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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0326.PDF
334 A Taste of the Talon ... FLIGHT, 16 Mfl/r/t 1961 per cent r.p.m., oil pressure, tailpipe temperature, nozzle position,fuel flow and fuel remaining. The layout was very neat and uncluttered. After I had plugged into the oxygen system and checked that itwas working correctly, Hank adjusted the rudder pedals for me. Pulling out a handle attached to a cable in the centre of the consoleallows the pedals to come aft; releasing the cable then locks them in the desired position. Ejection procedure was explained next,although it was comforting to know that in over 2,000hr of test flying with the T-38 there has never been any need to make use ofit. Ejection procedure is simple—pull the feet back against the seat, elbows into the guards, pull the seat arms up, and pull either of thetwo triggers exposed. The seat fires 0.3sec after the canopy, and can be used at ground level. A canopy breaker is provided abovethe seat in case the canopy fails to jettison. Satisfied that I was ready, Hank then proceeded to climb into thefront cockpit, which is normally occupied by the student. Both cockpits are identical, apart from certain air-conditioning andpressurization controls which are located in the front cockpit only. The interior is extremely roomy and very clean, and 1 had ampleroom for my cameras and equipment. Looking forward I could just see the top of Hank's head, and the forward view from therear cockpit was superb. Hank started the right engine; when the r.p.m. reached 10 percent from the ground air supply, the throttle was set to the idle position (47 per cent r.p.m.). The left engine was then started andthe ground hose disconnected. After checking speed brakes, flight controls and the flight-trim switch, the pilot waved the chocksaway and applied 75 per cent r.p.m. to start taxying. Flaps were set at the 45 per cent position (100 per cent movement is 44) andwe turned through 180 on to the taxi strip. Hank had received permission to take off on Runway 22, 7,000ftdistant, and he said "OK, now you steer her out." I found the Talon easy to steer by the nosewheel, though the pedal forcerequired was a little on the high side. As we taxied out, he asked me to check the rear canopy, which is counterbalanced and manuallyoperated. Satisfied that both canopies were operating and locked correctly. Hank said "I will show you how fast we can acceleratethe engines on the ground." First the left J85, and then the right- hand engine was opened up from 47 per cent, each taking 5sec toreach military power. The Take-off I had already found that the intercom was by far the clearest1 had ever used, a particularly good point for a trainer. Eventually we arrived at the end of the runway, and lined up with its 12,000ftstretched in front of us. The flight-trim switch was actuated to set the horizontal stabilizer [tailplane—Ed] in the take-off position;full military power was applied with the brakes on, and as the brakes came off both afterburners were cut in. The resultingacceleration was phenomenal, for production J85-5 engines are now producing nearly 4,0001b with afterburning. Nosewheelsteering was disengaged as the rudder became effective at 70kt, and with a backward pull on the stick at 135kt we lifted off at about the2,300ft mark, retracting the gear immediately, followed by the flaps, so as not to exceed the limiting speeds (240kt for gear and300kt for flaps). No trim change was noticeable in either case. Hank held the Talon down at about 60ft and let it gather speeduntil we were doing 450kt at the end of the runway. The stick came back for a 2g pull-up, and we climbed at about 50 straight upto 45,000ft. The Machmeter read over 0.9 during the climb, and the initial rate of climb was greater than 30,000ft/min. This rate ofclimb is exceptional for a trainer, and should help pilots to accustom themselves to modern fighter performance. As mentioned in thefirst paragraph, we went supersonic at 45,000ft, and then decelerated with afterburners off. Thanks to the efficiency of the cabin condi-tioning, we were comfortably warm and, with the 5 lb/sq in pressure differential, breathing was comparatively easy. Hank declared "I'll show you how she rolls," and he pushed thestick over for a left roll at about 200L/sec. The nose went round smoothly with no roll-coupling or deviation from the line of flight.He then said: "OK, you can now fly her down to 36,000ft and turn to the east." 1 found the aircraft response extremely positive, butwithout any apparent pilot-induced oscillations. Turns at M0.8 are made wholly on the ailerons, and the aircraft flies itself whereverit is placed on the attitude director. The low fuel consumption was pointed out to me, fuel flow being about 700 lb/hr to each engine. After we had descended to 36,000ft, Hank announced "OK, nowwe'll see how she accelerates straight and level," and applied max power. Slightly slowly at first, then really beginning to wind up atabout M0.94, we slipped past Ml with only the needle to show that it had happened. There was no change in trim, feel of the stick orcabin noise. We accelerated up to Ml.25, well past the guaranteed specification figure of 1.22; then it was afterburners off, power back, lTht instrument panel layout . . . with the new integrated instruments . . . was very neat and uncluttered" variable-position speed brakes full down (50 per cent), and weslowed to 200kt and cut the left engine. Hank warned "I am going to drop the landing gear with the manual handle" (alternatesystem on the left upper side of the panel). The gear came down and locked—right, left, then nose—and the noise level rose con-siderably. Then, with left engine windmilling, its hydraulic pump supplying the pressure for the landing-gear and utility systems,"gear up" was selected. All units came up and locked quickly, despite the fact that we only had windmilling pressure. Verynoticeable was the almost complete absence of any directional trim change, or of any alteration in control feel. Hydraulic pressurefrom either engine will operate all controls normally, a considerable safety feature. We had flown through some clear air turbulence at 36,000ft, andlooking aft at the small wings noticed that they shivered slightly, with a barely noticeable shake in the cockpit. Visibility aft isextremely good; one can see almost the whole of either wing. We then dived to 12,000ft and circled over the northern part of Mojave.in the desert, and received permission to make a practice ILS touch-and-go to check some of the instrumentation, as this was onlyTF-603"s fourth flight. Coming straight in to Palmdale the high rate of sink with flapsdown was very noticeable, again simulating modern fighters. Gear was lowered at 200kt and there was again an immediate increase innoise. At 175kt buffeting began, due to gear extension and full flap, and became quite noticeable (but not unacceptably so) at 155ktover the fence. Gear was then selected up, and we accelerated away. Engine response was extremely fast, and we were soon at 12,000ftagain. Although we had been airborne for over 40 min, we still had5001b of fuel on each side. But time was pressing, and we came in again, this time making a normal traffic approach at 35Okt, andusing the speed brakes to slow us to 240. Landing gear was selected down, and flaps lowered to 45 per cent. We turned on to final at170kt and lowered flaps to 100 per cent. We crossed the fence at 150kt this time, and touched at 135kt with the nose held up. Wetouched right wheel first, and the stiff leg smoothly absorbed the high rate of sink. The advantage of the wide track became obviousas the aircraft set down very firmly. Braking was even and smooth and our roll was about 3,000ft. We then retracted flaps, taxied inand opened the canopies. I restored the seat safety pin, and its companion for the canopy-jettison handle, unhooked my maskand tried to summarize my experience. Briefly, the outstanding features are the astonishing accelerationand fantastic rate of climb, exceptional handling qualities through- out the speed range, wonderful visibility and safety. All-in-all, nremarkable little aeroplane representing, in my opinion, a genuine breakthrough in the aerodynamic art. The T-38 seems assured of •:>long service life in the US Air Force; and could well become • • best-seller abroad, as it makes an ideal stepping-stone to curren'M2 aircraft.
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