| FJ-1 Fury | |
|---|---|
.jpg) US Navy FJ-1 Fury | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 33 (including 3 prototypes) |
| History | |
| Introduction date | March1948[1] |
| First flight | 27 November 1946[1] |
| Retired | 1953[2] |
| Developed into | North American F-86 Sabre |
TheNorth American FJ-1 Fury is an earlyturbojet-poweredcarrier-capablefighter aircraft used by theUnited States Navy (USN). Developed byNorth American Aviation (NAA) starting in 1945,[2] it became the firstjet aircraft in USN service to serve at sea under operational conditions.[3] This first version of the FJ was a straight-winged jet, briefly operational during the transition to more successful designs. An evolution of the FJ-1 would become the land-based XP-86prototype of theUnited States Air Force's enormously influentialF-86 Sabre, which in turn formed the basis for the Navy's carrier-based, swept-wingedNorth American FJ-2/-3 Fury.
In late 1944, the USN sought proposals for a follow-on aircraft to supplement its first jet fighter, theMcDonnell XFD-1 Phantom; three competing proposals from NAA,McDonnell Aircraft Corporation andVought were selected.[4] The NAANA-134 was ordered on 1 January 1945 as theXFJ-1 and would be developed in parallel with theVought F6U Pirate[1] (the competing McDonnell proposal would eventually evolve into theMcDonnell F2H Banshee[4]). The XFJ-1 was a straight-wing,tricycle gear fighter with a singleGeneral Electric J35turbojet fed by an intake passing through thefuselage; to avoid bifurcating the intake and thus increasing drag, the cockpit was placed entirely above the intake duct, giving the aircraft a squat appearance.[1] It was armed with six.50 BMG machine guns mounted next to the air intake, making it the last aircraft ordered by the USN to use .50 BMG guns as its primary armament.[1] The wing,empennage, and canopy strongly resembled that of the piston-enginedP-51D Mustang, North American Aviation's highly successfulWorld War II fighter, enclosing a relocated cockpit accommodation further forward in relation to the Mustang's design, to ensure good forward pilot visibility for carrier operations.[5]
%2c_16_March_1948_(NNAM.1996.253.7224.010).jpg)
The first flight of the prototype XFJ-1 was conducted on 27 November 1946, and the first of 30 deliveries of the improvedNA-141, designatedFJ-1, took place in March 1948.[6] Flown by Navy squadronVF-5A, the FJ-1 made the USN's first operationalaircraft carrier landing with a jet fighter at sea[N 1] on 10 March 1948 aboardUSS Boxer, pioneering US jet-powered carrier operations and underscoring the need forcatapult-equipped carriers.[7][3] The Fury was capable of launching without catapult assistance, but on a crowded flight deck the capability was of limited use. Taking off without a catapult launch limited the FJ-1 to a perilous, slow climb that was considered too risky for normal operations.[7]
As German research into swept wing aerodynamics was not yet available when the design was finalized, the FJ-1 used a straight wing.Folding wings were not used becausedive brakes mounted in the wings made them unfeasible. To conserve carrier deck space, a"kneeling" nose gear strut along with a swiveling "jockey wheel" allowed the FJ-1 to be stacked tail-high, close to another FJ-1.[8]
Before the first production FJ-1 was even delivered, the initial order for 100 units was trimmed to only 30 because more promising naval fighter designs had entered development.[3] The production aircraft were initially used in testing atNAS North Island, California.[2]VF-5A, soon redesignated as VF-51, operated the type fromBoxer in March 1948 and fromUSSPrinceton in August 1948, but operations did not go well, and the aircraft proved to have weaklanding gear.[2] One of the four FJ-1s to operate fromPrinceton was destroyed in ahard landing on arrival and went over the side; fortunately the pilot was rescued, but further accidents resulted in the cancellation of the operations after only two days.[2] Although VF-51 went to sea onBoxer one more time in May 1949, the FJ-1s were phased out afterwards in favor of the newF9F-2 Panther.[2][9]
Ending its service career inU.S. Naval Reserve units, the FJ-1 was eventually retired in 1953. The one highlight in its short service life was VF-51's win in theBendix 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 twoCalifornia Air National GuardLockheed F-80 Shooting Stars.[2]
Data from United States Navy Aircraft since 1911[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Media related toNorth American FJ-1 Fury at Wikimedia Commons
