Grumman F-11 Tiger

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman. For a time, it held the world altitude record of , as well as being the first supersonic fighter to be produced by Grumman. The design team opted to implement the area rule along with several other advances into the project, which was internally designated G-98. Design objectives included the minimisation of the aircraft's size. By the time that the design process was concluded during 1953, it had become a complete departure from the Cougar, bearing little more than a vague resemblance to the preceding aircraft.

It features a new wing equipped with both full-span leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps with roll control being achieved using spoilers rather than traditional ailerons. For storage on aircraft carriers, these wings could be manually folded downwards. Anticipating supersonic performance, the tailplane was all-moving. The aircraft was designed to be powered by the Wright J65 turbojet, a license-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire.

The design's potential for supersonic performance and reduced transonic drag drew the attention of several officials, including those within the United States Navy. During early 1953, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics decided to commit itself to the project's full development, placing an initial order for two prototypes, which were designated XF9F-8 (even though the new fighter was clearly a new design). To add to the confusion, the prototypes were then redesignated XF9F-9 while the XF9F-8 designation was assigned to a different, more straightforward, derivative of the Cougar.

Flight testing

Since the afterburning version of the J65 was not ready, the first prototype made its maiden flight on 30 July 1954 powered by a non-afterburning engine. In spite of this, the aircraft nearly reached Mach 1 during this first flight. The second prototype, equipped with the afterburning engine, became the second supersonic U.S. Navy aircraft, the first being the Douglas F4D Skyray. During April 1955, the aircraft received the new designation F11F-1 (F-11A after adoption of the unified Tri-Service naming system in 1962). On 4 April 1956, carrier trials started when an F11F-1 Tiger landed on and launched from .

The Tiger gained the dubious distinction of being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September 1956, during a test-firing of its 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive. As the trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling the aircraft and forcing Attridge to crash-land the aircraft; he survived with a broken leg and multiple broken vertebrae.

Grumman proposed several models of the Tiger, beyond the F-11A (F11F-1) fighter, including aerial reconnaissance and dedicated trainer versions. The more advanced version of the airframe to be proposed by the company was the F11F-1F Super Tiger. It was the result of a 1955 study to install the new General Electric J79 engine into the F11F-1 airframe. When evaluated by Switzerland for a potential procurement, it was assessed as having exceeded all competing aircraft in terms of overall technical performance. Grumman also proposed to produce a variant powered by the proven, and even more powerful, Rolls-Royce Avon engine in place of the J79.

Operational history

thumb|F11F-1 of VF-21 landing on in 1957

thumb|F-11A Tiger advanced trainer of VT-26 Squadron wearing the distinctive color scheme used by that variant

Seven U.S. Navy squadrons flew the Tiger, these included VF-21 and VF-33 in the Atlantic Fleet and VA-156 (redesignated VF-111 in January 1959), VF-24 (redesignated VF-211 in March 1959), VF-51, VF-121, and VF-191 in the Pacific Fleet. The aircraft was operated from the carriers , , , , , Forrestal, , and Independence. The F11F's career as a frontline fighter lasted only four years, largely as a result of its performance being inferior to the competing and considerably faster Vought F-8 Crusader; further factors included the unreliability of its J65 powerplant, The Navy opted to cancel its orders for the F11F-1P reconnaissance version, thus only 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) fighters were ever built.

By 1961, the Tiger had been permanently withdrawn from carrier operations. Nevertheless, it continued to be operated by the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville, through to the late 1960s. Typically, students performed advanced jet training in the TF-9J Cougar and upon completing that syllabus, were given a brief taste of supersonic capability with the F-11 before transitioning to active fleet fighters.

Variants

thumb|VF-33 Tigers from USS Intrepid in 1959

;F9F-9

: Original designation.

;F11F-1F Super Tiger (G-98J)

: F11F-1 fitted with the J79-GE-3A engine, two built.

;F11F-1T

: Proposed tandem-seat trainer variant; unbuilt.

Operators

thumb|The [[Blue Angels flew the F11F from 1957 to 1969.]]

;

United States Navy
VF-21, Atlantic Fleet
VF-24, Pacific Fleet
VF-33, Atlantic Fleet
VF-51, Pacific Fleet
VF-121, Pacific Fleet
VA-156, Pacific Fleet
VF-191, Pacific Fleet
ATU-203 (redesignated VT-23)
ATU-223 (redesignated VT-26)
Blue Angels (1957–1969)

Aircraft on display

;F11F-1

thumb|Former Blue Angels F-11 Tiger at the [[Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona]]

thumb|F11F on display at the [[Air Zoo]]

thumb|Grumman Tiger on display at the Aviation Historical Park in [[NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach]]

138608 - California Science Center in Los Angeles, California. Previously displayed at Admiral Farragut Academy, St. Petersburg, Florida.
138619 – Stricklands Surplus in Wilmington, North Carolina.
138645 – NAF El Centro in Imperial County, California.
141735 – Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
141783 – MAPS Air Museum in Canton, Ohio.
141790 – Grissom Air Museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru, Indiana.
141802 – Lawson Creek Park in New Bern, North Carolina.
141803 – Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport in Reserve, Louisiana.
141811 – Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas.
141824 – Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
141828 – National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
141832 – Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York.
141851 – NAES Lakehurst, New Jersey.
141853 – Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, Colorado.
141859 – Veteran's Memorial Park in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
141864 – NAS Oceana Aviation Historical Park, Virginia.
141868 – Planes of Fame Air Museum in Valle, Arizona.
141872 – Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
141882 – Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, Florida.
141869 – Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tennessee.

Specifications (F11F-1/F-11A)

frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Grumman F-11F-1 Tiger

thumb|F11F-1 of the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida]]

References

Citations

Bibliography

NAVAIR 00-110AF11-1: Standard Aircraft Characteristics, Navy Model F-11A Aircraft. Pax River, Maryland: Naval Air Systems, United States Navy Command.

External links

USNavy BuNo. 141811 on display at Combat Air Museum
Artifacts from Blue Angels F-11 crash found fifty years later
US Navy Standard Aircraft Characteristics pamphlet for F-11A (F11F-1) Tiger