North American F-107
North American needed a way to keep their F-100 Super Sabre production lines open so they sucked on the nuclear budget teat deeply with the F-107.
North American F-100 Super Sabre
With the Cold War well into play and fighter aircraft getting faster North American,the company that brought you the P-51 and B-25 Mitchell, saw a need for a Mach 2 interceptor. They also saw a need to stretch out the production lines making the F-100 Super Sabre. To accomplish they decided to radically update the F-100 Super Sabre design
North American F-107
To fulfill a published need for a Mach 2 capable nuclear missile carrying fighter jet they thought outside the box. Now there are several things about this aircraft of note but we will focus on just one with intake up on top. It made for a very unique look to the aircraft.
The intake was placed on top to take it out of the rocket wash from the launch of a nuclear missile. It was an effective solution although I question what would have happened to that arrow like nose in production. With larger radars going into production it would have gotten more bulbous.
North American F-107
In the end it lost the competition to the F-105 Thunderchief and was never put into production. It would not be North American’s swan song but the end was coming close. Before merging with Republic Aviation they would go on to create one of the most magnificant aircraft of the last 60 years with the B-70 Valkyrie.
So crew ejection in the F-107 was downward, right…?
I'm thinking you really, really confirm the canopy is closed before you start up.
Nope it was upward. Which leads to something I noticed i neglected in that write up. This aircraft never got an official name. So the company called it the Super or Ultra Sabre (note the title). The pilots called it the Man Eater for the reason you stated.
I was just watching a vid over on Brand X about the only pilot who ejected at plus mach and survived. If you had to punch out of this beast at plus mach 2, getting eaten by the engine might be a mercy.
Looked for that story and found this. Not an ejection, but rather a disintegration that one crewmember survived due more to luck than anything else. At Mach 3+.
http://www.flightjournal.com/blog/2011/09/28/mach…
That's a great story, thanks for the link. The wind forces at those speeds are hard to believe.
Did you find the other story over on Jalop?
Even better: http://www.ejectionsite.com/insaddle/insaddle.htm
Apparently it had a side stick, very F-16-ish. With all that vertical surface on the fuselage ahead of the CG and CP, flight departures (post stall) must have been sporty.
Sporty. I like sporty.
Threadjack alert: I visited the Valle, AZ chapter of Planes of Fame this afternoon and got a tour of General Doug Mc's Constellation. They also have a flying Grumman F3F and Beech Staggerwing, among many other amazing things. Great find in the middle of nowhere! (Canyon Shmanyon!)
I've been looking things on their website. Did you put the pictures up somewhere?
No, I'm still in Tusayan, AZ with not enough tech or signal.