Prolonged Fireball |
Ryan XF2R-1 "Dark Shark" 1946 The Ryan XF2R Dark Shark was an experimental aircraft built for the United States Navy that combined turboprop and turbojet propulsion. It was based on Ryan's earlier FR Fireball, but replaced the Fireball's piston engine with a General Electric T-31 turboprop engine driving a huge 4-bladed Hamilton propeller. The turboprop made for much improved performance over the Fireball, but the Navy showed little interest in it; by that time, they had abandoned the idea of the combination fighter and were instead looking into all-jet fighters. Modifications to the prototype created the XF2R-2, with the jet intakes moved to the sides of the forward fuselage with NACA ducts instead of the inlets in the wing leading edge used before. Although the Dark Shark proved to be a capable aircraft, it never got further than the prototype stage; all-jet aircraft were considered superior. Crew: 1 Length: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m) Wingspan: 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m) Height: 14 ft 0 in (4.27 m) Wing area: 305 ft² (28.3 m²) Empty weight: lb (kg) Loaded weight: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) Max takeoff weight: lb (kg) Powerplant: 1× >General Electirc J31 turbojet, 1,600 lbf (7.1 kN) 1× General Electric T-31 turboprop, 1,760 hp (1,310 kW) Maximum speed: 497 mph (432 knots, 800 km/h) (at sea level) Range: mi (nm, km) Service ceiling: 39,100 ft (11,900 m) Rate of climb: 4,850 ft/min (24.64 m/s) Wing loading: 36.1 lb/ft² (176 kg/m²) USN 99 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time: approx. 31 hrs. |