From: bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Al Bowers)
Subject: Re: SR-71 / MIG-25
Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal.
	<lg5b6rINNrtl@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM>
	<1992Nov13.165451.12439@cbnews.cb.att.com>
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 20:30:45 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.165451.12439@cbnews.cb.att.com> watk@cbnews.cb.att.com (e.l.watkins) writes:

>Geoff Miller writes:

>>Until I read this, I'd always assumed that the Streak Eagle was returned 
>>to a standard configuration and passed along anonymously to a squadron
>>as just another F-15.  After all, I take it that this wasn't an extra 
>>airframe built for the sole purpose of breaking performance records, but 
>>an airplane diverted from the regular production run.

No, the Streak Eagle was not a `pre-'production aircraft.  It was
removed from the production line and had many modifications made to
it, that later negated its being returned to operational service.  The
panels were chemically etched to reduce weight (no need for a 2000
hour fatigue life), also a special battery operated hydraulic system
was installed (flameout occurs at 60 som odd thousand feet on the way
up due to overspeed, and no egines = no conventional hydraulics).  All
fire control systems were deleted for reduced weight.  Also a special
hold-back device was built and installed to allow the aircraft to come
to full AB before releasing the aircraft to fly.

>The Streak Eagle was 1 of many pre-production Eagles built for testing
>and training. The same goes for the A-10 at the Air Force Museum.
>Its also true for the Navy's Blue Angels, they fly pre-production F/A-18s.

No, the Blue Angles do not fly the preproduction FSD (Full Scale
Development) aircraft.  There were only 8 FSD aircraft.  Three of them
no longer fly.  One of these was canabalized, one was used as an `Iron
Bird' for systems evaluation and the third was crashed near Edwards
Air Force Base, California.  Of the remaining five, one is modified
into the current HARV aircraft with thrust vectoring, and three single
seaters and the two seater are being used by NASA as their safety
chase aircraft.

The Blue Angel aircraft are stock F-18s with special mods that prevent
them from being used in operational squadrons (all mods in the control
system to work around the pitch stick integrator).  None of them ever
make it back to the fleet as their fatique life is gone by the time
the Blue Angels are done with them (one of them is the F-18 that gets
used in the 80x120 foot wind tunnel at Ames Research Center for tunnel
testing).

The reason I happen to know all this is that I am the lead aero on the
NASA F-18 HARV program, and I am pretty intimate with the F-18 program
and its development over the years.  I may be remiss in a couple of
small details, but the bulk of this message is substantially correct
(and I can provide references to interested parties)...
--
"But the fact that a 1938 touring bodied Alfa Romeo I once had is
worth $1 million sometimes bothers the hell out of me.  It's a
personal problem."                                     -Phil Hill
Al Bowers                                 bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov
Iaido   Takamine   Hobie   Rossignol   Alfa Romeo  Ducati (DOD #900)
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