30 June 1961 - The Black Vault

108
These pilots determined that lilodS-fica tlons on the produc t10n
engine iJYIProved s1gnificantly the af'terbuX'ner light and airstart
envelopes over the standard J engines tested previously,
Afterburn.er
11ghts~le!'e
possible to 220 knots at 50,000 feet and to
180 kndts at 40.;OQOfeet. Below 40~OOO feet, the afterburner
capa'clillty was satisfactory throughout the airframe enveldpe.
Alrstart was It'a1sed 2 , 000 to 3 .. 000 teet and \'Ias satlsf'actory at
60
30~000 f"eetaltitude .for allalrspeeds above 20Q knots. Although
thep1lo ts heldthenio~:l1tied engine in high pra,lse J a ne\-; de.flcl:ency
appea.!".ed s~emingly
as a. result of these IT.odlflcations.
Pilots no\,( experienced an engine stall and flameout when they
mov,ed the thl"Ottle fro~ cruise power sett·1ngs to military or
afterburner \.;hl1e under' cruise flight, condltions. This problem
recel'VedproIIi.pt attention 'py the Aeronautical Systems
Division (ASD) T-38A Project Offlce and General Electrlc. The
AFFTC was notified by ASD that a nel'J compressor which \'las
expected to eliminate the difficulty .,.;as undergOing test at
61
General Electric In September 1961.
F-I04n High Densi.t;i Fuel Range Test
Captain Theodore C. Freeman, USAF. and Captain Albert H.
Crews. USAF, \';ere project engineer and project pilot respectively
to determine range increase of an F-I04D when using rfI'.F 59-24
J-f.igh Dens!ty Fuel rather than Jp-4.
This test was performed, at
the AF'!?TC using F-I04D USAY S/N 57 -131 !~
and required 26 flylng
. i
60. Ibid, p. 19.
61. Ltr, H.': AF'FTC (FT.FE!)) to rust D.iv (FTNH), SubJ ; Inclusion
of Project Office Cor~ul',e ' nts, Ap,pendix L .
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