Evening star., 1948-03-15
JET Fighters Take Off
From Carrier Under
Conditions al Sea
BY the Assoeioted Press

ABOARD U. S. S. BOXER, at sea,
Mar. 15.-The Navy's seagoing air
arm is in the process of conversion
to 10-mile-a-minute jet planes.
This was announced today by the
Navy following history-making trials
aboard this biz Essex-class aircraft
carrier last week, when for the first
time Navy jet fighters operated from
a carrier flight deck under routine
conditions at sea.
The Navy said it expects the use
of jets will have been expanded
throughout the fleet within a year.
Initially only fighters will be jet
propelled
Already the Navy has two jet
fighter squadrons in commission, one
on the Pacific Coast and one in
the Atlantic. Fighting Squadron
5-A on the Pacific Coast is using the
North American Fury" designated
the FIJI. Fighting Squadron TIA
on the Atlantic Coast uses Mcdonald
FILLS.
Catapulted With Ease.
The successful carrier tests for jet
aircraft aboard the Boxer we're the
first of their kind. The Royal Air
Force as long ago as December,
1945, successfully made one expert
launching with a jet: Re
Gently naval experiments were con-
Quoted under special test conditions.
But until last Wednesday there had
been no Jet operations at sea under
normal carrier conditions and with
service pilots.
The 10 mile minute Fills
thundered on and off the Boxers
fight deck with ease. They were
launched successfully both under
their own power and by catapult.
But despite the 4,000-p pound thrust
developed by the FJ-1's straight
ram duct engine, it was apparent
the slow acceleratipn of the jet-
plane would bar launch
ings under its own power. as routine
This is a handicap in
herent in all present. jet propul-
sion.
On the ether hand, the ease with
which thH jets were, catapulted
pointed to this method of launch
ing as most likely under present
jet development.
Full Deck Run Needed.
The jets took off easily enough
with full deck run. But under
combat conditions it would not be
feasible to keep the entire fight
deck clear to launch only one plane
at a time.
The Boxers two-deck catapults,
however, shot the 6-ton fighters into
the air at about 145 miles an hour
we'll above flying speed.
The FIJI is sleek, stub winged
plane rated by the Navy simply
at more than $50 miles an hour" ."
Publicized figures show that it has
flown much better than 600 miles
an hour, however.
1t has a rate of climb of a mile
a minute, an official flying time of
four hours and a range of more
than $500 miles. Its axial Jet en-
gine Is manufactured by General
Electric.
Making the first jet operational
landing on the Boxer was Comdr.
Evan P. Aurand of Houston, Tex,
commanding officer of Fighting
5-A, and 1t. Comdr. Robert Elder
of Milwaukee, Ore, squadron execu-
tive officer.
Thrust Ample for Wave-Offs.
Both pilots pronounced jet carrier
landings easier than with conven-
tional propellor-driven aircraft.
the jet thrust, they added, was also
ample for emergency wave-offs after
the pilot has throttled down for the
landing.
After witnessing the tests, Vice
Admiral G. D. Murray. commanding
the 1st Task Fleet, commented that
the details of operating full jet
squadrons from carriers were "only
practical ones"
Among these problems undoubt-
edly will be new methods of plane
handling. Unlike conventional
planes, the roaring rearward jet
blast probably will prevent launch
ing of more than two or three planes
at a time.
But because jet engines need no