Republic XP-72

Republic's P-72 Fighter would have been a good match for the massive R-4360 radial engine. However, like many of the so-called "super-prop" fighters developed near the end of WW-II, it appeared too late. By the time the XP-72 would have been ready for production, Republic were already working on the XP-84 (later F-84) "Thunderjet". Goodyear also applied the R-4360 engine to the Vought Corsair (which it was manufacturing under license) to produce the F2G. However, just as with the P-72, Goodyear were too late, and only 11 "Super-Corsairs" were ever built. Most ended up being sold for surplus and were converted into racing planes.

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Carl Bellinger was my great uncle. Born to a mining family, he lived in Forest Hills, NY, and Santiago, Chile. I too visited him in Lloyd Harbor and later at his home in the Mohave Desert. He and Chuck Yeager were best friends, with Carl actually testing the Sabre jet before Chuck. As a test pilot, he bailed out of a plane at very low altitude and lost sight in one eye due to the torque as he was ejecting. He then moved into training others on the ground. Carl was larger than life, owning a Fokker D-3 triplane (Von Richthofen ) at the age of 16, buzzing Princeton stadium during a game and getting ticketed. He had 2 Formula One race cars at 17. I rode his steam train like so many others, and we still have his hand-made train set within the family. Carl ate a porterhouse steak and a glass of ginger ale every day of his life! This man was larger than life.

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I am not a professional, but I have looked at the P-47, since I was a teenager. I was impressed with it's ability both to engage and survive in the European theater. I built a model of the P-47 D, and made some modifications that I thought would improve it's performance. It turns out that some of my ideas had already been thought of long before I was even born. My first thought of this particular model, the XP-72, is that if it had been hurried into service, it would have been devastating for the Germans and the war would have ended much quicker.

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Putting the monster P&W R-4360 "Wasp Major", the largest and most powerful radial piston engine ever to go into production, into a P-47 was the obvious next logical step in the development of the Thunderbolt. However, it appeared too late. The "Wasp Major" was also installed in the Vought F4U Corsair, but only 10 were built by Goodyear, as the F2G "Super-Corsair", before the project was cancelled due to the end of the war. They were also installed in the Superfortress, which was then re-designated "B-50", but those did not enter service until after WW-II was over. The engine was also used in a number of other post-war production aircraft.

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In response to Guy Stoye: I have read of one occurrence of this happening. Marine Lt. Bob Klingman of VMF-312 ripped into the tail of a Nick on May 10, 1945. There is a picture of him with his Corsair's damaged propeller on page 67 of Clear the Deck! I do suppose this could have happened more than once so he may truly have earned that nick name.

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Jack Bade info. this crazy damn thing won't let me put in the website. I used yahoo search and found his info on together we serve. don't go to that website directly since mostly a search for old buddies, but do a search and look for major jack bade with that website underneath. will give all the info. interesting!!

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you know I really find the xp-72 intresting not that it look anything like the p-47 but the fact that it runs on a r-4360 motor, and im a huge fan of the r-4360.

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flew in July 1944 with the intended Aeroproducts six-bladed contra-rotating propeller. The second aircraft, however, was lost on an early flight.

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When I was a carpenter on Fire Island, circa 1963, we were building a house for Jack Bade, test pilot for Grumman aviation as I was told. I never saw him but one day as we were working on the roof of his house, he roared low overhead, "having a look at progress".
I have since heard that he was killed but the story I got was that he was shot down by his own heat seeking missile. Probably inaccurate data.
I was also told that he was known as "Buzz-saw Bade", based on an account of his action in WW2, tearing the wing off of a Japanese plane with his propeller after running out of ammo.
Would love to know if there's any truth to that story

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Hi Pete,
I read your note about Carl Bellinger on the internet and wondered if you would be able to tell me a little more about him and when he passed away. He was my neighbor in Lloyd Harbor, NY in the 60's when I was a young teenager. I would visit him and get a tour of his small machine shop in the den of the house and get a ride on the steam train which he built along with a miniature track which circled his house. I also remember his maroon Jaguar coupe and how well he took care of the car. As a boy I had no idea he was a well regarded test pilot.
Regards,
David Reina
Brooklyn, NY

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