Subject: Number Eighty in the Series--Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (6 of 8)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 7 Jul 93 14:17:57 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The final production version of the Shooting Star was the P-80C, which 
was a heavier and more powerful version of the P-80B.  The first P-80C 
flew on March 1, 1948.  Improved M-3 machine guns were fitted.  
Whereas the P-80A and B had been delivered under original wartime 
contracts, the P-80C was built under Fiscal Year 1947, 1948, and 1949 
contracts.  

The first two production batches included 162 P-80C-1-LOs and 76 
P-80C-5-LOs.  These were initially powered by the 4600 lb.  st.  
Allison J33-A-23 jet engine.  The last 561 P-80C aircraft were from 
the P-80C-10-LO production block and were powered by the 5400 lb. st.  
Allison J33-A-35 engine.  The contract included four aircraft 
(49-3957/3600) that were originally ordered by Peru but delivered to 
the USAF in the fall of 1951.  

In June of 1948, the designation of the P-80C was changed to F-80C.  

The F-80C bore the brunt of Shooting Star combat in Korea, most of the 
F-80As and B's either remaining stateside or going on duty in Europe.  
In service, many P-80C aircraft were fitted with two additional wing 
pylons, and provision for the mounting of sixteen 5-inch rockets were 
made.  Service modifications included the use of either 265 US gallon 
under-tip tanks or 230 US-gallon centerline tip tanks.  

After the Korean War, some surplus F-80Cs were converted to QF-80C 
radio-controlled drones.  Some were fitted for radioactive fallout 
sampling during atmospheric nuclear tests.  

One F-80C (47-171) was constructed of magnesium throughout.  One 
shudders to think of what would have happened if a fire ever broke 
out!  Another usual experiment took place with F-80C serial number 
49-429.  It was tested on skis in Alaska.  

The F-80D was a 1948 proposal for a progressive development of the 
F-80C.  The F-80D was to be powered by an Allison J33-A-29 turbojet 
and was to have improved instrumentation and a more efficient cockpit 
arrangement.  It was not proceeded with.  

The F-80E was a proposed F-80C development with swept wing and tail 
surfaces.  Studied under the company design designation L-181, the new 
design retained the nose, center fuselage, and vertical tail of the 
F-80C.  The aft fuselage was enlarged to house an afterburning Allison 
J33-A-27 turbojet.  The wing and tailplane were swept back at an angle 
of 35 degrees.  The USAF was perfectly satisfied with the F-86 Sabre, 
and had no need for the F-80E, so the project was abandoned.  
Projected maximum speed of the F-80E was 662 mph at sea level.  

The QF-80F was a modernized QF-80A/QF-80C target drone with improved 
radio control equipment and provision for runway arrester hooks.  

Early in the development cycle of the P-80, Lockheed had identified 
the need for a two-seat training version of the Shooting Star.  
However, the AAF was initially not very interested in the project.  
The AAF became much more interested in a two-seat Shooting Star in 
1947, when the alarmingly high accident rate of the P-80 pointed to an 
urgent need for a jet transition trainer.  In August of 1947, the Air 
Force authorized the modification of a P-80C airframe (48-356) as a 
two-seat trainer.  The modified aircraft was redesignated TP-80C.  In 
order to accommodate the second seat, a 38.6-inch plug was inserted 
forward of the wing and a 12-inch plug aft.  Fuselage fuel capacity 
was decreased from 207 to 95 US gallons.  To offset this loss of fuel 
capacity, nylon cells were installed in the wings in place of the 
P-80's self-sealing tanks.  Internal fuel capacity was 353 gallons as 
compared to the P-80C's 425 gallons.  The two crew members were seated 
in tandem ejector seats under a clear canopy.  To save weight, 
built-in armament was reduced to only two 0.50-inch machine guns.  

The TP-80C completed its maiden flight on March 22, 1948, flown by 
Tony LeVier.  On June 11, 1948, its designation was changed to TF-80C.  
After 128 TF-80Cs had been producted, the designation changed yet 
again to T-33A on May 5, 1949.  The two-seat T-33 was one of the most 
successful trainers of the post-war era--no less than 5691 examples 
being built in the USA, with 210 more being built in Japan and 656 in 
Canada.  It reamined in production until 1959, and served with the air 
forces of no fewer than 30 nations.  But the T-33 is a story for 
another day.....  

Specifications of the P-80C: Dimensions were wingspan 38 feet 9 inches 
(without wingtip tanks), length 34 feet 5 inches, height 11 feet 3 
inches, and wing area 237.6 square feet Weights were 8420 pounds 
empty, 12,200 pounds gross, and 16,856 pounds maximum takeoff.  
Maximum speed was 594 mph at sea level and 543 mph at 25,000 feet.  
Initial climb rate was 6870 feet/minute, and an altitude of 25,000 
feet could be attained in 7 minutes.  Service ceiling was 46,800 feet.  
Normal range was 825 miles, and maximum range was 1380 miles.  
Armament consisted of six 0.50-inch machine guns.  An underwing load 
of 2000 pounds of bombs, napalm or rockets could be carried.  

P-80C-10-LO 49-696 is currently on display at the Wright-Patterson Air 
Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio.  

F/P-80C Serials:

47-171/224 	Lockheed P-80C-1-LO Shooting Star - redesignated F-80C 
47-525 		Lockheed P-80C-1-LO Shooting Star - redesignated F-80C 
47-526/600 	Lockheed P-80C-5-LO Shooting Star - redesignated F-80C 
47-601/604 	Lockheed P-80C-1-LO Shooting Star - redesignated F-80C 
47-1380/1411 	Lockheed P-80C-1-LO Shooting Star - redesignated F-80C 
48-376/396 	Lockheed F-80C-1-LO Shooting Star 
48-863/912 	Lockheed F-80C-1-LO Shooting Star 
49-422/878 	Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star 
49-1800/1899 	Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star 
49-3597/3600 	Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star 

Sources:

  The American Fighter, Enzo Anguluci and Peter Bowers, Orion Books, 1987.

  United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter 
  M. Bowers, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989.

  Fighters of the United States Air Force, Robert F. Dorr and David Donald,
  Temple Press Aerospace, 1990.

  American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Enlarged Edition, Doubleday, 1982.

  Lockheed Aircraft since 1913, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press,
  1987.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033