Dcazz7606
Airman
According to warren Bodies, Thunderbolt, test pilot carl bellinger hit 480 mph at sea level in the 1st XP with the single prop. Both #1 and #2 were equiped with the -13 engine and a 2 stage, variable speed, mechanicle supercharger. This was acheive with military power with no WEP at the time of the tests.
The 2nd with the counter rotating props was being flown by Republic test pilot Ken Jernstedt (AVG) at 32,000 fett when a fire broke out! As he was about to bail the fire went out and he flew it to either bridgeport or Windsor Lockes. He did a dead stick landing and bellied it in. The plane wasn't repaired and was given to The Boy Scouts for training.
In his book Bodie humorously states that 5 minutes after Jernstedts crash a Navy F4U came in for a crash landing as well. The Duty Officer was seen maddly going through the reg. books trying to figure out what to do when an Army and a Navy plane crashed at this feild, both flown by civilian pilots!
Based on the sea level speed of 480 mph and the pre- production versions of both the engine and the supercharging I would like to think that the combat versions of this plane would have been up over 500 mph. In an interview Carl Bellinger stated than No 72 ever went faster than 480 mph so that leaves the XP-47 J the high speed champ at 503 MPH>
The 2nd with the counter rotating props was being flown by Republic test pilot Ken Jernstedt (AVG) at 32,000 fett when a fire broke out! As he was about to bail the fire went out and he flew it to either bridgeport or Windsor Lockes. He did a dead stick landing and bellied it in. The plane wasn't repaired and was given to The Boy Scouts for training.
In his book Bodie humorously states that 5 minutes after Jernstedts crash a Navy F4U came in for a crash landing as well. The Duty Officer was seen maddly going through the reg. books trying to figure out what to do when an Army and a Navy plane crashed at this feild, both flown by civilian pilots!
Based on the sea level speed of 480 mph and the pre- production versions of both the engine and the supercharging I would like to think that the combat versions of this plane would have been up over 500 mph. In an interview Carl Bellinger stated than No 72 ever went faster than 480 mph so that leaves the XP-47 J the high speed champ at 503 MPH>