[Leica] IMG: Airplanes - relatives of the Vulcan

[jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)]

Larry,

I well recall when we tested various versions of the B-70 engine/inlet 
system in the Arnold Center 16-ft Supersonic Propulsion Wind Tunnel.  It, 
and similar tests of the F-111 engine/inlet system, were probably some of 
the most complex wind tunnel tests ever accomplished, both in hardware, and 
in operational challenges to the facilities.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lawrence Zeitlin" <lrzeitlin at gmail.com>
To: "Leica LUG" <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 1:43 PM
Subject: [Leica] IMG: Airplanes - relatives of the Vulcan


>* Peter Dzwig's pictures of the Vulcan flyby bring back many long 
>suppressed
> memories.*
>
> * Before I entered the ivy covered halls of academia, I spent 15 years in
> the military/industrial complex working on futuristic aircraft that,
> thankfully, were never used in combat. In fact all were cancelled before
> they became operational. Some never even flew. I didn't take any of the
> pictures. While not quite Area 51 stuff, all the projects were so secret
> that I couldn't come within a mile of the base with a camera.*
>
> * The CF 105 Arrow was a Mach 2 fighter built by Avro of Canada. It was
> intended to patrol the desolate frozen wastes of the Canada tundra and 
> shoot
> down Russian bombers coming across the North Pole. The plane was built and
> five prototypes flown and deemed a great success. Aviation experts 
> declared
> the CF 105 to be the most advanced aircraft flying. Then in the late '50s,
> the Canadian government changed, the plane was felt to be too expensive, 
> and
> all prototypes, tooling, and engineering drawings were scrapped to prevent
> reestablishing the program. The USA received sites for the Dew Line radar
> stations in return for agreeing to defend the Canadian homeland. By a
> curious quirk of fate when we bought our home in upstate NY, my next door
> neighbor had been the project director of the Avro CF-105 in Canada, while 
> I
> was a Senior Scientist at the RCA Airborne Systems Lab in charge of much 
> of
> the electronics for the plane.*
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/CF+105+Arrow.jpg.html
>
> * The XB 70 Valkyrie was a Mach 3 bomber intended for high altitude
> penetration raids of the Soviet Union. It embodied all the latest 
> airframe,
> engine, and electronic technology of the late '50s. Two prototypes were
> actually built. One crashed on a photo shoot when a chase plane collided
> with the bomber. The other lived a long and fruitful life as a high 
> altitude
> research aircraft after the cancellation of the program. ICBMs could do 
> the
> penetration job cheaper and quicker. It now resides at the USAF Museum 
> near
> Dayton, OH. I was in charge of the electronic countermeasures on this
> bomber. It wasn't a stealth airplane by any means but had all sorts of 
> means
> of fooling and spoofing radar.*
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/XB+70+Valkyrie.jpg.html
>
> * The XF 108 Rapier fighter was intended to accompany the XB 70 on its
> missions, an unnecessary task since the bomber was faster and had a longer
> range. The XF 108 program was cancelled after several years because no one
> could find a military justification for such an expensive fighter. The 
> plane
> never was built. The effort was not entirely useless since the research
> ended up enhancing the design of several aircraft which became 
> operational.*
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/XF+108+Rapier.jpg.html
>
> * The X 20 Dynasoar was a space glider, to be boosted into orbit by an 
> ICBM
> type rocket. It should have been capable of gliding around the earth, 
> making
> observations, and possibly releasing atomic weapons as it went. The 
> Dynasoar
> had the ability to alter its course in flight and could choose its target
> area and landing site. The original concept of a space glider came from
> German rocket scientists during WW2. The glider, boosted into orbit by a
> rocket would skip across the atmosphere like a stone across the water,
> gliding from Germany to drop bombs on New York. The Germans made no
> provision the return flight or for re-entry. The Dynasoar was never built,
> for a variety of reasons, but became the inspiration for the Space 
> Shuttle.*
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Dynasoar+_X+20_.jpg.html
>
> **
>
> *Larry Z*
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>