XF5F

johnbr · Aug 19, 2018

johnbr · Aug 19, 2018

The Skyrocket took its maiden flight on April 1, 1940, and, in flight tests, it more than lived up to its name, and its light weight and powerful engines gave XF5F a climb rate of 4,000 feet per minute. When pitted against a bevy of contemporary fighters, including the Vought F4U Corsair, in a 10,000-foot climb, the Skyrocket left the Corsair in its wake. One Navy test pilot said, "I pulled away from the Corsair so fast I thought he was having engine trouble." When the competition was completed, only the Supermarine Spitfire came in a distant second. In general, the Skyrocket performed well, though some redesigns were in order, and engine cooling issues persisted. It's top speed of 383 mph, however, proved to be its Achilles heel. Ultimately, the Skyrocket lost out to the more traditional Grumman F4F Wildcat for mass production, in part because of a concern over the availability of spare parts and production difficulties associated with its twin-engine design.
Type: Fighter
Crew: 1, Pilot
Armament: two 23mm Madsen cannons (proposed)
Specifications:
Length: 28' 8.5" (8.7 m)
Height: 11' 4" (3.45 m)
Wingspan: 42' 0" (12.8 m)
Wing area: 303.5 sq. ft (28.19 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 8,107 lb (3677 kg)
Maximum Weight: 10,138 lb (4598 kg)
Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 2
Powerplant: Wright XR-1820-40/42 Cyclone radials
Horsepower: 1200 hp each
Performance:
Range: 1,200 miles (1931 km)
Cruise Speed: 210 mph (337 km/h)
Max Speed: 383 mph (616 km/h)
Ceiling: 33,000 ft (10058 m)