I am sad to say that this is Hal Andrew’s last article. Hal passed away on 15 May while traveling to the National Air and Space Museum to volunteer his time to his love — Aviation. He has been a contributor to The Hook since its beginning, and his sage advice on Naval Aviation will be missed. Hal would be pleased with the last issue because we fooled a few people who were not looking closely at the front fuselage and leading edge of the wing.
The mystery airplane is the Ryan XFR-4. The photo shows Ryan test pilot Al Conover at the controls of the XFR-4 in 1946. The XFR-4, delivered in July 1945, was one of the efforts by Ryan Aeronautical Co. to improve its composite-powered FR-1 Fireball, which was powered by a Wright Cyclone R-1820-72W engine in the nose and a 1,600-lb. thrust General Electric I-16 turbojet in rear. The Navy cancelled the FR-1 program on V-J Day after Ryan had built 66 aircraft. Ryan modified FR-1, BuNo 39665, with an enlarged exhaust nozzle opening and an eight-inch extension to the rear fuselage to accommodate a larger and more powerful Westinghouse J34 turbojet engine that developed 4,200-lbs of thrust. The jet intakes in the wings were removed and NACA-type flush fuselage intakes were installed after wind tunnel testing was done at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The intakes were equipped with electrically operated sliding doors that closed when the jet was not in operation. This decreased the drag caused by the windmilling jet engine. Each flush entry also had streamlined “eyebrows” to distribute the boundary layer air and a “lip” to collect the air for the duct system.
The XFR-4 acted as the prototype for the Westinghouse J34 jet engine and fuselage flush air duct installation used on two XF2R-1 Darkshark aircraft, which had a GE TG-100 turboprop in front. These were delivered to the Air Force for evaluation before the project was cancelled.
The XFR-4 exhibited sensational rate of climb and proved to be 100 mph faster than a standard FR-1, putting it into the 500-mph class, during test flights. Only one was built, and the sole XFR-4 was stricken in October 1947.
The spring issue’s winner is William G. Schultz of Williamsburg, Va., who will receive a one-year subscription to The Hook and a Tailhook coffee mug. The new mystery aircraft is an oldie and will hopefully challenge the observer corps. We need the manufacturer and correct designation of the aircraft at the time of the photograph. Send your entry by mail (9696 Businesspark Ave., San Diego, CA 92131) or e-mail (thookassn@aol.com) before 1 September. Please, no phone calls.
Oh, yeah. Only one entry per contestant, please.
Either e-mail your
guess to thookassn@aol.com
or send it to:
"What is it?"
The Hook Magazine
9696 Businesspark Ave.
San Diego, CA 92131-1643