Ryan X-13 Vertijet

X-13 Vertijet
X-13 Vertijet
	The X-13 in flight at Edwards Air Force Base
General information
Type	Experimental VTOL jet aircraft
Manufacturer	Ryan Aeronautical
Status	on display (2)
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	2
History
First flight	December 10, 1955
Retired	September 30, 1957

The Ryan X-13 Vertijet (company designation Model 69) is an experimental tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet aircraft built by Ryan Aeronautical and flown in the United States in the 1950s. The main objective of the project was to demonstrate the ability of a pure jet to vertically take off, hover, transition to horizontal forward flight, and vertically land.

Development

Just after World War II, Ryan engineers wondered whether the Ryan/U.S. Navy FR-1 Fireball, which had a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1:1 at low fuel quantities, would take off vertically. The United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics in 1947 awarded Ryan a contract, originally under the designation F3R,^[1] to investigate the development of a vertically launched jet fighter. This was part of a program to evaluate the feasibility of submarine-based aircraft. Ryan conducted remote controlled VTOL tethered rig tests from 1947 to 1950 and a flying rig in 1951. Ryan was awarded an Air Force contract in 1953 to develop an actual flying jet-powered VTOL aircraft, which was given the designation X-13. The aircraft was designed using calculations on a REAC 100, and two prototypes were ultimately built.^[2]

The Ryan X-13 Vertijet was 23 ft 5 in (7.14 m) long. It was just large enough to accommodate the single-place cockpit with a tilting seat and the 10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet. The high-mounted delta wing of the aircraft had a wingspan of only 21 ft (6.4 m) and was capped with flat endplates. The nose of the aircraft had a hook on the underside and a short pole for gauging distance from the trailer. The hook was used to hang the Vertijet from the vertical trailer bed landing platform. After the aircraft was secured vertically, the trailer was lowered to horizontal and then used to transport the aircraft on the ground. Pitch and yaw control in hover were provided by vectored engine thrust. Roll control was provided by "puffer" jets (also known as "jet reaction control") mounted outboard of the wingtip endplates.

The first prototype (#54-1619) was fitted with temporary landing gear and made its first horizontal flight on December 10, 1955. Later, it made full horizontal to vertical attitude conversions and back again at altitude. The first prototype then had the landing gear replaced with a tail-mounted framework that held it in a vertical attitude on the ground. Using this rig, hooking practice was conducted. The second prototype (#54-1620), on April 11, 1957, made a vertical take-off from the vertically raised trailer, transitioned to horizontal flight and back again. It then returned to the vertical trailer and landed by hooking the landing wire. Flight tests were performed by two test pilots: Ryan's Chief Test Pilot Peter F. "Pete" Girard, and Ryan Test Pilot W. L. "Lou" Everett.

On July 28–29, 1957, the X-13 was demonstrated in Washington, D.C. It crossed the Potomac River and landed at the Pentagon.

The Air Force chose not to continue development of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet because of the lack of an operational requirement.

Operational history

The X-13 was designed to investigate vertical takeoff, horizontal flight transition, and return to vertical flight for landing. The first prototype of the X-13 was equipped with temporary tricycle landing gear. The X-13 was flown conventionally on December 10, 1955 to test its aerodynamic characteristics. The Vertijet was then fitted with a temporary "tail sitting" rig. On May 28, 1956, it was flown from the ground in a vertical position to test its hovering qualities. The X-13 VertiJet completed its first full-cycle flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 11, 1957, when it took off vertically from its mobile trailer, angled over into a horizontal attitude, and flew for several minutes. The X-13 then transitioned to vertical flight and slowly descended back onto its trailer and landed.

Surviving aircraft

Ryan X-13 Vertijet in USAF National Museum (2023)

Only two X-13 aircraft were built and both are on public display:

Serial number 54-1619 is on display at the Gillespie Field Annex of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. It is on loan from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Serial number 54-1620 which was the Vertijet which made the full-cycle flight on April 11, 1957 was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio, in May 1959.^[3] It is on display in the museum's Research and Development Hangar.

Specifications (X-13)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 23 ft 5 in (7.14 m)
Wingspan: 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 191 sq ft (17.8 m²)
Empty weight: 5,334 lb (2,424 kg)
Gross weight: 6,730 lb (3,059 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 7,200 lb (3,272 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Avon RA.28 turbojet, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust

Performance

Maximum speed: 350 mph (560 km/h, 300 kn)
Range: 192 mi (307 km, 167 nmi)
Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Wing loading: 35.2 lb/sq ft (172 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 1.48

References

^ The Aeroplane, Volume 87, 1954.
^ Alternative Computers. Time Life. 1989. p. 24. ISBN 9780809457465. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
^ United States Air Force Museum 1975, p. 72.

Bibliography

Allen, Frencis (July–August 2002). "Upwardly Mobile: Ryan's X-13 Vertijet". Air Enthusiast. No. 100. pp. 28–39. ISSN 0143-5450.
United States Air Force Museum. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation. 1975.

External links

Google books - Ryan X-13
Ryan X-13 photos at the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives

[1] The Aeroplane, Volume 87, 1954.

[2] Alternative Computers. Time Life. 1989. p. 24. ISBN 9780809457465. Retrieved 2021-08-16.

[3] United States Air Force Museum 1975, p. 72.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Aircraft produced by Ryan Aeronautical and Ryan Airline Company
Ryan Airline Company	Standard J Cloudster M-1 M-2 NYP (Spirit of St. Louis)
Commercial	Brougham Foursome S-C S-T Navion
Fighters	FR XF2R
Observation	L-10 YO-51
Trainers	NR YPT-16 PT-20 PT-21 PT-22 PT-25
Drones/Missiles	Firebee AAM-A-1 Firebird AQM-34 AQM-91 YQM-98 Model 147
Experimental/ Research	X-13 VZ-3 XV-5 XV-8

v t e United States Navy fighter designations pre-1962
General Aviation Brewster	FA FA² F2A F3A
Boeing	FB F2B F3B F4B F5B F6B F7B F8B
Curtiss	FC F2C F3C F4C F5C¹ F6C F7C F8C F9C F10C F11C F12C F13C F14C F15C
Douglas McDonnell	FD F2D² F3D F4D F5D F6D FD F2D
Grumman	FF F2F F3F F4F F5F F6F F7F F8F F9F -1 to -5 -6 to -8 -9 F10F F11F -1F/2 F12F (I) F12F (II)
Eberhart Goodyear	FG F2G FG F2G
Hall McDonnell	FH FH F2H F3H F4H
Berliner-Joyce North American	FJ F2J F3J FJ -1 -2/3 -4
Loening Bell	FL FL F2L-1 F2L-1K F3L
General Motors	FM F2M F3M
Naval Aircraft Factory	FN
Lockheed	FO (I) FO (II)
Ryan	FR F2R F3R
Supermarine	FS
Northrop	FT F2T
Vought	FU F2U F3U F4U F5U F6U F7U F8U -3
Canadian Vickers Lockheed	FV FV
Wright CC&F	WP F2W F3W FW² F2W² F3W² F4W
Convair	FY F2Y
¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to a different manufacturer's type See also: Aeromarine AS • Vought VE-7

v t e United States Air Force system numbers
100–199	100 101 P 102 103 104 105 106¹ 107 A-1 A-2 108¹ 109¹ 110 111¹ 112 113¹ 114¹ 115¹ 116¹ 117 L M 118 A L P 119 C/F E L T Y 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127¹ 128 129 130 131 132 A B 133 134¹ 135 136¹ 137¹ 138 139 140 141¹ 142 143–197¹ 198 199 B C D Y
200–299	200 201 A/L B/W E 202 203¹ 204 205 206 207¹ 208 209¹ 210 211¹ 212 213 214 215¹ 216 217 218 219¹ 220 221 222 A G 223¹ 224 225¹ 226 227–238¹ 239 240–278¹ 279 280–298¹ 299
300–399	300 301¹ 302 303 304¹ 305¹ 306 A/L B 307 308 309 310¹ 311¹ 312¹ 313¹ 314 315 A-1 A-2 316 317 318¹ 319 320¹ 321 322¹ 323 324 L M/N 325 326 327 E 328 E 329 F 330¹ 331¹ 332¹ 333¹ 334¹ 335 336 337 338–379¹ 380 A/B/E/F/N P 381–397¹ 398 399 A B
400–499	400 B/C/N E G/H M 401 402 403¹ 404 405 B C D 406¹ 407 408¹ 409¹ 410 E L 411 E L 412 413 414 L M 415 416 L M (I) M (II) P Q 417 418 L M 419¹ 420 L/W 421¹ 422 423 424 425 426 L M 427 L M 428 A L 429 430 431 G (I) G (II) 432 433 434 435 A L 436 437 438 439 440 441 A D L 442 443 444¹ 445 L M 446 447 448¹ 449¹ 450 451 D L 452 453 454¹ 455 456 457¹ 458 459 460 L 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 L (I) L (II) 472 473 474 L N 475¹ 476 E 477 478 A T 479¹ 480 481 L 482 E L M/Z 483 484 L M N 485 L Z 486 487 488 489 490 L M 491¹ 492 493 494 495 L (I) L (II) 496 497 A L (I) L 498 A C D E L 499 A C D
500–599	500 501–519¹ 520 521–529¹ 530 531–541¹ 542 543–549¹ 550 A E 551–559¹ 560 A F 561–569¹ 570 571–579¹ 580 A E 581–589¹ 590 591 592 593–599¹
600–699	600 601 A L 602 A L 603 A L 604 605 606 607 608¹ 609 610¹ 611¹ 612¹ 613¹ 614 615¹ 616 617¹ 618 619¹ 620 621 A/B (I) B (II) 622 623 624 625 626¹ 627 628¹ 629¹ 630¹ 631¹ 632 633 634 A B 635 636¹ 637¹ 638 639 640 641 642 643 644¹ 645¹ 646¹ 647¹ 648 A D P 649 A B C D E F L P 650 651 652 653¹ 654¹ 655 A (I) A (II) P 656 657¹ 658¹ 659¹ 660 661 662¹ 663¹ 664 665 A (I) A (II) 666 A C/P 667 668 669¹ 670 671¹ 672 A M/P 673¹ 674 675 676¹ 677¹ 678¹ 679 680 681 D E 682¹ 683 A J V 684¹ 685 686 687 J P 688¹ 689¹ 690 691 C X Z 692¹ 693 694¹ 695 A B C L N P Q R S (I) S (II) 696¹ 697¹ 698¹ 699¹
700–799	700–735¹ 736 737¹ 738¹ 739¹ 740¹ 741 742 743 744¹ 745 746–753¹ 754 755–799¹
800–899	800¹ 801¹ 802 L (I) L (II) 803¹ 804¹ 805¹ 806 807 808–816¹ 817 818¹ 819¹ 820¹ 821¹ 822¹ 823 824–831¹ 832 833¹ 834 835–845¹ 846 847–899¹
900–999	900–951¹ 952 853¹ 854¹ 855¹ 956 957–967¹ 968
¹ Unknown or not assigned

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