Secret Aerospace Projects of the U.S. Navy +
 

Believe it or not, more documents related to the immediate post-War period are still being declassified. This book covers Navy projects in the 1948-49 period, some inspired by German designs.

I am pleased to present the author's web site which includes his own publication about late war and post-war subjects, as well as this book:


http://www.aeroarchivepress.com




Usual disclaimer,
Ed

Re: Secret Aerospace Projects of the U.S. Navy +
 

Looks like a very detailed work in terms of original documents.

The F8B book is interesting as well, lot of original documents.

Re: Secret Aerospace Projects of the U.S. Navy +
 

I have the Boeing Flight Manual for the F8F-1. The blurb for the book claims it had a 3,500 hp P & W R4360-10 engine. This disagrees with the FM which states Maximum Take-off and Military power as 3,000 hp and max continuous 2,500 hp. Interesting facts from the manual include empty weight at 13,693 lbs and gross weight 17,752 lbs in the fighter role. The fuel quantity was astonishing being no less than 965 gallons! That was one big and heavy fighter.

Re: Secret Aerospace Projects of the U.S. Navy +
 

The R-4360-10 had a potential (=would have been adopted had it gone to service use) for water injected 3500 hp emergency power so the blurb has it correct. The book does have that flight manual reproduced as well.

Big and heavy indeed, but according to the pilot reports in the book remarkably agile. Remember, in the fighter set up its weight is about the same as that of the P-38L, yet the former´s wing area is some 50% greater giving it by far the lowest wing loading of any high performance fighter of its period (excepting perhaps some Jap. designs for which I don´t remember the data by heart).