North American FJ-2 Fury

[MVW]

Hello,

in addition to my post from October 27th, where I wrote the windshield of the kit being about 1mm too short I dug deeper into my references which I’d like to share:

Beside being too short and therefore too steep in its angle, the windshield of the kit doesn’t have the right shape at its base. Below are some illustrations from the FJ-3 maintenance handbook which are the same for the FJ-2.

According to Sabrejet’s station diagram, the windshield starts at station 45 (inches), its glazing starts at station 53 (inches) and the windshield ends at 81.296 (inches). The metal part/cover between stations 45 and 53 also includes some air ducts (see the bulge visible under the letter A in Fig 2-22). In some pictures of the aircraft, this bulge distorts the real shape of this detail.

Martin

[72modeler]

On ‎10‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 7:46 AM, Gene K said:

 

That is hard to understand ... you'd think they'd have learned. Hopefully the fix(s), if needed, aren't back breakers since so many of us have been anticipating new Furies for a loooong time!!! 

 

Does anyone here know how the Falcon conversion measures out relative to the references being used here for the  Sword kits?? I know Tommy considered it the best fuselage available (in its time).

 

Gene K

I have the Falcon triple conversion and the FJ-2 fuselage scales out to be pretty much on the money in length and the upper nose contour from the base of the windscreen to the intake has the correct downward curvature- much better than on the kit! (I think I posted this on one of the other FJ-2/3 topics, but don't remember offhand.)

Mike

[jpk]

On ‎10‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 3:25 PM, Sabrejet said:

The XFJ-2s were basically the same, with no armament and based on the F-86F (the single XFJ-2B was based on the F-86E). The carrier-test XFJ-2s incorporated the barrier guards (upper and lower), catapult attachment, hold-back, bumper and arrester hook. Neither had folding wings however. Two were built, with BuAer Numbers 133754 and 133755. They were also ordered on 8th March 1951 under Contract NOa(s)51-756, but were given NAA type number NA-179.

 

BuAer No. 133754 first flew on 19th February 1952. Note below the drop tanks with no end plates to the aft horizontal fins and also the wingtip camera fairings in two of the photos.

 

 

 

 

The second XFJ-2 had a short life: it crashed in July 1952 en route from Patuxent River to NAA's Columbus plant: Lt Horatio Gates ‘Bud’ Sickel, assistant director of the USN Test Pilots School was killed in the accident.

 

 

 

One other thing: the 'XFJ-2' displayed at Pensacola as '133755' is not a genuine XFJ-2: it is a production FJ-2, BuAer No. 132023:

 

 

Production FJ-2 to follow. Note that if you are building an XFJ-2 or XFJ-2B, you need to start with an F-86E or F kit because the production FJ-2 is a completely different airframe shape.

I have embarked on a kit bash to make a XFJ-2, airframe #754.  Since I already had the ESCI Fury as well as the Monogram F-86 I thought combining these two would be good to create 754. I suppose 756 would have been easier but it didn't have the navalized gear of the other two pre production test airframes.  I have already removed the main gear section from the ESCI wing and installed it on the MGM wing. I have filled in the ammo bay covers as well as the gun troughs, 754 did not have them. I'm using the ESCI windscreen, cut down to fit with the MGM canopy. For the nose landing gear I will be reconfiguring the well on the MGM kit and install a Grand Phoenix -4 resin nose gear well also using the metal strut. I've also cut out the leading edge slats from the ESCI wings and trying to figure out how to maybe install them on the MGM wing. Still need to work on arresting gear and barrier guard.

[Killingholme]

Just out of interest, has anyone ever done decals for the various flavours of XF-2s in 1/72??

 

Will

[XFJ-2Flyboy]

On 10/7/2017 at 3:25 PM, Sabrejet said:

The XFJ-2s were basically the same, with no armament and based on the F-86F (the single XFJ-2B was based on the F-86E). The carrier-test XFJ-2s incorporated the barrier guards (upper and lower), catapult attachment, hold-back, bumper and arrester hook. Neither had folding wings however. Two were built, with BuAer Numbers 133754 and 133755. They were also ordered on 8th March 1951 under Contract NOa(s)51-756, but were given NAA type number NA-179.

 

BuAer No. 133754 first flew on 19th February 1952. Note below the drop tanks with no end plates to the aft horizontal fins and also the wingtip camera fairings in two of the photos.

 

 

 

 

The second XFJ-2 had a short life: it crashed in July 1952 en route from Patuxent River to NAA's Columbus plant: Lt Horatio Gates ‘Bud’ Sickel, assistant director of the USN Test Pilots School was killed in the accident.

 

 

 

One other thing: the 'XFJ-2' displayed at Pensacola as '133755' is not a genuine XFJ-2: it is a production FJ-2, BuAer No. 132023:

 

 

Production FJ-2 to follow. Note that if you are building an XFJ-2 or XFJ-2B, you need to start with an F-86E or F kit because the production FJ-2 is a completely different airframe shape.

As a minor note there is some misinformation about XFJ-2 133755 on the web.  LCDR Sickel was killed in an FJ-3 crash in July 1956.  Though his name appeared on 133755 he was not flying it when it crashed on November 24, 1953.  A young LTJG had been instructed to fly it no longer than 30 minutes due to a faulty fuel gauge.  He proceeded to fly beyond 30 minutes, ran out of fuel, and crashed thus destroying 755.  The pilot survived.  I have the crash report and history card for 755 so my information is most accurate as much as I remember without looking through my files to find the specific dates.  There is an old article from the Navy TPS out there on the internet which says LCDR Sickel was indeed killed in 755, but this article is incorrect.  I have extensively researched LCDR Sickel and know this for a fact.  Just wanted to clear this up.  Good luck on your model building.  I appreciate any posts about the Fury line of a/c. 

Edited January 3, 2018 by XFJ-2Flyboy
Incorrrect date.

[Sabrejet]

Welcome aboard!

 

Yes - the mistake is mine: XFJ-2 133755 was lost on 23 November 1953 in a forced landing at Lexington Park, MD; Lt (jg) Roger E Davis received minor injuries. Bud Sickel was killed aboard FJ-3 BuAer 136091 on 13 July 1956 en route Patuxent River-NAA Columbus.

 

The nudge was much appreciated: my s/n records are correct but my old text not!

[Greenshirt]

@Sabrejet, you mentioned 6 USMC squadrons operating the FJ-2 but the thread seems to have gotten distracted by the Sword kit (not a bad thing, mind you) and you stopped after the 4th squadron (VMF-312).  

 

What were the other two and do you plan to finish with this thread?  I've taken copious notes but want them to be complete!

 

Tim

[jpk]

According to Steve Ginter's book on the FJ-2 the following Marine squadrons operated the FJ-2. They were; VMF-122, 232, 235, 312, 334 and 451.

[Sabrejet]

Forgot that I'd left this open: shows that no-one was paying attention!

 

So quick resume on the final two active units (there were also four FJ-2 reserve training units):

 

VMF-334 'Falcons' (tail code MX).

 

Assigned to MCAS Cherry Point, VMF-334 was flying the F9F-4 as part of MAG-32 and received its first FJ-2 (132102) on 24 August 1954; the 24th was delivered on 3 November. 

 

On 23 April 1955 VMF-334 claimed a unique piece of aviation history when 2Lt Winston Goller bailed out of his Fury (BuAer No.132072) whilst supersonic. From contemporary newspaper reports it would seem that the Marine Corps pilot had blacked out at 34,000 feet due to the failure of the aircraft’s oxygen system and that the other two airmen in his flight kept radioing him as his aircraft dived earthwards. 2Lt Goller eventually regained consciousness at 17,000 feet, in a spin and immediately ejected. He came down in the Atlantic 35 miles off the Georgia coast to the east of Brunswick and then spent two hours in his life raft before being rescued by a helicopter from NAS Glynco. He suffered a head laceration and bruises, and was held overnight at the Glynco dispensary, having been eager to get to Cherry Point where his wife was awaiting the birth of a baby. These dramatic events were later recalled in the March 1956 issue of Naval Aviation News and differed somewhat from the news story. Under the headline, “First to Bail Out Over Mach 1.0”, the magazine went on to say that,

 

"The January issue of the Marine Corps Gazette carries a complete description of a Marine flyer’s narrow escape when he bailed out of an FJ-2 Fury above Mach 1.0, clothed in ordinary flight gear. The Gazette claims that Second Lieutenant Winston Goller of VMF-334 is the first pilot ever to do this and survive. A year ago, Goller, one of a three-plane flight from Guantanamo Bay to Cherry Point, stepped into that gray cold, death-dealing world of anoxia, ejected at slightly above the speed of sound and lived to tell about it.

Goller does not recall what happened after he snapped the face curtain that blasted him into a supersonic wind, but he was able to relate to the author, 1st Lt FL Bailey, the sensations after consciousness returned."

 

"Goller’s injuries were superficial. His thigh was sore where the leg strap of his parachute had scraped against it. Bailey commented, “His actions had been spontaneous and abrupt. But just as the dope addict pays for his superficial elevations with a lapse of depression, so Goller paid for the powerful stimulus which had saved his life”. He refers to the utter exhaustion Goller experienced after regaining consciousness and realizing how close he had been to the end of his life."

 

A similar incident – again in a 3-ship flight up the east coast to Cherry Point, occurred on 28 March 1956: this time after an engine flame-out in FJ-2 BuAer No. 132104. The June issue of Naval Aviation News of June again covering the story,  

 

"Except for the seat ejection phase of bailing out of a jet, the parachute ride was the same as any ordinary jump, according to 1st Lt Earl J Michael, of VMF-334 MCAS Cherry Point, who recently bailed out of his Fury near Monroe, Ga. His first bail-out occurred at Pensacola during flight training little more than a year ago."

 

"On the return leg of a hop between Cherry Point and Dobbins AFB, Michael's plane began to lose power. Following the advice of his flight leader, Maj EA Mitch, he quickly ejected. Michael landed unhurt in a cleared pasture near a road where a passing motorist was awaiting him. The Fury crashed harmlessly seven miles away [8 miles from Monroe, GA]. Given a "go-ahead" by the medical examiner, Lt. Michael returned to Cherry Point to greet his anxious wife and ten-day old daughter."

 

VMF-334 took part in no cruises but did deploy to Roosevelt Roads, PR for gunnery in the spring and early summer of 1955. The squadron converted to the FJ-3M in 1956. The first FJ-2s departed the unit on 23 April 1956; the last (BuAer No. 132013, 132044, 132045, 132117 and 132125) on 30 July. 

 

 

BuAer No. 132055 served with VMF-334 from March 1955 to May 1956, passing on to VMF-312 at that time (Wm Balogh photo)

Edited June 13, 2019 by Sabrejet

[Andre B]

12 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

Forgot that I'd left this open: shows that no-one was paying attention!

 

So quick resume on the final two active units (there were also four FJ-2 reserve training units):

 

VMF-334 'Falcons' (tail code MX).

 

Assigned to MCAS Cherry Point, VMF-334 was flying the F9F-4 as part of MAG-32 and received its first FJ-2 (132102) on 24 August 1954; the 24th was delivered on 3 November. 

 

On 23 April 1955 VMF-334 claimed a unique piece of aviation history when 2Lt Winston Goller bailed out of his Fury (BuAer No.132072) whilst supersonic. From contemporary newspaper reports it would seem that the Marine Corps pilot had blacked out at 34,000 feet due to the failure of the aircraft’s oxygen system and that the other two airmen in his flight kept radioing him as his aircraft dived earthwards. 2Lt Goller eventually regained consciousness at 17,000 feet, in a spin and immediately ejected. He came down in the Atlantic 35 miles off the Georgia coast to the east of Brunswick and then spent two hours in his life raft before being rescued by a helicopter from NAS Glynco. He suffered a head laceration and bruises, and was held overnight at the Glynco dispensary, having been eager to get to Cherry Point where his wife was awaiting the birth of a baby. These dramatic events were later recalled in the March 1956 issue of Naval Aviation News and differed somewhat from the news story. Under the headline, “First to Bail Out Over Mach 1.0”, the magazine went on to say that,

 

"The January issue of the Marine Corps Gazette carries a complete description of a Marine flyer’s narrow escape when he bailed out of an FJ-2 Fury above Mach 1.0, clothed in ordinary flight gear. The Gazette claims that Second Lieutenant Winston Goller of VMF-334 is the first pilot ever to do this and survive. A year ago, Goller, one of a three-plane flight from Guantanamo Bay to Cherry Point, stepped into that gray cold, death-dealing world of anoxia, ejected at slightly above the speed of sound and lived to tell about it.

Goller does not recall what happened after he snapped the face curtain that blasted him into a supersonic wind, but he was able to relate to the author, 1st Lt FL Bailey, the sensations after consciousness returned."

 

"Goller’s injuries were superficial. His thigh was sore where the leg strap of his parachute had scraped against it. Bailey commented, “His actions had been spontaneous and abrupt. But just as the dope addict pays for his superficial elevations with a lapse of depression, so Goller paid for the powerful stimulus which had saved his life”. He refers to the utter exhaustion Goller experienced after regaining consciousness and realizing how close he had been to the end of his life."

 

A similar incident – again in a 3-ship flight up the east coast to Cherry Point, occurred on 28 March 1956: this time after an engine flame-out in FJ-2 BuAer No. 132104. The June issue of Naval Aviation News of June again covering the story,  

 

"Except for the seat ejection phase of bailing out of a jet, the parachute ride was the same as any ordinary jump, according to 1st Lt Earl J Michael, of VMF-334 MCAS Cherry Point, who recently bailed out of his Fury near Monroe, Ga. His first bail-out occurred at Pensacola during flight training little more than a year ago."

 

"On the return leg of a hop between Cherry Point and Dobbins AFB, Michael's plane began to lose power. Following the advice of his flight leader, Maj EA Mitch, he quickly ejected. Michael landed unhurt in a cleared pasture near a road where a passing motorist was awaiting him. The Fury crashed harmlessly seven miles away [8 miles from Monroe, GA]. Given a "go-ahead" by the medical examiner, Lt. Michael returned to Cherry Point to greet his anxious wife and ten-day old daughter."

 

VMF-334 took part in no cruises but did deploy to Roosevelt Roads, PR for gunnery in the spring and early summer of 1955. The squadron converted to the FJ-3M in 1956. The first FJ-2s departed the unit on 23 April 1956; the last (BuAer No. 132013, 132044, 132045, 132117 and 132125) on 30 July. 

 

 

BuAer No. 132055 served with VMF-334 from March 1955 to May 1956, passing on to VMF-312 at that time (Wm Balogh photo)

 

I remember one other "historical first" when an pilot flying an North American aircraft. This time an Vigilante when the canopy blew of at mach one. The Navy aviator claimed to be the worlds fastest open cockpit flyer. He landed the aircraft safely but without canopy...

 

Cheers / André

Edited June 14, 2019 by Andre B

[jpk]

Hopefully Kitty Hawk's revised release date for their 1/48 FJ-2 in August is solid. I'm looking forward to the series.

[Greenshirt]

Brilliant, thank you @Sabrejet

 

Tim

[Andre B]

On 10/27/2017 at 8:33 PM, Sabrejet said:

Tonka, I can assure you that the XFJ-2s were based on F-86F with the F-1 to F-20 slatted, narrow-chord wing. Several of those two aircraft's airframe configurations confirm their F-86F lineage. The XFJ-2B was based on the F-86E.

 

So having an old Heller F-86F. Can it be usefull to an XFJ-2 build?

 

Cheers / André

[Tailspin Turtle]

9 hours ago, Andre B said:

 

So having an old Heller F-86F. Can it be usefull to an XFJ-2 build?

 

Cheers / André

Yes - see https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2009/10/fj-fury.html.  If you do the XFJ-2B, all you really need to do is change the armament installation. Maybe make sure that it’s got the early F wing. The XFJ-2s require the FJ-2 landing gear and to be accurate, a different windscreen. Also the wing thing.

[72modeler]

27 minutes ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

Yes - see https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2009/10/fj-fury.html.  If you do the XFJ-2B, all you really need to do is change the armament installation. Maybe make sure that it’s got the early F wing. The XFJ-2s require the FJ-2 landing gear and to be accurate, a different windscreen. Also the wing thing.

Plus, IIRC, the wingsweep on the Heller kit is too great, but I bet @Sabrejet has covered this in one of our  topic discussions- you might search for FJ-2 topics, and I seem to recall a kit comparison of the 1/72 Heller, Fujimi, and Academy Sabres, either here on BM or the internet. The Heller kit does have the best landing gear, wheels, and speedbrakes/wells, as I recall.

Mike

[Andre B]

1 hour ago, 72modeler said:

Plus, IIRC, the wingsweep on the Heller kit is too great, but I bet @Sabrejet has covered this in one of our  topic discussions- you might search for FJ-2 topics, and I seem to recall a kit comparison of the 1/72 Heller, Fujimi, and Academy Sabres, either here on BM or the internet. The Heller kit does have the best landing gear, wheels, and speedbrakes/wells, as I recall.

Mike

I knew about the Heller wingsweep. My thinking is that if I had to rebuild the kit to make it accurate why not make one FJ-2 of it?

 

Cheers / André

[72modeler]

40 minutes ago, Andre B said:

I knew about the Heller wingsweep. My thinking is that if I had to rebuild the kit to make it accurate why not make one FJ-2 of it?

 

Cheers / André

I love it when a plan comes together! Go for it, Andre!

Mike

[jpk]

The Ginter book on the FJ-2, all three XFJ-2's were based on the F-86E. The first designated as XFJ-2B, 756, was pretty much a standard F-86 with a slightly modified windscreen and the addition of 4 x 20mm canon. So any F-86E w/slats can be made into 756 by modding the windscreen and adding the proper gun ports.

 

754 and 755 had no armament installed but both had the landing gear for carrier operation tests of the production aircraft. From what I understand you can make a model of either 754 and 755 by combining parts of the old ESCI F-86 and FJ-2 kits, 756 can also be made from just the F-86 kit however you would need the windscreen and 20mm canon ports from the FJ-2 kit. Markings will be hard to come by because of the particular font used for the nose numbers. A set of decals that included markings for 755 was issued at a US IPMS National several years ago.   

[Sabrejet]

On 16/06/2019 at 17:55, jpk said:

The Ginter book on the FJ-2, all three XFJ-2's were based on the F-86E. The first designated as XFJ-2B, 756, was pretty much a standard F-86 with a slightly modified windscreen and the addition of 4 x 20mm canon. So any F-86E w/slats can be made into 756 by modding the windscreen and adding the proper gun ports.

 

 

 

This isn't correct: the XFJ-2/2B series were a mix of F-86E and F-86F: see earlier post in this thread on that subject. Apologies - been on holiday.

[jpk]

On 6/23/2019 at 11:50 AM, Sabrejet said:

 

This isn't correct: the XFJ-2/2B series were a mix of F-86E and F-86F: see earlier post in this thread on that subject. Apologies - been on holiday.

My knowledge on which particular version F-86 was utilized for each of the three pre production "XFJ-2's" was perhaps not quite accurate, it is true that the three pre production XFJ-2's were pretty much just your garden variety F-86 Sabre, one converted to 4 x 20mm armament with a modified windscreen and the other two with the modded windscreen and carrier type landing gear, arresting gear installed and minus the armament of the XFJ-2B. For the potential modeler those are the external visual items of importance to consider when making a kit. Thanks for the correction though.

[Sabrejet]

4 hours ago, jpk said:

My knowledge on which particular version F-86 was utilized for each of the three pre production "XFJ-2's" was perhaps not quite accurate, it is true that the three pre production XFJ-2's were pretty much just your garden variety F-86 Sabre, one converted to 4 x 20mm armament with a modified windscreen and the other two with the modded windscreen and carrier type landing gear, arresting gear installed and minus the armament of the XFJ-2B. For the potential modeler those are the external visual items of importance to consider when making a kit. Thanks for the correction though.

This isn't the full story: the first two aircraft were based on the F-86F and the potential modeller should note the basic airframe differences between those and the third, armed machine which was based on the F-86E:

 

So 133754 and 755 - F-86F-based with the prominent fuselage-top vent/exhaust panel:

 

 

 

And then F-86E-based 133756 (armed), which had the flush fuselage-top and the fuselage side vents:

 

 

 

It's also worth pointing out that the first two usually carried FJ-style drop tanks while the armed version carried F-86-style 120-gal tanks. Other differences are detailed elsewhere.

[jpk]

The XFJ drop tanks had different fins than the latter production versions. I'm in the process of converting an old Monogram F-86 into 755 using parts from the old ESCI FJ-2 and Grand Phoenix FJ-4B kits. I understand from your post the Monogram kit is not exactly correct for 755 but it was the kit I had to do the mod. I didn't want bugger up an Academy or Hasegawa kit as the Monogram kit is cheap.

 

A subtle thing I noticed from your photos. Compare the empennage photos between 754 and 755. Specifically where the horizontal stab contour blends into the upper mid fuselage. I appears to me that 754 has a slightly beefier empennage that 755. The empennage of 755 more coincides with that of 756 than 754. Perhaps because it was used in actual carrier trials whereas possibly 755 was not. What say you? Maybe it's an optical illusion from the lighting.

Edited June 25, 2019 by jpk

[AMS Resin]

On 11/9/2017 at 7:50 AM, jpk said:

I have embarked on a kit bash to make a XFJ-2, airframe #754.  Since I already had the ESCI Fury as well as the Monogram F-86 I thought combining these two would be good to create 754. I suppose 756 would have been easier but it didn't have the navalized gear of the other two pre production test airframes.  I have already removed the main gear section from the ESCI wing and installed it on the MGM wing. I have filled in the ammo bay covers as well as the gun troughs, 754 did not have them. I'm using the ESCI windscreen, cut down to fit with the MGM canopy. For the nose landing gear I will be reconfiguring the well on the MGM kit and install a Grand Phoenix -4 resin nose gear well also using the metal strut. I've also cut out the leading edge slats from the ESCI wings and trying to figure out how to maybe install them on the MGM wing. Still need to work on arresting gear and barrier guard.

I did the bash using ESCI and Monogram about 25 years ago.

 

Here is an article I did for a long OOP magazine.

I did no panel line scribing, it was all mechanical pencil with very, very lite airbrushing around panels. The livery is bogus because I couldn't do a NMF back then. HOWEVER, this one did take many 1st and 2nd place awards until It was retired.

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by AMS Resin

[jpk]

Beautiful job Harold on a not so accurate kit. I'm sure you are looking forward to the Kitty Hawk Fury.  If you recall, we once had some communications going on surrounding the Collect Aire FJ-3 many years ago. You were considering an attempt to create a Fury kit yourself. I had sent you my beat up CA kit for you to examine.  

[Tailspin Turtle]

On 6/25/2019 at 8:49 AM, jpk said:

A subtle thing I noticed from your photos. Compare the empennage photos between 754 and 755. Specifically where the horizontal stab contour blends into the upper mid fuselage. I appears to me that 754 has a slightly beefier empennage that 755. The empennage of 755 more coincides with that of 756 than 754. Perhaps because it was used in actual carrier trials whereas possibly 755 was not. What say you? Maybe it's an optical illusion from the lighting.

Sabrejet and I have reviewed pretty good pictures of all three XFJ-2s taken from various angles. We agree that any horizontal-stabilizer fairing differences that appear to be present are most likely to be the result of the location of the camera relative to the aircraft (fore/aft and/or elevated) and/or the lighting. Also note that both 754 and 755 were used for at-sea carrier trials.