Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

[supercub]

Just curious what the fastest speed ever recorded for a prop driven airplane is? Piston and Turbine? Dive, straight and level.....I'm just curious what the top speed has been. I've heard rumors of diving past the speed of sound......but on the other hand, I've heard it's impossible for a prop airplane to go thru the speed of sound.
Brian

[Blue Foam]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

I don't know what the fastest unofficial speed is, the FAI maintains the records on official speeds.

SS with a prop is not impossible, the power cost is ENORMOUS. Get some top fighter aerodynamicists together and the debate goes in some wild directions.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

The fastest is the Tupolev Tu-114...

Quoted from aerospaceweb.org - speed not given

The Tupolev Tu-114 is the holder of the official record for fastest turboprop plane since 1960.

The Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines designed for the Tu-114, and its military cousin the Tu-95, are the most powerful turboprops ever built. These engines give the Tu-114 the official distinction of being the fastest propeller-driven plane in the world.

And unofficially:

Quoted from www.aeroweb.lucia.it

Presumably, The Bear holds an unofficial speed record for a prop-driven aircraft.

Gallery of Russian Aerospace Weapons published in March issue of Air Force Magazine gives following numbers for Tu-95MS:

Performance: Max. speed at 25,000 ft 575 mph, nominal cruising speed 442 mph,

Here's some more records. I believe all are for level flight:

(Geek Mode:ON)

Fastest aircraft ever: X-15

(The US Space Shuttle is not included, as it doesn't fly as an aircraft while under power, but technically it's the fastest winged aircraft ever).

Fastest jet aircraft: SR-71

Fastest single prop driven seaplane: MC-72

Fastest single prop driven aircraft: F-8F

Fastest single engine turboprop: XA2D Skyshark

Fastest jet fighter: MiG-25

Fastest U.S. jet fighter: F-15

Fastest U.S. strategic bomber: FB-111

Fastest operating commercial jet: 747

Fastest business jet: Citation X

Fastest supersonic passenger jet: Tu-144

Fastest FAR 23 certified turboprop: P180

Fastest initial attack air tanker in service today: L-188

Fastest heavy bomber: Tu-160

Fastest helicopter: Lynx ZB-500

Fastest attack helicopter: Mi-24

Unofficial fastest multi-engine propeller aircraft: Tu-95

Fastest operational air tanker: IL-76

astest combined propeller and jet driven aircraft: XB-47D

Fastest drone aircraft: X-43A

Fastest ever WW II aircraft: Me-163

Fastest WW II prop plane: Do-335

Fastest WW II jet fighter: He-162

Fastest WW II Japanese aircraft: MXY-7

Fastest WW II heavy bomber: B-29

Fastest single engine pre-WW-II aircraft: Beech 17 Staggerwing

(Geek Mode:OFF)

[MRussell]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

I don't think the Tu-144's record should stand as a commercial aircraft because, IIRC, it never turned a wheel in commercial service. Am I wrong?

[Victor Archer]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

AirDOGGe, nice list BUT.... You didn't list ANY of the speeds....
Geek status revoked...

[paintboy]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

Vic,

Are you going to post the sped for your spacecraft, or would that break Intergallactic Federation law? I think Dago Red could take her on the course.

Dave

[Victor Archer]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?



My wife's grocery getter does MACH 6+

[jarrodeu]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

The XF-84H was prop and thrust driven and was very fast, although I don't think there is any offical speed recorded.

Jarrod

[wingman]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

When David Price flew Dago attempting to set the 15Km record in 1998 (I think) he was clocked at over 600 mph (at a high altitude). He easily outran the T-33 chase plane.

I've always thought it was a real shame that the timing got screwed up on that attempt. An awful lot of money, time, talent, and effort went into what turned out to be a total waste...

[jarrodeu]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

When David Price flew Dago attempting to set the 15Km record in 1998 (I think) he was clocked at over 600 mph (at a high altitude). He easily outran the T-33 chase plane.

I've always thought it was a real shame that the timing got screwed up on that attempt. An awful lot of money, time, talent, and effort went into what turned out to be a total waste...

I think it may have been 1996. I'm sure now that I have said that it is wrong.

Jarrod

[wingman]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

They did a major rework of the airplane -- rationalizing wiring, plumbing etc. before the attempt, and the sale to Terry Bland was delayed for a couple of months due to the record run. I think that Reno 1998 was Terry's first year -- which is why I think the record run must have been the summer of 1998. I'd have to dig into my notes and interviews to be sure...

[Apteryx]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

(Geek Mode:OFF)

...all, of coarse, done from memory...

[W J Pearce]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

I don't think the Tu-144's record should stand as a commercial aircraft because, IIRC, it never turned a wheel in commercial service. Am I wrong?

I believe it did do Russian commercial service with very affordable ticket prices (unlike the Concorde). It was only point to point within Russia. I also think they hauled a lot of mail (can you believe it?).

Fastest official normally aspirated aircraft - Blue Thunder 376 mph
Fastest official piston powered aircraft - Rare Bear 528 mph
Fastest unofficial piston powered - Dago speed run rumored around 600 mph

Fastest unofficial Prop Driven - XF-84H 670 mph

Okay, I'll stop now. I could do this all day long.

[RichH]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

The XF-84H was prop and thrust driven and was very fast, although I don't think there is any offical speed recorded.

Jarrod

Perhaps due to the uncontrollable BMs suffered by any and all who witnessed?

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Fastest speed for a prop driven airplane?

AirDOGGe, nice list BUT.... You didn't list ANY of the speeds....
Geek status revoked...

My bad, but the speeds were listed on separate pages per plane, and it would have taken me half the night night to collect them all on this putt-putt 56k connection I'm using (yes, believe it or not there are still idiots like me using dial-up).

Here's a link to the page I quoted the facts from. If you click on each aircraft you will get their stats, including top speed.

http://www.aviationtrivia.homestead.com/fastest.html

The XF-84H was prop and thrust driven and was very fast, although I don't think there is any official speed recorded.

Jarrod

There is a record, though it not official, and it's not max velocity.

The XF-84H "Thunderscreech" was called the LOUDEST (prototype) fighter ever, at least by those poor fellas who had to work around it.

http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/JOHT/joht20airprop.htm

The test flights proved that it was a fast (though it never flew over 720 kph (447.387 mph), due to handling problems) and quick-accelerating aircraft, among the fastest prop jobs of its day. It also, however, held another record, one hinted at by its nickname.

It was arguably the loudest fighter plane ever built. The howl of the 6000 shaft horsepower (and that's without the afterburner) twin-turbine engine combined with the roar of the prop made standard ear protectors irrelevant. Worse, during, run-ups the blade tips went faster than sound, reaching Mach 1.18 (it was a constant-speed prop, with thrust adjusted by changing the blade pitch). This produced multiple sonic booms which could pummel ground crew members insensible in short order.

I haven't found anything that states that the plane ever went 670 mph. Is this mentioned anywhere on a website or in a book I can reference? Everything I read states it was ESTIMATED to be able to go that fast, but never did.



Can I at least get PARTIAL geek-status back now? At least a B+ for effort?

.