McDonnell FH-1 Phantom.

The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was a twin-engine jet fighter aircraft designed during World War II for the United States Navy. On July 21, 1946, a Phantom became the first combat jet aircraft to operate from an American aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. McDonnell FH-1 Phantom. ... McDonnell FH-1 Phantom. ... The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer, based near St. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... USS (CVB-42) was a carrier in the United States Navy, named after Franklin D. Roosevelt. ...

In early 1943, McDonnell was invited by the U.S. Navy to cooperate in the development of a shipboard jet fighter, using an engine from the set turbojets under development by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Three prototypes were ordered on August 30, 1943 and the designation XFD-1 was assigned. Then, after evaluating a number of engine combinations, from using eight 9.5 inch (241 mm) diameter engines down to two engines of 19 inch (483 mm) diameter, a selection using the two 19 inch (483 mm) engines was found to be the lightest and simplest configuration. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

An aircraft design with the engines buried in the wing root was selected to keep intake and exhaust ducts short, an arrangement that offered greater aerodynamic efficiency than underwing nacelles. Provisions for four 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns were made in the nose. The word Nacelle is derived from the Old French nacele, which means a small boat or dinghy, and was in turn derived from the Latin navicella. ...

When the first XFD-1 was completed in January 1945 only one Westinghouse 19XB-2B engine was available for installation. Ground runs and taxi test were conducted with the single engine, and such was the confidence in the aircraft that the first flight on January 26, 1945 was made with only the one turbojet engine. With successful completion of tests, a production contract was awarded on March 7, 1945 for one hundred FD-1 aircraft. Later the designation was changed to FH-1 as the manufacturer’s letter “D” had already been assigned to the Douglas Aircraft Company. (22 years later, long after the last FH had been delivered, McDonnell and Douglas would merge to form McDonnell Douglas). 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The Douglas Aircraft Company was founded by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. ...

With the end of the war the number under contract was reduced to 60 aircraft and the first production aircraft was delivered in January 1947.

Operators

• United States Marine Corps, United States Navy.

Specifications (FH Phantom)

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 38 ft 9 in (11.8 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 9 in; 16 ft 3 in with folded wings (12.4 m / 5.0 m)
• Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.3 m)
• Wing area: ()
• Empty weight: ()
• Loaded weight: 9,920 lb (4,500 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Westinghouse J30-WE-20 turbojets, 1,600 lbf (7 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 500 mph (800 km/h)
• Range: 695 mi (1,300 km)
• Service ceiling: 41,100 ft (12,500 m)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.32

Armament

• 4x 20 mm cannons

Airbus A380 An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... Turbojets are the simplest and oldest kind of general purpose jet engine. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an airplane can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Thrust-to-weight ratio (where weight means weight at the Earths surface) is a dimensionless parameter characteristic of rocket and jet engines, and of vehicles propelled by such engines (typically space launch vehicles and jet aircraft). ...

References

• William Green (1961). War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters, (Vol 4). London: MacDonald

Related content

Related development

• F2H Banshee
• F-4 Phantom II

Comparable aircraft

• FJ Fury

Designation sequence

FH - F2H - F3H - F4H F2H-2 Banshee The McDonnell F2H Banshee was a military carrier-based jet fighter aircraft, used by the US Navy from 1951 to 1959 and by the Royal Canadian Navy from 1955 until 1962. ... The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[2] was a two-seat supersonic long-range all-weather fighter-bomber produced for the United States military by McDonnell Douglas. ... North American FJ-4 Fury. ... F2H-2 Banshee The McDonnell F2H Banshee was a military carrier-based jet fighter aircraft, used by the US Navy from 1951 to 1959 and by the Royal Canadian Navy from 1955 until 1962. ... The McDonnell F3H Demon was a US Navy carrier-based jet fighter aircraft. ... The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[2] was a two-seat supersonic long-range all-weather fighter-bomber produced for the United States military by McDonnell Douglas. ...

Related lists

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States

  A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... This list of military aircraft of the United States includes prototype, pre-production and operational types. ...