The FH-1 Phantom Was The Basis For The Improved Banshee And The Grandfather of the Phantom II
The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom piled up an impressive stack of firsts. The FH (initially designated FD) was the first twin jet-powered fighter flown by the United States Navy (USN), the first jet-powered aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier, the first jet aircraft to deploy with the Marine Corps, and the first naval aircraft to exceed 500 miles per hour in level flight. McDonnell’s first jet fighter was developed after their first propeller-driven design, the radical XP-67 Moonbat, made a favorable impression on the decision makers of the day.
![](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1280px-FH-1_Phantom_in_flight_in_February_1948.jpg)
McDonnell Designs Their First Jet
Three XFD-1 Phantom prototypes were ordered August of 1943. The design was drawn to incorporate the Westinghouse J30 turbojet engine, itself still under development at the time. Though several engine configurations were considered, including six tiny engines mounted three in each wing, twin wing root-mounted engines became the design of choice. The jet would mount four .50 caliber machine guns in the nose and underwing racks for rockets. The Phantom also utilized tricycle landing gear and straight wings with split flaps, had a forward-mounted cockpit with bubble canopy, and featured a high mounted tailplane design with dihedral that would be free of exhaust influence.
![](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/XFD-side-view-web.jpg)
Flying During January of ’45
The first XFD-1 BuNo 48235) rolled out of McDonnell’s factory in January of 1945. At the time only a single Westinghouse 19XB-2B (J30 prototype) engine was available. After successful single-engine ground runs and taxi tests, test pilot Woodward Burke flew the jet with a single engine on January 26th 1945. Even with the engine challenges, flight tests went well and a contract to build 100 Phantoms was awarded to McDonnell Aircraft on March 7th 1945. When the war ended the contract was reduced to 30 airframes, subsequently increased to 60. The first prototype XFD-1 was destroyed in a fatal mishap on November 1st 1945.
![](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1280px-FH-1_Phantom_on_USS_Saipan_CVL-48_with_folded_wings_1948.jpg)
Second Prototype Ready for Jet Carrier Ops
The second prototype XFD-1 (BuNo 48236) became the first purely jet-powered aircraft to operate from an American aircraft carrier on July 21st 1946. The jet made four takeoffs and landings from the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) while the ship was operating in the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk in Virginia. The size of the Roosevelt, at the time America’s largest carrier, allowed the Phantom to takeoff using conventional deck runs instead of catapults. The second XFD-1 prototype was lost in a mishap on August 26th 1946.
![](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FH-1-111755-AIR-TEST-2-NATC-Patuxent-River-MD-1948-PB.jpg)
Waiting on Sufficient Thrust
After entering production, FH-1 Phantoms were modified to carry a conformal belly-mounted fuel tank, wing-mounted speed brakes, and an improved gunsight. The engines had finally caught up with the aircraft and production FH-1s were powered by the J30 turbojets. The tailplane design was altered as well, resulting in a smaller rudder, reshaped vertical stabilizer, and shorter horizontal stabilizers. The fuselage was stretched nearly 20 inches. The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom gained operational status with Fighter Squadron SEVENTEEN A (VF-17A) Iron Men on May 5th 1948.
![The Phantom preparing to take off from a carrier.](https://avgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/McDonnell_FH-1_Phantom_of_VF-17A_aboard_USS_Saipan_CVL-48_in_May_1948_NNAM.1996.253.7238.015.jpg)