FR Fireball

Design began in 1943 to a proposal instigated by Admiral John S. McCain, Sr for a composite-powered fighter; early jet engines had sluggish acceleration which was considered unsafe and unsuitable for aircraft carrier takeoff and landing. A composite design allowed for conventional piston-powered flight but gave a jet for higher speeds.

The first prototype flew on June 25, 1944 but it was lost in a crash in October that year. Investigation showed that the wing rivets were insufficiently strong, a problem cured by doubling the number of rivets, but not before the other two prototypes crashed in similar fashion.

Orders for 700 aircraft were placed, but only 66 were delivered before Japan's surrender. One squadron, VF-66, was equipped with the aircraft before war's end, but they never saw combat.

The aircraft were withdrawn fairly soon after the war's end. With the rapid advance in technology, and the removal of the pressing need to get anything into combat quickly, the Navy decided to wait for better aircraft to be developed.

US Navy pilots considered Fireball to be a uniquely poorly chosen name, given its 'fiery accident' connotations.

The FR-1 Fireball was developed into the F2R Dark Shark, which replaced the piston engine with a turboprop, but this never entered service.

One FR-1 Fireball survives at the Planes of Fame Flying Museum, at Chino, California, and it is in the process of restoration to display condition.