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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0139.PDF
FLIGHT, 30 January 1953 A Sabre "ripples" its Sin rocket projectiles over a U.S.A.F. firing range. SABRE . . . Lest it should be imagined that the Sabre has always been a paragon, unblemished by affliction, it must be recorded that not only was it heir to the ills of most prototypes, but it soon showed symptoms of altogether new complaints. To some extent these troubles stemmed from the new axial power plant: thus, the rate of climb and altitude performance of early F-86As were, to say the least, suspect, while the short life of the turbojet—initially only 7I hr between inspections—did nothing to enhance the new fighter's reputation. In its ability to attain supersonic speed in the dive, however, the Sabre remained unique among military aircraft for a long period, though today the distinction is shared with several American, at least two British, one Canadian and one French fighter. It was during 1948 that reports of supersonic dives over Cali fornia, with their noisy and allegedly destructive consequences, began to circulate. Though the fact was kept secret for many months—and is still not widely known—it was W/C. R. P. Beamont, chief test pilot to the English Electric Company, who, flying a Sabre, became the first Englishman to achieve Mach I (or thereabouts). We have asked him to give us some impressions of this flight, which he made in May, 1948, at Muroc. The aircraft was the second prototype XP-86. "As far as super- sonics are concerned," W/C. Beamont writes, "I was able to obtain the necessary experience during some dives to indicated Mach numbers of well over 1. Subsequent research in this country has A Sabre replenishes its tanks in the air by means of a Boeing "flying boom" lowered from a KB-29F Superfortress tanker. 137 revealed the A.S.I, system of the production aircraft to be subject to quite considerable position error at high Mach numbers, and it is therefore by no means certain that the speed of sound was actually exceeded during that early flight of mine. It was, however, obviously transonic, if not actually supersonic, and did serve to demonstrate the remarkably docile control characteristics of the aircraft in compressibility. The marked changes in pitching moment hitherto associated with flight at Mach numbers above 0.8 were not present, and although small changes were detected— both in pitch and, as the speed of sound was approached, in roll— these involved only very small control forces to hold, or trim adjustments to trim out. "I think that perhaps the most outstanding impression that the« first flight made was that here was an aeroplane which had fighter manoeuvrability up to well in excess of M=o.9, and that it was therefore a machine with a very considerable margin of manoeuvra bility and smooth controllability above any known fighters of the time, either in service or under development. That impression was formed in 1948, and my last flight in a Sabre, made last year, confirmed those first impressions, although it is now a relief to know that at last there are superior prototypes under development. "Basically the Sabre is one of the most straightforward, pleasant, and obviously efficient fighter aeroplanes that has yet occurred, and is one of the few fast aeroplanes which I have come across with which it is possible to read the Pilot's Notes and then go flying without having to keep constantly in mind some particular, if only minor, vice." The resounding success of the F-86 in Korea (notwithstanding its slight inferiority to the Mig-15 in high-altitude performance) is now everyday talk; but its genesis is still somewhat obscure, and our description may usefully be prefaced with a note on Sabre variants. The Sabre Family.—The two flying prototypes, as we have said, were designated XP-86, and though at first they were powered with (Above) XP-86 prototype. (Below) A YF-93A, powered by a Pratt and Whitney-built Rolls-Royce Toy development with afterburner. Allison J-35S, these were later changed for the General Electric J-47S. The initial production model was the F-86A, the first of which flew<on May 20th, 1948, and the last of which came off the line in October, 1950. Two machines of this type were banded over to the Central Fighter Establishment of the Royal Air Force during 1950. One "A" airframe has been fitted with an Avro Canada Orenda turbojet, but the standard power plant is the J-47. The F-86D, present holder of the world speed record, differs very considerably both in equipment and appearance. The most notable superficial change is the installation of a prominent bullet- shaped radar housing in the nose, and the repositioning of the air intake duct, shark's-mouth fashion, below. The turbojet is a General Electric J-47-GE-17, fitted with an afterburner, and the cockpit canopy is of "clamshell" type, hinged at its rear end. No guns are fitted, but there is a retractable rocket launcher in the belly of the fuselage for a battery of R.P.s. The subject of our description, the F-86E, superficially re sembles the "A," but is characterized by a new "all-flying" tail, in which the tailplane and elevators are linked for co-ordinated movement. This feature gives the Sabre better longitudinal con trol and eliminates the loss in effectiveness of the surfaces due to
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