Convair F2Y
| Convair F2Y Sea Dart | |
|---|---|
 Convair YF2Y-1 in front of the San Diego Aerospace Museum |
|
| Type: | Prototype of a sea-based interceptor |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
January 14, 1953 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests ended in 1957 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
5 |
The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was a jet-powered , sea-based interceptor, of which only five prototypes were made.
history
The Sea Dart was Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation's contribution to the US Navy competition for a new, supersonic fighter aircraft in 1948. Since there were doubts about the operation of supersonic aircraft from aircraft carriers at the time , Convair opted for a seaplane.
In 1951, two XF2Y-1 prototypes of the delta wing aircraft were ordered. The aircraft had two retractable skis for takeoff and landing. As with the first, experiments were also carried out on the second machine (YF2Y-1) with only one central runner, which led to less splashing, but also to reduced stability, so that the original design was returned.
At the start, the skis were fully extended in the resting state when the entire hull was still in the water. At a speed between 15 and 18.5 km / h the tips of the water runners broke through the water surface, after which the pilot immediately used the full afterburner power and brought the skis into the beaching position (as when rolling on firm ground). Due to the now smaller angle of attack to the water level, the hydrodynamic resistance decreased and the aircraft could accelerate further to 93 km / h. Then the skis were fully extended again, accelerated further and the aircraft took off at 230 km / h.
The air inlets of the two Westinghouse turbojet engines equipped with afterburners were located well behind the leading edge of the wing on the upper side of the fuselage in order to minimize the risk of spray and spray water entering. The outlet nozzles were located on both sides of the triangular rudder unit directly above the waterline. The two prototypes were initially equipped with Westinghouse J34- WE-32, as the intended XJ46-WE-02 were not yet available. The Westinghouse J34 had only half the power of the XJ46 engines.
The prototypes were built and tested in San Diego , and on January 14, 1953, the first short flight with the first prototype (US Navy Bureau Number 137634) succeeded in a high-speed test. The official maiden flight took place on April 9th.
During the first attempts it turned out that the machine was underpowered, and there were strong vibrations during take-off and landing despite the shock-absorbing ski racks. However, the problems could be minimized. Because the engines were too weak, the machine could not reach the speed of sound.
Even before the first flight, Convair received an order in August 1952 for initially 12 F2Y-1 series machines, shortly afterwards changed to four pre-series models YF2Y-1 and eight F2Y-1 plus another eight series models, so that a total of 22 Sea Darts should now be produced. The order for the second XF2Y-1 (137635) was canceled in October 1953. On August 3, 1954, the first YF2Y-1 (135762) built broke the sound barrier while descending, making it the fastest seaplane in the world to this day. Nevertheless, their performance fell short of the requirements. The machine broke apart on November 4, 1954 during a demonstration in front of representatives of the Navy in the air, killing the pilot.
This accident, the problems with the engines and the further development of the carrier aircraft led to the program being downgraded to an experimental program and discontinued in 1957. The last two aircraft built never flew.
In 1962, the Sea Dart was given the new designation F-7 in the new designation scheme of the US armed forces , although long decommissioned .
The prototype is now in the Smithsonian Institute for restoration, the three remaining production machines are in the San Diego Aerospace Museum , the Wings of Freedom Air and Space Museum in Willow Grove , Pennsylvania , and at the airport in Lakeland , Florida .
Technical specifications
- Length: 16 m
- Span: 10.26 m
- Height: 4.9 m, with extended runners 6.32 m
- Wing area: 52.30 m²
- Empty weight: 5,739 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight: 7,495 kg
- Engines: 2 × Westinghouse J46-WE-2 with 53 kN thrust
- Top speed: 1,118 km / h at an altitude of 2,440 m
- Range: 826 km
- Service ceiling: 16,705 m
- Climb rate: 87 m / s at sea level
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Donald: Convair F2Y Sea Dart Supersonic Seaplane (Pioneers & Prototypes) . In: International Air Power Review Vol. 12, 2004, pp. 170 f.