Introduction & Configuration
The website is dedicated to the AeroSpace
Trainer and its design mission, as it was
intended to perform for training of test pilots
under the conditions that prevail outside the
aerodynamic region of flight. In consideration
of austerity, the configuration of the AST was
that of a standard F-104A Lockheed Starfighter,
with a great many modifications for the unique
space flight.
Unfortunately, all the published
information, including this AST Partial Flight
Manual (PFM) specifically excluded maximum zoom
information and all data outside the very
restricted limits, as directed by the Yeager
Accident Board. It reflected only the results
of the tests flown by test pilot Robert Smith
after those limitations were established. It
also reflects changes in the aircraft that were
directed, and not used for any maximum zooms.
For the purpose of understanding the
intended use of the AST, maximum zoom mission,
much of the performance data of PFM are
inadequate and other changes are necessary to
PFM to relate the max zoom missions.
Systems Summary: (Refer Partial Flight Manual
pgs. 1-8 thru 1-27)
The AST Center of Gravity was at minus five
percent (-5%) of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord
(MAC), when fully serviced for zoom takeoff and
would move aft to between 24 to 26 on maximum
zooms, as jet fuel and H2O2 oxidizer were
depleting. The designers eliminated a problem
during the critical space period by canting the
line of attachment (nose down) on the rocket
motor installation, so that as the fuel and
oxidizers were used and the center of gravity
moved, the rocket was thrusting through the c.g.
at burn-out of the rocket motor, thus no sudden
pitch change would result. Pitch effects at
light up were unnoticeable doing 2.2 Mach at
35,000 feet, so the design trade off was a wise
safety consideration.
Cockpit Summary: (Refer:
Partial Flight Manual pgs. 1-1 thru 1-7)
The attitude indicator was an All Attitude
Reference System, AARS, derived by one
significant change to a Navy instrument, similar
to Air Force standard. Due to Navy use of
instrument landing system (ILS) for carrier
approaches in weather, they superimposed ILS
needles on the attitude indicator to provide a
single instrument for attitude and direction.
The standard AARS provided roll, pitch and
heading indications from its 360 degree
gyroscopic ball and had two perpendicular
needles superimposed to provide ILS commands for
heading (vertical) and glide path (horizontal).
To modify the AARS to their purpose Lockheed
designers merely connected the vertical needle
to a large vertical wind vane on the extended
nose-boom (pitot tube) and the horizontal needle
to a horizontally oriented vane. With this
nifty mod they replaced ILS with yaw and angle
of attack in lieu of glide path and slope,
respectively. That one gage, off the shelf,
provided all four references required for zoom
attitude: The Pitch and Roll indicators and the
Angle of Attack and Yaw commands. The angle of
attack command represented by the horizontal
needle was controlled by a switch, which allowed
a pilot to select one of 3 null alphas for
guidance position on various profiles, thus
allowing the pilot to correct toward the needle,
until centered, like ILS approaches. Likewise
the zero yaw position was directed by position
of the vertical needle at center. |