Lockheed NF 104A Aerospace Trainer

[Music] in September 196 62 the third of three Air Force f-104a star Fighters was delivered to Burbank to be modified into the nf14 a world's first Aerospace flight trainer just as the t33 t- bird provided operational transition from propeller-driven aircraft to jet power the nf14 mission is to provide operational transition from man fighters to man spacecraft it will be the first aircraft in which the pilot can both take off and land in a conventional Manner and still experience space flight changes in the external configuration have been incorporated into wind tunnel models for aerodynamic evaluation an instrumented nose boom has been added the plastic nose cone has been replaced by a metal one the air Inlet cone has been redesigned and the tail section has been modified to accommodate a throttle controlled rocket engine and the TF 104g vertical tail since early 1962 wind tunnel testing of the Aerospace trainer design has been underway it has been tested in the 0.9 to Mach 1 range at NASA's ases laboratory here at Lock's Research Center in New Hall California the model has been tested in the supersonic tunnel at speeds up to Mach 2.4 these tests have shown that the rocket pod fairing has no appreciable effect on directional or long itudinal stability on August 17th 1962 Air Force pilots from the Aerospace research pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base inspected the model and observed testing as a scheduled part of their training these select experimental test pilots are being trained to both participate and instruct in space programs they undergo an intensive academic course closely integrated with flying this group of Pilots will be the first to fly the Aerospace trainer and then subsequently conduct training programs for future space Crews using the nf14 a as the primary aircraft in the curriculum while aerodynamic characteristics were being determined detailed designs for the internal modifications were being completed the existing power plant the j79 d3a will be replaced by the- 3B the selected rocket engine is the lr1 12- na-1 which is throttle controlled and delivers 6,000 lb of thrust with strictly tactical equipment and systems removed modification involves the installation of components peculiar to the Aerospace trainer just forward of the inlet ducts two hydrogen peroxide tanks will supply the oxidizer for the rocket engine they are connected in series and are pressurized by nitrogen in the nose cat a smaller tank will provide hydrogen peroxide for the reaction control system it is pressurized by its own nitrogen bottle a battery will provide auxiliary electric power and bottled nitrogen will maintain cockpit pressurization after jet engine flameout electrical and electronic equipment will include radio if and radar Beacon as well as stability augmentation for both aerodynamic and reaction controls instrumentation includes an automatic Observer and a cigraph recorder and additional specialized flight and engine instruments the X15 reaction control system has been modified and adapted for use in the Aerospace trainer it operates on hydrogen peroxide pressurized by nitrogen eight reaction Motors in the nose will provide pitch and yaw control and two Motors in each wing tip will provide roll control the reaction system will be operated by a a separate controller located on the instrument panel the Aerospace training flight is designed to provide specific pilot experiences the rocket boost phase will provide experience in the operation of a throttle controlled rocket engine during the ballistic portion of the flight the pilot will shift to reaction controls while in this area he will operate for nearly a full minute under zero g conditions The Descent involves re-entry simulation with the Final Phase providing experience in normal Landings starting from Edwards Air Force Base the flight will begin with the initial climb out and the start of acceleration after reaching Mack 2 and climbing to 40,000 ft the pilot will then ignite the rocket engine and make a 3G pullup at 80,000 ft the turbine will flame out and the pilot will shift to reaction control and will experience the Zerg low Q phase at 116,000 FT hydrogen peroxide depletion results in Burnout of the rocket engine let down and re-entry is planned so that in the Final Phase with adequate fuel Reserve will be directly over Edwards Air Force Base thus completing a realistic simulation of a space mission by the end of September 1962 the three f104s were undergoing tear down and modification periodic inspections and Technical order compliances were being completed according to contract specifications during modification component mockups and tanks were being used while actual flight Hardware was being fabricated and assembled by October the cockpit mockup was near completion the first Air Force phase inspection resulted in recommendations for a final cockpit Arrangement modifications were made to the extent that engine instruments and Rocket instruments were grouped on separate panels the reaction controller was moved from the side of the cockpit to the instrument panel fabrication of the air Inlet duct cones for the three aircraft was completed incidentally these are the same type cones used on the f104 that set the world's altitude record of 103,000 395 ft in 1959 during this report period fabrication of the nose cone was begun templates were cut and layup was underway by the end of the month the plaster of the rocket pod fairing was near completion scheduled for the last week in October the rocket engine uses jp4 fuel from the main aircraft Supply with hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer since these propellants are hypergolic no ignition system is required it is capable of unlimited restart it is regeneratively cooled by hydrogen peroxide pum through the jacket in the double wall thrust chamber before being injected for combustion this rocket engine can be throttled from 50% to maximum thrust at any altitude the f104 Aerospace trainer will fill a dire need of today's Aerospace Pilots for an adequate training tool no new breakthroughs are involved the entire concept is being developed with standard systems and off-the-shelf items consequently the developer program is a relatively inexpensive one which will provide the much needed operational transition from man fighters to man spacecraft [Music]