F9F-5 PANTHER/USN(9005)

Grumman F9F Panther       USA

Type:carrier-based jet-engined fighter-bomber and photo-recce aircraft

Accommodation:pilot

As Grumman’s first jet fighter.the F9F was originally designed to be powered by four small axial-flow Westinghouse 19XB(J30)engines identical to those slated for fitment into the AF-2’s predecessor. The XTB3F-1.However.the US Navy had been monitoring the performance of the Rolls-Royce Nene being developed in Britain.and duly had two examples shipped to the Naval Air center in philadelphia for bench testing.The engine’s performance was so revelatory that it was soon placed in licence-production by pratt Œ whitney as the J42.The first prototype XF9F-1 Panther made use of one of the

British’imports’to complete its flight trials in 1947-48.A conventional design with straight wings and excellent low speed handling for carrier operations.the first of 567 F9F-2s reached the fleet in May1949.The first carrier-based jet to see action over Korea on 6 August 1950.the panther went onto perform almost half the attack missions flown during the conflict by US Navy/Marine Corps units.The later-5 introduced a longer fuselage taller tail and more powerful J48 turbojet.and went some way to improving the panther’s lack of straightline speed although this problem was not totally addressed until the advent of the swept-wing F9F-6 Cougar in late 1951.The original straight-wing Panther was also a popular photo-recce platform.with about 100 of the 761 F9F-5s built converted into-5ps.The panther

disappeared from the fleet in the late 1950s.although the Cougar was to see another decade of service.

Specification:

Dimensions:

Length:37 ft 3 in (11.4 m)

Wingspan:38 ft o in (11.58 m) excluding tip tanks

Height:11 ft 4 in (3.47 m)

Weights:

Empty:11,000 lb (4990 kg)

Max T/O:19 494 lb (8840kg)

Performance:

Max speed:526 mph (849 kmh)

Range:1353 miles (2164 km) with external fuel

Powerplant:pratt Œ whitney J42-2 or –6 turbojet engine

Output:5000 lb st (22.26 Kn)

First Flight Date:24 November 1947

Surviving Airworthy Variant(s):

F9F-2B and F9F-3

Right:Created out of two F9F-2 hulks between 1979-83 by Jack Levine and William Pryor in pontiac.Michigan.this F9F-2(BuNo 123072)won the Warbird Grand Champion prize at oshkosh in 1984.painted up in the VF-112 scheme  it wore during a Korean war tour.the aircraft was bought by present owner Arthur wolk in October 1985 following the death of Levine in a P-51D crash.One other F9F-2B(BuNo 123078) also remains airworthy in the USA.owned by the cavanaugh Flight Museum.

WING SPAN: 15 3/4 " (40CM)