Hs but production ended before they could place an order. However, they bought 39 U.S. Navy F2H-3s starting in 1955 for use on the carrier HMCS Bonaventure; the RCN F2Hs were retired in 1962.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_F3D_Skyknight
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_F2H_Banshee

[Lady Jane]

Honda MH02 Jet. Which eventually led to the HA-420.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_MH02

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_HA-420_HondaJet

[Llarry]

Having discussed the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps night/all-weather fighters, let me now turn to the day fighters, which were not equipped with radar. There were two competitors, Grumman and North American. Grumman had developed the straight-wing jet F9F Panther in the late 1940s; by the early 1950s they successfully modified the design with a swept wing and more power, turning the F9F Cougar into a transonic (near-supersonic) fighter. The first Cougar was the F9F-6 and it became a standard Navy/Marine day fighter. An improved version was the F9F-8, which was also widely used. Armament was the standard Navy/Marine fit of four 20mm cannon. By the late 1950s, the F9F-8 also could carry Sidewinder missiles.

At about the same time, North American adapted their famous F-86 Sabre to Navy/Marine use. The FJ-2 was the early version and was powered with the same J47 engine used by the F-86. Some structural strengthening and a switch to four 20mm cannon instead of the F-86's six .50 machine guns were the major changes. The FJ-2 was not considered ideal for aircraft carrier duty and that model was used by Marine Corps fighter squadrons. And improved FJ-3 was developed that had a Wright J65 engine with more power; that became an alternative for carrier squadrons to the F9F Cougars and late model FJ-3s were also Sidewinder-capable. The max speed of the FJ's was similar to that of F-86s and Cougars, i.e., transonic speed.

Both the F9F and the FJ did not last long as supersonic fighters were under development and joining the fleet starting in 1956. Both types lasted until the early 1960s in reserve service and were redesignated F-1 for the FJs and F-9 for the F9Fs late in their careers in 1962.

In addition to the changes in aircraft, the Navy and Marines changed their color schemes in the mid-1950s. Since 1944 the aircraft had been overall sea blue; in the mid-1950s this changed to gull grey on upper surfaces and white underneath. The first photo depicts an experimental natural metal finish that was used in the early 1950s when the Navy was pondering the color change. The last photo depicts the new grey and white scheme.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...n_FJ-2/-3_Fury
https://en.wkipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-9_Cougar

[Llarry]

The next step in carrier fighters was to break the sound barrier. But supersonic aircraft -- with a couple of notable exceptions like the SR-71 and the Concorde -- spend the vast majority of their flight at subsonic speeds. High speed, particularly when using an afterburner, consumes fuel at a furious rate.

Given the above, in the mid-1950s, there was an officer in the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics who decided that high (supersonic) speed was not worth the cost, both in additional expense to buy the aircraft and in fuel consumption. He issued a set of requirements that did not stress speed. The result was the North American FJ-4 Fury, which was a greatly improved version of the FJ-3 with the same engine but more fuel, an improved larger wing, etc. The FJ-4 was an excellent fighter, and the Navy bought 152 of them. The officer who had written the requirements ended his tour and was replaced by another officer who rewrote the fighter requirements and stressed that any new fighter must be supersonic. As a result, the FJ-4 production was limited and the aircraft were issued to Marine Corps fighter squadrons -- who loved it but like fighter pilots anywhere lamented the lack of speed. The Fury ended its days in the Navy Reserve.

The new requirements resulted in a couple of supersonic day fighters: The Grumman F11F Tiger and the Vought F8U Crusader. The F11F-1 was handicapped by a lack of fuel capacity and thus short range; its service in operational squadrons was short and it ended its days in advanced training squadrons. The F11F-1 (new designation F-11A) was also flown by the Blue Angels flight demonstration team for a number of years. The Vought F8U-1 (new designation F-8A), on the other hand, was a winner from the start; it was the first Navy fighter to exceed 1,000 miles per hour; later variants were progressively improved and had more power and speed and got all-weather capability with radar. The F-8 was a stalwart of the Vietnam war and much loved by its pilots. It was also modified into the Navy's standard photo recon aircraft and served many years in that role as the RF-8A and RF-8G. Navy RF-8As, along with Air Force RF-101s and U-2s, played a key role in the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and were heavily involved in the Vietnam war.

As I've posted previously, the F-8 was also used by the French Navy and the Philippine Air Force.

The F11F, by the way, was involved in an unfortunate incident during testing -- it shot itself down! It fired its 20 mm cannon and then accelerated and actually caught up to its own cannon shells. I believe the pilot survived.

[Lady Jane]

Another aviation curiosity: Baade 152

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baade_152

[Llarry]

Royal Candian Air Force CC-330 (Airbus A330) strategic tanker/transport -- six being procured to replace older CC-150 (Airbus A310) in that role.

According to the source for the photo (scramble.nl) the CC-330s will not be used for VIP transport of senior government officials, at least for a couple of years.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Royal Candian Air Force CC-330 (Airbus A330) strategic tanker/transport -- six being procured to replace older CC-150 (Airbus A310) in that role.

Many countries that have A330 tanker/transports have fitted a refueling boom for receptacle-equipped aircraft; apparently Canada has not. As far as I know the F-35A, which Canada is buying, is equipped only for boom refueling. The F-35B and F-35C have retractable refueling probes. I see the potential for the RCAF to be unable to aerial refuel its new fighters, which would be unfortunate.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Royal Canadian Air Force CC-330 (Airbus A330) strategic tanker/transport -- six being procured to replace older CC-150 (Airbus A310) in that role.

.

The A-310s were used former Wardair aircrafts. The first two A-330s are former Kuwait Airline planes. Not sure where the other ones will come from at this time.

That was a proposed retro livery at the beginning of the purchase program. I doubt it will fly. More likely the same grey scheme and maybe one with Government of Canada colors.

[Llarry]

Colorful livery on five F-16s of the 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, South Carolina.

[Romo]

de Havilland Sea Vixen





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Sea_Vixen

[Lady Jane]

Boulton Paul P.111 and Boulton Paul P.120

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulton_Paul_P.111
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulton_Paul_P.120 (Not pictured)

[Llarry]

The North American Twin Mustang first flew in 1945 as the XP-82. Two slightly lengthened P-51 Mustang fuselages were joined by a constant-chord wing and the tails were joined by a constant-chord horizontal stabilizer. Although the early ones were powered by Packard V-1650 (license-built Rolls-Royce Merlin) V-12 liquid-cooled engines, later versions used Allison V-1710s. The P-82 was designed to be a long-range escort fighter for B-29s conducting bombing missions over Japan but were too late to participate in WW2. The Twin Mustang holds the distinction of being the last piston-engine fighter built for the Air Force.

The P-82 was redesignated F-82 upon the independence of the U.S. Air Force and F-82s had two primary missions: long-range escort fighter (F-82E) and night fighter (F-82F, G and H). For the latter mission, a large radar pod was fitted to the center wing section; one cockpit held a pilot and the second accommodated a radar operator.

Black-painted F-82G night fighters were among the first U.S. aircraft to see action during the Korean war in 1950 and an F-82G scored the first aerial victory of that war. However, after a year in action, the F-82s were replaced by jet fighters. The F-82s lasted a couple of years longer but by 1953 all were retired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...2_Twin_Mustang