Douglas F4D Skyray

In 47, a U.S. Navy requirement called for a carrier-borne fleet protection fighter able to intercept enemy aircraft at an altitude of 50,000 feet within five minutes of detection, an ambitious goal only two years after World War II. Edward Henry "Ed" Heinemann and his team at Douglas Aircraft Company refined the design theories of German aerodynamicist Alexander Lippisch and created the record-breaking Douglas F4D Skyray. The aircraft had a wide delta wing with sharply swept wings and rounded tips, thick wing roots enclosing the air intakes for a single J-57 turbojet engine and afterburner, fuel carried in both wings and fuselage, and external wing tanks for additional fuel. Although it lacked built-in in-flight refueling capability, a special drop tank incorporating the probe receiving valve was developed and tested on carriers including Intrepid. Leading edge slats increased lift for takeoff and landing, while trailing edge elevons controlled pitch and roll. The Skyray entered service with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1956, proved fast and supersonic in level flight, and set many speed and time-to-climb records, but its inefficiency as a ground-attack platform led to a brief service career, and all Skyrays were retired from active service by 1964. This F4D Skyray served in VF-162 and deployed on Intrepid from June 1961 to March 1962, taking part in NATO exercises with Carrier Air Wing Six.

New York, New York · United States