Ryan Fireball

[GregP]

Hi everyone,

Our museum, Planes of Fame at Chino, California, U.S.A., has one of the only remaining Ryan FR-1 Fireball aircraft in the world. The Fireball was one of the VERY early Navy jets, the first if I am not mistaken (if I AM mistaken, someone will point it out ...) Anyway, it is a hybrid. That is, it has a radial piston engine in front and a very early jet engine (General Electric GE I-16) in the back. The jet air intakes are in the inside folding wing roots. Check it out on the web.

We had a really neat thing happen this last weekend.

One of our new volunteers chanced across a gentleman who happened to have both the flight manual AND the aircraft airframe maintenance manual in his library, both in almost-new condition! Additionally, we have the great fortune to have not two but THREE GE I-16 engines that were overhauled in the 1990's. So, if we want to fly the FR-1, we have a jet engine for it (two go into the Bell YP-59A Airacomet).

So, there is a very real possibility that our Ryan FR-1 may soon get into the queue as one of the next return-to-flight-status restorations! The great news is that the airframe is already in great shape, having been partially restored recently. The radial engine is already done or very close to being ready to run. The only airframe item that must be RE-done is the vertical fin ... the one that is on there now is cosmetic, not a flight-worthy fin and rudder.

Anyway, no projected timeframe, but it is certainly on the new short list of things to get flying again! Perhaps returning to the sky soon!

I think that is WAY COOL, and I want to be on the team that does it ... we'll see ...

[Lightning]

Hi Greg,

That is great news. I'm very surprised that even one Fireball still exists, much less in good condition! Where on Earth did you find it?

If only the "Planes of Fame" and the warbird movement had started pre-1950! Can you imagine what treasures could have been saved and be flying today?

Well done, Planes of Fame. We all owe you and the other quality aviation museums a great deal of credit.

Regards,
Lightning

[Trexx]

Thanks for the update Greg.
I snapped a photograph of the Fireball when I was there in December 2006.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-10/1283790/IMG_0050.gif

I knew of this airplane, but never thought I'd find one for real!

If you poke around in the Chino Planes of Fame website there's extremely interesting ancedotes about key artifacts being stored in folk's backyards and garages throughout the 1950s, 1960s... and '70s... Such as their A6M5! and Horten Glider...

[GregP]

First off, on behalf of the Planes of Fame Museum, thanks for the cudos, guys.

Second, I had nothing to do with it. Our founder, Ed Maloney, collected these aircraft over many years and kept them wherever he could, many times in the back yard of his farm. Over the years, many have been restored or are in restoration, mostly by volunteers.

Should we start on this project anytime soon, I'll let you all know, Meanwhile, I am concentrating on the Bell YP-59A Airacomet project. Our goal is to fly it in the 2010 Airshow.

After that, maybe the Fireball will surface as an active project. But before then, the YP-59A and the North American Navion will have to be finished, if only to make ROOM. The Douglas O-47 is a long-term project and the Northrop N9MB Flying Wing is only in need of new Cylinders, so neither of them are holding up anything. The only other likely project is our Aichi D3A Val (a REAL Val ... not a unit made from a Vultee).

Maybe we will get to the Ryan sooner rather than later, but it's all up to Ed and John Maloney what the next project will be. We're volunteer workers who help out on the current projects but we have no say in what comes next ...

If we DID, then we surely could not agree on what to do next since there are 100+ volunteers! Democracy may be OK for making a decision in the face of two choices, but if there are, say, 15 choices, then Democracy sucks! Everyone wants to do something different. All 15 choices may well get almost an even vote, and likely would.

[Double T]

Great stuff Greg.
Thanks for sharing the information.

I couldn't help but comment on the Douglas O-47A.

A couple summers ago, I had a chance to visit and see F-16s of the Indiana Air National Guard 113th Fighter Wing/181st Fighter Wing based in Terre Haute, IN. It was my first time to actually see F-16s close-up and personal. (Long story, but waterfowler friend was in their PR office and got me on the base. I got a full tour of the base, maint hangers and watched take-offs and landings.)
I got to meet the base Commander and show him the IN ANG F-16C I built for a ground-crewman at the base. (The plane had been lost in a mid-air collision and the pilot killed.)

While there... I had a chance to look over the history of the Wing and the aircraft they had flown over the years. When the 'Wing was first created, they were flying the Douglas O-47A. I had never even heard of this aircraft prior to my visit.

Now, the wing has gone full circle and reorganized as an Intelligence Wing, and I believe they turned in their F-16C/Ds for the Raptor.
Curiously, the 122nd Fighter Wing based in Ft Wayne are turning in their F-16s and will transition to the Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. (Based on that decision, "The Hog" has obviously proved it's worth and will continue flying.)
Sorry, to muddle the subject, but I just had to make mention of the Indiana ANG Douglas O-47A history.

Kepp that good info coming Greg.

Tim

[GregP]

Hi Double T,

I knew the Indiana Air Guard flew O-47's, but a fairly recent law now prohibits the Military from engaging in givving away, selling, or trading aircraft or parts with civilian institutions.

Part of the reason for passage of that law was the vindictive director of the Air Force Museum. That's another LONG story ...

Otherwise, we'd have asked the Indiana Guard if they still have any "spares" for the O-47. As it is, we are making our "spares" from scratch.

[Trexx]

...recent law now prohibits the Military from engaging in givving away, selling, or trading aircraft or parts with civilian institutions...

SAY WHAT!?!?

Oh brother. Geeze. *shakes head in digust*

[Lightning]

Hi Double T,

While there... I had a chance to look over the history of the Wing and the aircraft they had flown over the years. When the 'Wing was first created, they were flying the Douglas O-47A. I had never even heard of this aircraft prior to my visit.

Before WWII, the O-47 was used by several National Guard units including the Maryland National Guard. This was before the "Air" National Guard came into being. One such unit was a Maryland National Guard squadron based at the now-defunct Logan Field in Dundalk, Md.

The O-47 was a good, reliable plane, but it was too big and heavy to be operated out of the small, unemproved forward fields normally used by observation planes. The small "Grasshopper" or "Puddle Jumper" types like the L-4 and L-5 soon took its place. These planes were cheaper, easier to fly, required less maintenance, and could use runways that could not support the O-47 when softened by rain or snow. The O-47 therefore passed into history.

Regards,
Lightning