The Ryan FR Fireball was a composite propeller and jet-powered aircraft designed for the United States Navy during World War II. The Fireball entered service before the end of the war, but did not see combat. The FR-1 Fireball was the US Navy's first aircraft with jet propulsion. Ryan FR-1 Fireball. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, USA in 1934. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1944: Events January January 11 - in one of the largest air raids to date, 570 USAAF bombers strike Brunswick, Halberstadt, and Oschersleben. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, USA in 1934. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Design and development

Design began in 1943 to a proposal instigated by Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. for a composite-powered fighter; early jet engines had sluggish acceleration which was considered unsafe and unsuitable for aircraft carrier takeoff and landing. Ryan aeronautical engineer Benjamin Tyler Salmon was tasked with designing a plane to meet these criteria. His solution was a composite design that allowed for conventional piston-powered flight but gave a jet for higher speeds. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John S. (Slew) McCain, Sr. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea...

The first prototype flew on 25 June 1944, but it was lost in a crash at China Lake NAS in October that year. Investigation showed that the wing rivets were insufficiently strong, a problem cured by doubling the number of rivets, but not before the other two prototypes crashed in similar fashion. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with prototyping. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... NASA satellite photo showing the main runways at NAWS China Lake The Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS China Lake) is an airborne weapons testing and training range operated by the United States Navy and its contractors. ...

Operational history

FR-1 Fireballs in formation with piston engines off

Orders for 700 aircraft were placed, but only 66 were delivered before Japan's surrender. One squadron, VF-66, was equipped with the aircraft before war's end, but they never saw combat. The Fireball was the first American aircraft to land under jet power on a ship, on the escort carrier USS Wake Island on 6 November 1945. US Navy pilots considered Fireball to be a uniquely poorly chosen name, given its "fiery accident" connotations. FR-1 Fireballs with propeller engines off. ... FR-1 Fireballs with propeller engines off. ... The Japanese representatives on board USS Missouri during the surrender ceremonies on 2 September 1945. ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the U.S. Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... USS Wake Island (CVE-65) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1102) on 6 February 1943 at Vancouver, Wash. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945and died 2007 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

The aircraft were withdrawn in 1947, fairly soon after the war's end. With the rapid advance in technology, and the removal of the pressing need to get anything into combat quickly, the Navy decided to wait for better aircraft to be developed.

The FR-1 Fireball was further developed into the XFR-2 which used a 1500 hp Wright R-1820-74W in place of the -72W. One single airframe was converted to this configuration. No prototypes were built for the next proposed variant, the FR-3, which would use a General Electric I-20 turbojet. The fastest Fireball was the XFR-4, which had a Westinghouse J34 Turbojet and was some 100 mph faster than the FR-1 ^[1]. The final variant was the XF2R-1 Dark Shark, which replaced the piston engine with a General Electric XT31-GE-2 turboprop, but this never entered service, though a prototype was built. This was used by Al Conover to set a new world altitude record for turboprop aircraft of 39.160 feet on 2 May 1947 ^[2]. Wright R-1820 Cyclone The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 was an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright and widely used on 1930s through 1950s aircraft. ... Turbojets are the simplest and oldest kind of general purpose jet engines. ... The Ryan XF2R Dark Shark was an experimental aircraft built for the United States Navy that combined turboprop and turbojet propulsion. ... Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ...

Survivors

One FR-1 Fireball presently survives at the Planes of Fame Flying Museum at Chino, California, and is in the process of restoration to display condition. Another one used to be at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, but was destroyed in a fire in the 1960s ^[3]. Another might be in a depot of the Smithsonian. One of the museums flyable P-51 Mustangs. ... Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... San Diego Aerospace Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. ...

Operators

•  United States : United States Navy

The same squadron ("Firebirds"), but under three names: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ...

• VF-66 (May 1945 - October 1945)
• VF-41 (October 1945 - November 1946)
• VF-1E (November 1946 - mid 1947)

• VRF-32

Specifications (FR-1 Fireball)

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 32 ft 4 in (12.19 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
• Height: 13 ft 7¼ in (4.15 m)
• Wing area: 275 ft² (25.6 m²)
• Empty weight: 7,915 lb (3,590 kg)
• Loaded weight: 10,595 lb (4,806 kg)
• Powerplant:
  • 1× General Electric J31 turbojet, 1,600 lb_f (7.1 kN)
  • 1× Wright R-1820-72W Cyclone radial engine, 1,425 hp (1,060 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 426 mph (686 km/h)
• Range: 1,300 miles (2,100 km)
• Service ceiling: 43,100 ft (13,100 m)

Armament

• 4 × .50 cal M2 Browning machine guns
• 2 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
• 4 × rockets under wings

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... The General Electric J31 was the first jet engine produced in quantity in the United States, essentially a production version of the prototype Whittle W.1 that had been sent to the US after the Tizard Mission successes. ... Turbojets are the simplest and oldest kind of general purpose jet engines. ... Wright R-1820 Cyclone The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 was an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright and widely used on 1930s through 1950s aircraft. ... The radial engine is an internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft 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. ... .50 BMG rounds and 20MM Vulcan round, with a golf ball and a stick of RAM posed to provide scale. ... It has been suggested that K6 HMG be merged into this article or section. ...

References

• Ginter, Steve. Ryan FR-1 Fireball and XF2R-1 Darkshark, Naval Fighters Number 28'. Simi Valley, CA: Ginter Books, 1995. ISBN 0-942612-28-0.
• Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters. London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-356-08222-9.
• McDowell, Ernest. FR-1 Fireball, Mini in action number 5. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89747-344-2.

Related content

Related development

F2R Dark Shark The Ryan XF2R Dark Shark was an experimental aircraft built for the United States Navy that combined turboprop and turbojet propulsion. ...

Comparable aircraft

Curtiss XF15C-1 Stingaree

Designation sequence

FR Fireball - F2R Dark Shark

Related lists

List of military aircraft of the United States This list of military aircraft of the United States includes prototype, pre-production and operational types. ...