Warplanes of the USA: Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket

(NACA Photo)

Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket No. 3 (BuNo. 37975), parked on Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. This aircraft, NACA 144 (BuNo. 37974), was the first to reach Mach 2.

The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (or D-558-II) is a rocket and jet-powered research supersonic aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. On 20 November 1953, shortly before the (17 December) 50th anniversary of powered flight, Scott Crossfield piloted the Skyrocket to Mach 2, or more than 1,290 mph (2076 km/h), the first time an aircraft had exceeded twice the speed of sound. (Wikipedia)

(NACA Photo)

Douglas D-558-2 undergoing tests.

The "-2" in the aircraft's designation referred to the fact that the Skyrocket was the phase-two version of what had originally been conceived as a three-phase program. The phase-one aircraft, the D-558-1, was jet powered and had straight wings. The third phase, which never came to fruition, would have involved constructing a mock-up of a combat type aircraft embodying the results from the testing of the phase one and two aircraft. The eventual D-558-3 design, which was never built, was for a hypersonic aircraft similar to the North American X-15.

When it became obvious that the D558-1 fuselage could not be modified to accommodate both rocket and jet power, the D558-2 was conceived as an entirely different aircraft. The supply contract was changed on January 27, 1947 to drop the final three D558-1 aircraft and substitute three new D558-2 aircraft. The Skyrocket featured wings with a 35-degree sweep and horizontal stabilizers with 40-degree sweep. The wings and empennage were fabricated from aluminum and the large fuselage was primarily magnesium. The Skyrocket was powered by a Westinghouse J34-40 turbojet engine having 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust fed through side intakes in the forward fuselage. This engine was intended for takeoff, climb and landing. For high speed flight, a four-chamber Reaction Motors LR8-RM-6 engine (the Navy designation for the Air Force's XLR11 used in the Bell X-1), was fitted. This engine was rated at 6,000 lbf (27 kN) static thrust at sea level. A total of 250 US gallons (950 L) of aviation fuel, 195 US gallons (740 L) of alcohol, and 180 US gallons (680 L) of liquid oxygen were carried in fuselage tanks.

The Skyrocket originally had a flush cockpit canopy, but visibility from the cockpit was poor, so it was re-configured with a raised cockpit with conventional angled windows. This resulted in a larger profile area at the front of the aircraft, which was balanced by an additional 14 inches (36 cm) of height added to the vertical stabilizer. Like its predecessor, the D558-1, the D558-2 was designed so that the forward fuselage, including cockpit, could disconnect from the rest of the aircraft in an emergency. Once the forward fuselage had slowed down, the pilot could escape from the cockpit by parachute. (Wikipedia)

(NACA Photo)

NACA High Speed Flight Research Station’s D-558-2 #2 (144), an all rocket powered Skyrocket. Like the X-1, the D-558-2 had a fuselage shaped like a .50 caliber bullet. Unlike both the X-1 and the D-558-1, it had swept wings. To accommodate them required a completely different design than that used for the earlier straight-wing D-558-1.

(NACA Photo)

D-558-2 being towed across Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base.

(NASA Photo)

Boeing B-29 Superefortress (USN P2B variant) on jacks to accept the Skyrocket.

(NACA Photo)

The Douglas Skyrocket being dropped from a Navy P2B bomber.

The three aircraft flew a total of 313 times – 123 by the number one aircraft (Bureau No. 37973—NACA 143), 103 by the second Skyrocket (Bureau No. 37974 – NACA 144), and 87 by aircraft number three (Bureau No. 37975 – NACA 145). Skyrocket 143 flew all but one of its missions as part of the Douglas contractor program to test the aircraft's performance.

(NACA Photo)

Douglas D-558-II under the P2B-1S (Navy designation for a B-29) launch aircraft. The P2B-1S has been lifted on mechanical jacks in the hangar for a possible "fit check" or the attachment of the Skyrocket for a flight. The P2B-1S had the nickname "Fertile Myrtle." On the side of its fuselage is a series of images indicating 41 launches by the mothership of D-558-II #2 (NACA 144) and 44 by D-558-II #3 (NACA 145).

(NACA Photo)

Douglas D-558-2 and the North American F-86 Sabre chase aircraft in-flight.

(Skytamer.com, John Shupek Photos)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket No. 3 (BuNo. 37975), mounted on a pylon at the intersection of Avenue K and 30th Street West.  This was the third of the three ‘558 Stage 2’ Skyrockets built and was the only one to be fitted with both rocket and jet engines together.  Although allocated Navy Bu numbers, they were operated by NACA from Muroc Dry Lake (now Edwards AFB).  Between September 1951 and mid-1953, ‘145’ was flown by Scott Crossfield and Walter Jones to investigate ‘Pitch-up’.  In November 1953, Scott Crossfield broke the Mach 2 barrier in sister aircraft ‘NACA 143’.  From 1954, ‘145’ was used to test the effect of external stores on the aircrafts transonic behavior.  This was completed in 1956 and the aircraft retired, having completed a total of 87 flights. Lancaster, Antelope Valley College, Aviation Department, 3041 West Avenue K, 93536.  (661) 722-6300.

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