ORIGINAL: johng5155
Northrop F-89D Scorpion. I have an Air Force reference book on post-WWII fighters that says "...the low-slung engine on the F-89 earned a reputation as the "world's largest vacuum cleaner" by picking litter from the runway. A vagrant piece of metal, on several occasions, was sucked into the engine inlets, causing disintegration of the the compressor blades. Pieces of the compressor then destroyed the remainder of the engine. Inlet screens were an answer of sorts, although it was discovered that at extremely high altitudes the inlet screen could become completely clogged with ice."
The Russians came up with the best solution for that problem IMO. Some of the last Soviet designs had a taxi inlet that opened on the top of the fuselage. In preparation for flight, the taxi vent closed and the regular intake was used.
Bill
