Republic XF-84H

XF-84H Thunderscreech
Type:	Experimental airplane
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Republic Aviation Company
First flight:	July 22, 1955
Number of pieces:	2

The Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech was an experimental fighter aircraft produced by the US aircraft manufacturer Republic . It is a single-seat, all-metal aircraft with a turboprop engine that should reach supersonic speed. Due to the concept of a propeller that worked mostly in the supersonic range, it was one of the noisiest aircraft ever built.

history

The basis for the middle-decker was the Republic F-84 . Republic built 2 prototypes with USAF serial numbers 51-17059 and 51-17060 ; the " Buzz Number " were FS-059 and FS-060 . The first flight of the FS-059 took place on July 22, 1955.

construction

An Allison XT-40-A-1 gas turbine with 4365 kW was used as the engine. An afterburner to increase output to 5391 kW was installed, but never used. The rectangular tips of the three-bladed metal propeller with a diameter of 3.6 m and a constant speed of 3000 rpm reached about Mach 1.18. The thrust was regulated by the adjustable angle of attack.

To keep the horizontal stabilizer free from the vortices of the propeller, it was designed as a T-stabilizer.

A triangular fin was attached to the top of the fuselage behind the cockpit: the so-called “Vortex Gate” by Republic to compensate for the propeller vortices.

The XF-84H was the first aircraft to have a so-called ram air turbine to ensure the supply of electrical and hydraulic energy in the event of an engine failure. This dynamic pressure turbine has often been swung out as a precautionary measure.

use

Prototype 51-17059

The XF-84H was destabilized by the propeller torque corresponding to the propulsion power. In addition, it suffered from the unreliable engine, which also led to failures in other types of aircraft.

The test pilot Henry Beaird carried out eleven flights, ten of which ended in emergency landings; another test pilot flew only once - and refused any further flight. Both test pilots were employed by Republic pilots - Air Force and Navy pilots were not admitted.

Noise development

The XF-84H was most likely the loudest airplane ever built and earned its nicknames "Thunderscreech" and "Mighty Ear Banger". Even on the ground you could hear the aircraft from 40 kilometers away.

Received aircraft

XF-84H in the National Museum of the United States Air Force

FS-059 was taken with only a ten-hour flight out of service and spent many years on a mast at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield in the US state of California . Volunteers from the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing then worked over 3,000 hours on the aircraft to prepare it for display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force from February 1999 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio .

The airframe of the FS-060 was scrapped after the project was discontinued in 1956, but the engine was used again in the Douglas A2D Skyshark program.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	1
length	15.67 m
span	10.18 m
height	4.67 m
Wing area	30.75 m²
Empty mass	8,132 kg
Takeoff mass	12,293 kg
Top speed	837 km / h (not used)
Service ceiling	14,600 m
Range	3200 km
Engine	Allison XT-40a-1 with 5,850 PS (approx. 4,300 kW)

Comparable types

United States 48 United States : McDonnell XF-88B (also with supersonic propeller)
United States 48 United States : Convair XP-81
United States 48 United States : Douglas A2D Skyshark
United States 48 United States : Ryan F2R Dark Shark

Web links

Commons : XF-84H - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

John Heck: Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech, National Museum of the USAF. Silicon Valley Scale Modelers, accessed on August 7, 2016 (English, detailed images of the FS-059 in the museum).

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Republic XF-84H. In: Fact Sheet. National Museum of the US Air Force, November 3, 2015, accessed March 9, 2018 .
^ Allison T40. In: Fact Sheet. National Museum of the US Air Force, November 9, 2015, accessed on August 7, 2016 (English): "unique engine"
↑ Military Aircraft 1956. (PDF) Republic XF-84H. Flight International , June 8, 1956, p. 724 , accessed on August 7, 2016 (English): "vortex gate"
↑ ^a ^b ^c Stephan Wilkinson: ZWRRWWWBRZR. The Smithsonian Institution, July 2003, accessed August 7, 2016 .
^ Dennis R. Jenkins, Tony R. Landis: Experimental & Prototype - US Air Force Jet Fighters . Specialty Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-58007-111-6 , pp. 78 .

[usaf-1] Republic XF-84H. In: Fact Sheet. National Museum of the US Air Force, November 3, 2015, accessed March 9, 2018 .

[NMAF-2] Allison T40. In: Fact Sheet. National Museum of the US Air Force, November 9, 2015, accessed on August 7, 2016 (English): "unique engine"

[Flight_0724-3] Military Aircraft 1956. (PDF) Republic XF-84H. Flight International , June 8, 1956, p. 724 , accessed on August 7, 2016 (English): "vortex gate"

[air-4] Stephan Wilkinson: ZWRRWWWBRZR. The Smithsonian Institution, July 2003, accessed August 7, 2016 .

[LIT1-5] Dennis R. Jenkins, Tony R. Landis: Experimental & Prototype - US Air Force Jet Fighters . Specialty Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-58007-111-6 , pp. 78 .