(Douglas) F4D Skyray @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Douglas F4D Skyray Douglas F4D Skyray
    Douglas F4D Skyray
  • XF4D-1 prototype (October 1952) XF4D-1 prototype (October 1952)
    XF4D-1 prototype (October 1952)
  • F4D-1 with towed target at Andrews AFB in 1960 F4D-1 with towed target at Andrews AFB in 1960
    F4D-1 with towed target at Andrews AFB in 1960
  • Douglas F4D-1 Skyrays of VMF-115, in 1962 Douglas F4D-1 Skyrays of VMF-115, in 1962
    Douglas F4D-1 Skyrays of VMF-115, in 1962
  • F4D-1 of VMF-115 "Able Eagles" at MCAS Cherry Point, circa 1957 F4D-1 of VMF-115 "Able Eagles" at MCAS Cherry Point, circa 1957
    F4D-1 of VMF-115 "Able Eagles" at MCAS Cherry Point, circa 1957
  • Douglas F4D-1 of VF-51 on cat of USS Ticonderoga, in 1960 Douglas F4D-1 of VF-51 on cat of USS Ticonderoga, in 1960
    Douglas F4D-1 of VF-51 on cat of USS Ticonderoga, in 1960
  • VF-74 radar VF-74 radar
    VF-74 radar
  • F4D-1 of VF-141 on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957) F4D-1 of VF-141 on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957)
    F4D-1 of VF-141 on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957)
  • Douglas F4D-1 of VF-101 on HMS Ark Royal in 1957 Douglas F4D-1 of VF-101 on HMS Ark Royal in 1957
    Douglas F4D-1 of VF-101 on HMS Ark Royal in 1957
  • Douglas F-6A Skyray at the NMNA at Pensacola, Florida, in 1975 Douglas F-6A Skyray at the NMNA at Pensacola, Florida, in 1975
    Douglas F-6A Skyray at the NMNA at Pensacola, Florida, in 1975
  • F4D-1 of VF-13 "Night Cappers" approaching USS Essex F4D-1 of VF-13 "Night Cappers" approaching USS Essex
    F4D-1 of VF-13 "Night Cappers" approaching USS Essex
  • El Segundo assembly line El Segundo assembly line
    El Segundo assembly line
  • Skyray of VF-213 on USS Lexington, in 1959 Skyray of VF-213 on USS Lexington, in 1959
    Skyray of VF-213 on USS Lexington, in 1959
  • F4D-1 Skyrays of VF-74 "Be-Devilers" at MCAS Yuma in 1959 F4D-1 Skyrays of VF-74 "Be-Devilers" at MCAS Yuma in 1959
    F4D-1 Skyrays of VF-74 "Be-Devilers" at MCAS Yuma in 1959
  • F4D-1 from Fighter Squadron<br>VF-213 "Black Lions", in 1959 F4D-1 from Fighter Squadron<br>VF-213 "Black Lions", in 1959
    F4D-1 from Fighter Squadron
    VF-213 "Black Lions", in 1959
  • F4D-1 used for aerodynamics research at NACA Ames Research Center, California F4D-1 used for aerodynamics research at NACA Ames Research Center, California
    F4D-1 used for aerodynamics research at NACA Ames Research Center, California
  • Douglas F-6A Skyray (1963) Douglas F-6A Skyray (1963)
    Douglas F-6A Skyray (1963)
  • Flying low to pick up a target banner Flying low to pick up a target banner
    Flying low to pick up a target banner
  • Douglas F4D-1 on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt Douglas F4D-1 on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt
    Douglas F4D-1 on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • F4D-1 of VF-141 "Iron Angels" landing on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957) F4D-1 of VF-141 "Iron Angels" landing on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957)
    F4D-1 of VF-141 "Iron Angels" landing on USS Bon Homme Richard (1957)
  • Douglas F-6A Skyrays of VU-3 taking off, circa 1963 Douglas F-6A Skyrays of VU-3 taking off, circa 1963
    Douglas F-6A Skyrays of VU-3 taking off, circa 1963
  • Douglas XF4D-1 prototype aboard Coral Sea, in October 1953 Douglas XF4D-1 prototype aboard Coral Sea, in October 1953
    Douglas XF4D-1 prototype aboard Coral Sea, in October 1953
  • F-6A Skyray of VMF-115 at Guantanamo Bay, in 1963 F-6A Skyray of VMF-115 at Guantanamo Bay, in 1963
    F-6A Skyray of VMF-115 at Guantanamo Bay, in 1963
  • El Segundo<br>assembly line<br>(1957) El Segundo<br>assembly line<br>(1957)
    El Segundo
    assembly line
    (1957)
  • F-4D1 from the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum F-4D1 from the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
    F-4D1 from the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
  • F4D-1 of VMF-542 "Tigers now" at Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum F4D-1 of VMF-542 "Tigers now" at Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum
    F4D-1 of VMF-542 "Tigers now" at Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum
  • Douglas F4D-1 (VF-102) Douglas F4D-1 (VF-102)
    Douglas F4D-1 (VF-102)
  • Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (1957) Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (1957)
    Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (1957)
  • F4D-1 of VF-3 over San Diego F4D-1 of VF-3 over San Diego
    F4D-1 of VF-3 over San Diego

Douglas F4D Skyray

The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) was an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Although it was in service for a relatively short time and never entered combat, it was notable for being the first carrier-launched aircraft to hold the world's absolute speed record, at 752.943 mph, and was the first United States Navy and United States Marine Corps fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company before it merged with McDonnell Aircraft and became McDonnell Douglas. The F5D Skylancer was an advanced development of the F4D Skyray that did not go into service.

Design and development

The Skyray was designed to meet a Navy requirement issued in 1947 for a fighter aircraft that could intercept and destroy an enemy aircraft at an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) within five minutes of the alarm being sounded. The Navy also wanted an aircraft that followed the designs and research of the German aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch, who moved to the U.S. after World War II.

The F4D Skyray was a wide delta wing design with long, sharply swept, rounded wings. The design was named for its resemblance to the manta ray. The thick wing roots contained the air intakes feeding a single turbojet engine. Fuel was contained both in the wings and the deep fuselage. Leading edge slats were fitted for increased lift during takeoff and landing, while the trailing edges were mostly elevon control surfaces. Additional pitch trimmers were fitted inboard near the jet exhaust, and were locked upwards on takeoff and landing.

The Westinghouse J40 turbojet was the intended powerplant, but Douglas took a conservative view and designed in contingency options for other power plants. The J40 proved troublesome and was eventually cancelled, and the Skyray was fitted instead with the Pratt & Whitney J57, a more powerful but larger engine.

Production aircraft were not delivered until early 1956, while the United States Marine Corps received their first in 1957. In total, 419 F4D-1 (later designated F-6 in the unified designation system) aircraft were produced.

Its unique design also played a part in making the Skyray one of the best-known early jet fighters. Affectionately known as the "Ford" (after the "Four" and "D" of its designation). In 1953, Edward H. Heinemann was awarded the Collier Trophy in recognition of his design work on the F4D.

Operational history

In April 1956, VC-3 was the first squadron operational with the F4D-1. This unit was later redesignated VFAW-3 and assigned to NORAD, as the only United States Navy fighter squadron in what was predominantly a United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force organization. VFAW-3 was permanently based at NAS North Island in San Diego.

The U.S. Marine Corps also flew the Skyray. When the Department of Defense adopted a uniform aircraft designation system patterned on the U.S. Air Force aircraft designation system in September 1962, the F4D was redesignated as the F-6A Skyray. In addition to multiple Navy and Marine Corps squadrons, Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve squadrons VF-881, VF-882 and VMF-215 also flew the Skyray. The last operational squadron was VMF(AW)-115, which flew the Skyray until February 1964.

The Skyray was designed exclusively for the high-altitude interception role with a spectacular rate and angle of climb. The Skyray set a new time to altitude record flying from a standing start to 49,221 feet (15,003 m) in 2 minutes and 36 seconds, all while flying at a 70° pitch angle. As a dedicated interceptor, the F4D was unsuited to the multi-mission capabilities soon in demand, so it had a short career in Navy and Marine Corps service, the last aircraft being withdrawn from service in 1964. Four aircraft were used by NACA (soon to be NASA) until 1969.

Under the new 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, the F4D-1 was redesignated the F-6A. The F4D (old designation) should not be confused with the F-4D (new designation) – the latter being the "D" variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II operated by the U.S. Air Force.

F5D Skylancer

The F5D Skylancer was derived from the F4D and intended to be a Mach 2 capable successor to the Skyray. Although four prototypes were built and flown, the project was cancelled as being too similar in mission parameters to the F8U Crusader and also to reduce dependence upon Douglas Aircraft, which was also producing several other aircraft for the U.S. Navy.

Variants

  • XF4D-1 : Prototypes, redesignated YF-6A in 1962, two built.
  • F4D-1 : Single-seat fighter aircraft, production model redesignated F-6A in 1962, 420 built.
  • F4D-2 : Re-engined F4D-1 with the J57-F-14, 100 on order cancelled.
  • F4D-2N : F4D-2 version with extended nose housing twin radar scanners, project only evolved into the F5D Skylancer.
  • YF-6A : XF4D-1 prototypes redesignated in 1962.
  • F-6A : F4D-1 redesignated in 1962.

Operators

USA :

  • US Navy.
  • US Marines.
  • NACA /NASA.

Aircraft on display

  • XF4D-1 :
    • 124587 - U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
  • F4D-1 (F-6A) :
    • 134748 - Pima Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
    • 134764 - Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary's County, Maryland. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
    • 134806 - National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
    • 134836 - New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
    • 134936 - Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Colorado.
    • 134950 - Aviation Heritage Park at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
    • 139177 - Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas F4D Skyray of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (F4D-1)

  • Crew : one.
  • Length : 45 ft 3 in (13.8 m).
  • Height : 13 ft (3.96 m).
  • Wingspan : 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m).
  • Wing area : 557 ft² (52 m²).
  • Wing loading : 41 lb/ft² (198 kg/m²).
  • Empty weight : 16,024 lb (7,268 kg).
  • Loaded weight : 22,648 lb (10,273 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 27,116 lb (12,300 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 722 mph (627 kn, 1,162 km/h).
  • Range : 700 mi (610 nmi, 1,100 km) combat.
  • Ferry range : 1,200 mi (1,040 nmi, 1,900 km).
  • Service ceiling : 55,000 ft (17,000 m).
  • Rate of climb : 18,300 ft/min (93.3 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Pratt & Whitney J57-P-8, −8A or −8B turbojet.
    • Dry thrust : 10,200 lbf (45 kN).
    • Thrust with afterburner : 16,000 lbf (71 kN).
  • Thrust/weight : 0.71.
  • Armament :
    • Guns : Four 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannon, 2 each just aft of the wing leading edge, mid-wing, underside, with 65 rounds/gun.
    • Rockets :
      • Six pods of 7 2.75 in (70 mm) unguided rockets or.
      • Four pods of 19 2.75 in (70 mm) unguided rockets.
    • Missiles : Four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
    • Bombs : Two 2,000 lb (907 kg) bombs.
    • Avionics :
      • APQ-50A radar.
      • Aero 13F fire-control radar.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Douglas F4D Skyray of Wikipedia ( authors )
Douglas F4D Skyray : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).