The Tiger single-seat fighter flew for the first time in prototype form on 30 July 1954 - less than 15 months after receipt of a letter of intent from the US Navy. The production version was the F11F-1. A small number of pre-production aircraft, each with a Wright J65-W-6 turbojet engine with afterburner, were followed by 39 production aircraft (ordered with J65-W-4 afterburning engines), two of which were modified to F11F-1F standard with 66.72kN General Electric J79-GE-7 afterburning engines. One of the F11F-1Fs attained a speed of 1,963km/h and set a short-lived height record on 18 April 1958 of 23,449m.
A further contract for J65-W-18-engined Tigers placed for the US Navy brought the total number of F11F-1s built to about 200, but these were gradually phased out of first-line service from 1959. Those which remained in second-line service when the tri-service designations became rationalised in 1962 were redesignated F-11A.
When I came to VT-26 in Beeville in 1965 we had the F-11's. A real neat plane. Did have some corrosion problems in the wing area. One lost it's wing and pilot punched out and was Ok. Think it was LT Hogan. All were grounded for inspection and the Blues came in and had theirs checked too. They took several of our planes.
I had the good fortune to fly the F11F in the last stages of Advanced Flight School in Kingsville, TX in mid-1959. Was a thrill to fly an after-burner aircraft, and to practice air-to-air gunnery---just like shooting squirrels in the top of Hickory Nut trees back in North Carolina.
I was employed at Grumman from May 1949 to June !970 and worked as a Avionics teck in Plants 4 and 7. This was the production flight test deptments. I worked on just about all of the F11Fs that was produced and was working the day that Test Pilot Tom Attridge shot himself down. There was many demostration flights of the F11F by Ralph Donnel for foreign countries Air Forces and any one who witnessed one of his flights could never forget them, he did the most amazing things with the F11F
Pete's not quite right on the duration of the F11F with the Blue Angels. It was actually a long time, and the major way Tigers are remembered. At the time of its retirement from the Blues, it was the longest-running Blues airplane. I'm pretty sure that in the years since, only the F /A-18 has exceeded it in service length with the Blues. Here's a summary of all Grumman types the Blues used:
After a Med cruse in F7U-3s, I was assigned to VF-21 and sent to the Fleet Introduction Program (FIP)for the F11F at Patauxant River. We flew the short nose version and later when we organized the squadron, got the long nose on which we painted a beautiful set of sharks teeth. I loved that airplane and even though it needed more power than the J-65, it had fun performance and was very comfortable to strap on. I would put the Tiger at the top of my all time favorite airplanes.
Our training squadron had this aircraft for a short time. Fantastic fast plane but the wings experienced some corrosion and parts were had to get.The Blue Angels also used this plane for a short period of time.
I have a picture that was given to Commander "Fritz" Luebke USN, CAG 201. Best wishes to him from his friends at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. December "54" Just wondering if anyone knows who this is.
I read that this was the only aircraft to ever shoot itself down with its own guns. I guess it happened during a high speed gun test. The shells were faulty and the tumbled in flight where they were ingested into the engine.
I was an Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd class (AT2) and went to Grumman's Avionics class on the F11F when VF-33 transitioned from FJ-3M Furies at Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA.
