The first landing of a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier happened by accident

12

Historians aviation (and not only aviation), both ours and foreign ones, often dig up something interesting, unknown to the general public. And now someone Thomas Newdick wrote in TheDrive magazine:

Almost 75 years ago (article written in 2020), a US Navy pilot was the first to land a jet-powered aircraft on an aircraft carrier, when this should not have happened. That pilot was Ensign JC "Jake" West, now little known. Also little known is the aircraft he flew, the curious and strange Ryan FR-1 Fireball, which had both a jet and a piston engine.



The Fireball was a real curiosity with its radial piston plus turbojet engine hidden in the rear fuselage. The unusual design was the result of the limitations of the technology at the time. Although the turbojet was trusted for high-speed "acceleration", it was considered insufficiently mature and consumed too much fuel for long cruise flight.


The critical conditions of landings on an aircraft carrier required a reliable engine that could be trusted. In addition, the first jet engines were considered insufficiently responsive for a "bolter" - this is when the plane could not catch on the brake cable and was forced to turn on full throttle and take off again for the next attempt.

So Ensign West on November 6, 1945 had to learn about the importance of this twin-engine insurance policy. At the time, he was assigned to the US Navy's 41st Fighter Squadron (VF-41), the "Firebirds," which only began flying Fireballs last month. The squadron's first mission was to train with the new aircraft aboard the escort aircraft carrier USS Wake Island (CVE 65). Testing began just a day before West's impromptu landing.

On November 6, West was performing a routine landing on an aircraft carrier when his Fireball suffered an engine failure. Moreover, he lost not a turbojet General Electric J31 - it was already turned off, which was standard landing procedure - but a reliable and undoubted piston Wright R1820-72W Cyclone.

When the propeller in front of him became a mill wheel, producing no thrust but only drag, West feathered it to stop it spinning. Now he had to make a quick decision: land the FR-1 on the water, jump out (there was no ejection seat), or try to start the jet engine. He chose the last of these options and began the launch procedure, which took about 30 seconds.

The jet engine roared, West climbed, declared an emergency and managed to carefully adjust the thrust, getting enough power for a successful landing. While he was making sure he was on the correct approach path, the landing crew on deck set up an emergency stop net. The landing hook, however, caught the last cable before the plane crashed into the barrier. Thus, West managed to "land" aboard the USS Wake Island only on jet propulsion.


The fact that the FR-1 was a hybrid aircraft—or so it was supposed to be—means that West's debut landing on a jet-powered aircraft carrier is often forgotten. On top of that, just a month after West's landing, Lieutenant Commander Eric “Winkle' Brown successfully landed a de Havilland Vampire fighter on the deck of the USS Royal fleet HMS Ocean - and this time it was planned.

Eric 'Winkle' Brown 1st Sea Vampire Deck Landing 03 Dec 1945 HMS Ocean

Other accounts of West's landing, including one by naval historian Norman Polmar, suggest that the Wright Cyclone still put out at least some power during the landing, although this would not have been possible with the propeller in the feathered position.

In a blog post, naval aviation historian Matt Willis is also skeptical about whether West returned to the carrier using only the turbine. He points to statements in the de Havilland fighter book, which again refer to Norman Polmar, about "residual piston engine power". The same book states that the Fireball would hardly have landed on deck "with engine stalled, propeller feathered, landing gear extended and flaps extended" on jet power alone.

Willis points out that the J30's 31-second launch procedure is too long for the aircraft to remain airborne after the piston engine has been shut down. However, other sources explicitly state that since West feathered his propeller, this left him no choice but to rely on the jet engine to return to the carrier.

Be that as it may, West's landing was a significant achievement and the result of a cold-blooded assessment of the situation, decision-making and good flying skills.
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12 comments
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  1. +5
    17 August 2022 05: 12
    feathered the screw to stop the rotation


    what the hell? feathering is not done to stop the rotation of the propeller, but to minimize the air resistance created by the propeller when the engine stops.
    1. +8
      17 August 2022 05: 27
      Anyway, well done pilot!
    2. +3
      17 August 2022 07: 30
      Quote: Nexcom
      feathered the screw to stop the rotation


      what the hell? feathering is not done to stop the rotation of the propeller, but to minimize the air resistance created by the propeller when the engine stops.

      And for this, you just need to feather the screw
  2. +9
    17 August 2022 06: 11
    The combined drive is an exotic thing, although in the USSR at about the same time there were similar Su-5s and MiG-13s. True, if the piston engine failed, they would not be able to continue flying on jet propulsion, since the jet engine compressor was driven by a piston engine.
  3. +4
    17 August 2022 07: 07
    Quote: Nagan
    jet engine compressor drive was from a piston engine

    The compressor is located on the same shaft as the turbine, therefore, the rotation of the compressor is due to the turbine. But the initial launch of the jet engine, probably, is carried out due to the piston engine. Weird design...
    1. +1
      1 October 2022 16: 48
      The compressor is located on the same shaft as the turbine,

      This type of engine was called a motor-compressor. There was no turbine - it was not needed. The axial compressor was driven from the "piston", then the combustion chamber and nozzle. Just like afterburner in the pipe behind the turbine in the post-war turbojet engines.
      Here is the I-250 (MiG-13)
      1. 0
        1 October 2022 17: 33
        The axial compressor was driven from the "piston", then the combustion chamber and nozzle

        What then is the point in "spewing" thrust, if everything is extinguished by the propeller? What for then generally the screw is necessary? I will definitely read about this miracle, now there is no time ...
        P.S. I am an engineer, but I have never heard of such a thing. Or maybe I forgot or slept at the lecture ... wink Thanks for the tip
  4. +1
    17 August 2022 09: 11
    The American pilots were then not bad, they had a serious enemy.
    True, after 10, having collided with our aces in the sky of Korea, they merged to the fullest. And one of the main conclusions of that war for the Americans was the following: a massive air invasion of the airspace of the Soviet Union under the cover of fighters to carry out the Dropshot plan or the like is doomed to complete failure - very little will reach the targets of nuclear bombardment.
    1. +6
      17 August 2022 10: 43
      Quote: faterdom
      And one of the main conclusions of that war for the Americans was the following: a massive air invasion of the airspace of the Soviet Union under the cover of fighters to carry out the Dropshot plan or the like is doomed to complete failure - very little will reach the targets of nuclear bombardment.

      Fortunately, the Yankees were not aware of the results of the Soviet air defense exercises in the early 50s, when the Moscow zone managed to freely let an entire Tu-4 division deep into the country.
      Yes, and Korea is the old B-50. It is not known how Soviet air defense would have intercepted the B-36. But what problems the same air defense caused the B-47 is well known. And on the way was aerial symbol of american aggressive imperialism - "half and a half".
    2. -1
      17 August 2022 12: 37
      The Dropshot plan was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on December 19, 1949. Before the Korean War, there were still 3,5 years
      1. +4
        17 August 2022 13: 15
        There were not one or two such plans.
        And yet, the Korean War showed the Americans that it was unrealizable in practice by air bombing.
        But there were already ballistic missiles on the way
  5. 0
    12 November 2022 06: 58
    Thanks to the author, informative. West acted professionally

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