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North American FJ-1 Fury

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North American FJ-1 Fury

The North American FJ-1 Fury was the first operational jet aircraft in United States Navy service, and was developed by North American Aviation as the NA-135.[1] The FJ-1 was an early transitional jet of limited success which carried over similar tail surfaces, wing and canopy derived from the piston-engined P-51 Mustang. The evolution of the design to incorporate swept wings would become the basis for the land-based XP-86 prototype of the United States Air Force's enormously influential F-86 Sabre, which itself formed the basis for the Navy's carrier-based North American FJ-2/-3 Fury

Design and development

Ordered in late 1944 as the XFJ-1 in competition with proposals from Douglas and Vought, the Fury began as a straight-wing, tricycle gear fighter with a single turbojet passing through the fuselage. The wing, empennage and canopy strongly resembled that of the piston-engined P-51 Mustang, North American Aviation's highly successful World War II fighter.

Operational history
An FJ-1 of VF-51 aboard USS Boxer in March 1948.
An Oakland Naval Air Reserve FJ-1 over Oakland, California, in 1950.

The first flight of the prototype XFJ-1 took place on 11 September 1946, with the first of 30 deliveries beginning in October 1947. Flown by Navy squadron VF-5A, the FJ-1 made the USN's first operational aircraft carrier landing with a jet fighter at sea[N 1] on 10 March 1948 aboard USS Boxer, pioneering jet-powered carrier operations and underscoring the need for catapult-equipped carriers. The Fury was capable of launching without catapult assistance, but on a crowded flight deck the capability was of small practicality. In reality, taking off without a catapult launch, pitched the FJ-1 into a perilous, slow climb that was considered too risky for normal operations.[2]

As straight wings were seen at the time as the only way to ensure the low speed and stability needed for carrier landings, the FJ-1 used a straight wing. No provision for wing-folding had been made as dive brakes mounted in the wings made that option unfeasible. In order to conserve carrier deck space, a unique "kneeling" nose undercarriage along with a swivelling "jockey wheel" allowed the FJ-1 to be stacked tail-high, close to another FJ-1.[3]

Although ordered into production, the initial order for 100 units was trimmed to only 30 aircraft which were mainly used in testing at NAS North Island, California. VF-5A, soon redesignated as VF-51, operated the type in service beginning in August 1948. Although VF-51 went to sea on Boxer by May 1949, the FJ-1s were phased out in favor of the new F9F-2 Panther.

Ending its service career in U.S. Naval Reserve units, the FJ-1 eventually was retired in 1953. The one highlight in its short service life was VF-51's win in the Bendix Trophy Race for jets in September 1948. The unit entered seven FJ-1s, flying from Long Beach, California to Cleveland, Ohio, with VF-51 aircraft taking the first four places, ahead of two California Air National Guard Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars.

Variants
FJ-1 and FJ-2 in 1952

XFJ-1
Prototype aircraft, powered by a 3,820 lbf (17 kN) General Electric J35-GE-2 turbojet engine, three built.
FJ-1 Fury
Single-seat fighter aircraft, powered by a 4,000 lbf (17.8 kN) Allison J35-A-2 turbojet engine, armed with six 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, 30 built.

Specifications (FJ-1)

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 34 ft 5 in (10.48 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 2 in (11.63 m)
Height: 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m)
Wing area: 221 ft² (20.5 m²)
Empty weight: 8,843 lb (4,010 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,118 lb (6,854 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Allison J35-A-2 turbojet, 4,000 lbf (17.8 kN)
Fuel provisions Internal fuel load: 465 gal (1,743 l), Wing Tip Tanks: 2 × 170 gal (644 l)

Performance

Maximum speed: 547 mph at 9,000 ft (880 km/h at 2,743 m)
Range: 1,496 mi, (2,407 km) 1,496 mi (2,407 km) with external tanks
Service ceiling: 32,000 ft. (9,753 m)
Rate of climb: 3,300 ft/min at sea level (1,005 m/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.38
Stalling speed (power off): 121 mph (106 kn, 194 km/h

Survivors
FJ-1 Fury at Yanks Air Museum.

FJ-1 BuNo 120349 is under restoration at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California. [5]

An FJ-1 is in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. [6]
Image size
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Comments4
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MviluUatusun's avatar

I've seen this drawing before and I just noticed something about the a/c. The wing shape is VERY similar to the wing of the McDonnell F2H Banshee.