J class blimp

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Infobox Aircraft
name=J class


caption=
type=Patrol airship
manufacturer=Goodyear
designer=
first flight=31 August 1922
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=US Navy
more users=US Army
produced=
number built=2
variants with their own articles=

The J-class blimps were non-rigid airships designed by the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in the early 1920s for the US Navy. Designed in 1919, the J-type were to be improvements upon the D-type. Improvements included a smaller envelope (174,800 cu ft), more powerful engines, a new, simple boat style control car capable of water landings and a single ballonet to reduce weight as tried in the H-1. Two airships, designated J-1 and J-2, were ordered. J-1 first flew 31 August 1922 at Wingfoot Lake. The J-1 was operated at Hampton Roads until airship operations there were terminated in 1924. From May 1924 the J-1 served at Lakehurst, and was at that time the Navy's only active blimp. Due to the single ballonet, the J-1 proved difficult to handle.J-1 was retired in August 1924. J-2 was cancelled due to the failure of the single ballonet J-1, with the car being stored at the Naval Aircraft Factory.

J-3 was assembled from an Army TC type envelope and control car, modified to suit the Navy. Instrumentation came from the J-1. The J-3 first flew 12 October 1926. Lakehurst was the only Naval Air Station which the J-3 served at. Its role was to train crews for the ZR-3 and ZRS-4 and 5. The J-3 was lost during a forced landing while searching for survivors of the USS "Akron" with the loss 2 out of its crew of 7. Rescue was made by a Coast Guard and NYPD amphibians. J-4 utilized the J-2 control car, modified by enclosing it, and a TC type envelope. It was test flown in November 1927. The J-4 served as a trainer at Lakehurst until it was sent to Sunnyvale in the summer of 1933. After the Army took over Sunnyvale, the J-4 was returned to Lakehurst in May 1935. The J-4 was stricken from the Navy registry in March 1940. The J-class blimps were equipped with a control car that was suspended externally from the envelope. The envelope capacity was 210,000 cu ft, and two radial engines powered the blimp.

pecifications (J-3 and J-4)

aerospecs
met or eng?= eng

crew=5-6
capacity=
length m=59.76
length ft=196
length in=0
span m=
span ft=
span in=
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m= 13.57
dia ft= 44
dia in= 6
height m=17.68
height ft=58
height in=0
wing area sqm=
wing area sqft=
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3= 5,964
volume ft3= 210,600
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=
empty weight lb=
gross weight kg=
gross weight lb=
lift kg= 2,087
lift lb= 4,600

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Union
eng1 kw= 97
eng1 hp= 130
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=96
max speed mph=60
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh= 74
cruise speed mph= 46
range km=1,556
range miles=970
endurance h= 52
endurance min=
ceiling m=2,439
ceiling ft=8,000
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=
armament2=
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

References

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ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

lists=
* List of airships of the United States Navy
* List of airship accidents

see also=