Douglas F5D Skylancer

F5D Skylancer

Douglas F5D Skylancer prototype in use by NASA for Dyna-Soar abort training
Role	Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight	21 April 1956
Primary user	United States Navy
Number built	4
Developed from	Douglas F4D Skyray

The Douglas F5D Skylancer was a development of the F4D Skyray jet fighter for the United States Navy. Starting out as the F4D-2N, an all-weather version of the Skyray, the design was soon modified to take full advantage of the extra thrust of the Pratt & Whitney J57 eventually fitted to the Skyray instead of the Westinghouse J40 originally planned.

Design and development

Soon the design became too different from the Skyray to be considered just a variation of it, and the aircraft was assigned a new designation as the F5D Skylancer. Almost every part of the airframe was modified, though the basic form remained the same as did the wing shape, though it became much thinner. The wing skinning was reinforced, correcting a problem found in the F4D. The fuselage was 8 ft (2.4 m) longer and area ruled to reduce transonic drag, being thinner in the region of the wing roots. Everything was shaped to reduce drag and increase stability at high speed.

Although the four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon in the wing roots were retained, primary armament was to be missiles or rockets; four AIM-9 Sidewinders or two AIM-7 Sparrows, and/or a battery of spin-stabilized unguided 2 in (51 mm) rockets.

Nine test airframes were ordered, with a 51-aircraft production order to follow. Production aircraft were to be powered by the more powerful J57-P-14 engine, while there were plans to use the even more powerful General Electric J79.

Operational history

The first flight was on 21 April 1956 and was supersonic; the aircraft proved easy to handle and performed well. After four aircraft had been constructed, however, the Navy cancelled its order. The stated reason was that the aircraft was too similar to the already-ordered Vought F8U Crusader, but it is believed by some historians that politics played as big a part; Douglas was already building a very large proportion of the Navy's planes, and giving them the F5D contract would have made it even closer to monopoly.^[1] The project test pilot was Lt. Cmdr Alan B. Shepard Jr. whose report stated that it was not needed by the Navy.

Neil Armstrong's Skylancer, on display at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum.

NASA use

The four aircraft continued to fly in various military test programs. Two were grounded in 1961, but the other two: F5D-1 (Bu. No. 139208) NASA 212, later becoming NASA 708 and F5D-1 (Bu. No. 142350) NASA 213, later becoming NASA 802 continued to fly. Transferred to NASA in the early 1960s, one was used as a testbed for the American supersonic transport program, fitted with an ogival wing platform (the type eventually used on Concorde; data from the program was shared with the European designers). This aircraft was retired in 1968. NASA 802 was used for simulation of abort procedures for the X-20 Dyna-Soar, because it had a very similar shape and handling characteristics. Following the DynaSoar cancellation, it was used as a chase plane and for various other programs until it was retired in 1970.^[2]

Survivors

BuNo 139208 (NASA 708) still in NASA markings was part of Merle Maine's private collection in Ontario, Oregon until 2014.^[2]^[3]^[4] The aircraft currently resides at Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
BuNo 142350 (NASA 802) still exists at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum at Wapakoneta, Ohio, since Neil Armstrong flew the aircraft during the Dyna-Soar research program.^[5]

Specifications (F5D)

Data from The American Fighter ^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 53 ft 9¾ in (16.40 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Height: 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m)
Wing area: 557 ft² (51.7 m²)
Empty weight: 17,444 lb (7,912 kg)
Loaded weight: 24,445 lb (11,088 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,072 lb (12,733 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney J57-P-8 turbojet
- Dry thrust: 10,200 lbf (45 kN)
- Thrust with afterburner: 16,000 lbf (71 kN)

Performance

Maximum speed: 990 mph (860 kn, 1,590 km/h, Mach 1.48)
Range: 1,335 mi (1,160 nmi, 2,148 km)
Service ceiling: 57,500 ft (17,500 m)
Rate of climb: 20,730 ft/min (105.3 m/s)
Wing loading: 43.9 lb/ft² (214 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.65

Armament

Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon
Rockets: 72 × 2 in (51 mm) rockets
Missiles:
- 4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder or
- 2 × AIM-7B Sparrow

Avionics

X-24A radar

References

Notes

↑ Gunston 1981, p. 73.
1 2 "F5D-1 Skylancer". Dryden Flight Research Center. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
↑ Pizza, Katie (September 11, 2008). "Air Faire fun". Argus Observer. Ontario, OR. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
↑ "Merle Maine's Warbirds". Ontario Air Faire. 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
↑ http://www.armstrongmuseum.org/what-see
↑ Angelluci 1987, p. 191.

Bibliography

Angelucci, Enzo. The American Fighter. Sparkford, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1987. ISBN 0-85429-635-2.
Ginter, Steve. Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer (Naval Fighters No. 35). Simi Valley, California: Ginter Books, 1996. ISBN 0-942612-35-3.
Gunston, Bill. Fighters of the Fifties. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1981. ISBN 0-85059-463-4.
Winchester, Jim, ed. "Douglas F4D Skyray." Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books plc, 2006. ISBN 1-84013-929-3.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas F5D Skylancer.

Douglas military aircraft

Fighters	XFD XP-48 P-70 F3D Skyknight F4D Skyray F5D Skylancer XF6D Missileer

Ground attack	XA-2 A-20 A-24 A-26 A-33 A-1 Skyraider A-3 Skywarrior A-4 Skyhawk/A-4AR/A-4SU AC-47 DT T2D XT3D TBD Devastator SBD Dauntless BD XBTD XTB2D AD XA2D A3D A4D

Bombers	YB-7 YB-11 B-18 XB-19 XB-22 B-23 B-26 XB-31 XB-42 XB-43 B-66 DB-1 DB-2 DB-7 DB-8 DB-19 DB-73 Boston I/II/III/IV/V Digby I Havoc I/II DXD1

Observation	O-2 OD O2D O-31 O-35 O-38 O-43 YO-44 O-46 O-53 YOA-5

Patrol	PD P2D P3D

Reconnaissance	F-3

Transports	C-1 C-21 C-32 C-33 YC-34 C-38 C-39 C-41 C-41A C-42 C-47 C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-58 UC-67 C-68 C-74 C-84 C-110 XC-112/YC-112 XC-114 YC-116 C-117 C-118 C-124 YC-129 C-133 C-9 C-24 RD R2D R3D R4D (R4D-2 & R4D-4) R5D JD R6D CC-129 Dakota I/III/IV Dakota II LXD1 PD.808 Skymaster I

Gliders	XCG-17

Training aircraft	BT-1 BT-2 XT-30

Experimental	DWC D-558-1 D-558-2 X-3

United States Navy fighter designations pre-1962

General Aviation Brewster	FA FA² F2A F3A

Boeing	FB F2B F3B F4B F5B F6B F7B F8B

Curtiss	CF F2C F3C F4C F5C¹ F6C F7C F8C F9C F10C F11C F12C F13C F14C F15C

Douglas McDonnell	XFD F2D² F3D F4D F5D F6D FD F2D to "H"

Grumman	FF F2F F3F F4F F5F F6F F7F F8F F9F-1 to -5 F9F-6 to -8 F10F F11F F12F

Eberhart Goodyear	FG F2G FG F2G

Hall McDonnell	FH FH F2H F3H F4H

Berliner-Joyce North American	FJ F2J F3J FJ-1 FJ-2/3 FJ-4

Loening Bell	FL FL YF2L-1 F2L-1K F3L

General Motors	FM F2M F3M

Naval Aircraft Factory	FN

Lockheed	FO (I) FO (II)

Ryan	FR F2R F3R

Supermarine	FS

Northrop	FT F2T

Vought	FU F2U F3U F4U F5U F6U F7U F8U F8U-3

Lockheed	FV

Wright CC&F	WP F2W F3W FW² F2W² F3W² F4W

Convair	FY F2Y

¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to a different manufacturer's type See also: Aeromarine AS • Vought VE-7

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