Above and Beyond: The Unhappy Bottom Riding Club

Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine ^ | 3/01/2010 | Norvin C. Evans

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Those of us in flight test at California’s Edwards Air Force Base in 1959 accused the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter production engineers of turning the designer’s drawings upside down. The wings of most aircraft employed dihedral—they were set at a slightly upward angle—but the F-104’s wings angled in the opposite direction; the horizontal stabilizer and elevator sat atop the vertical stabilizer instead of below it; and the ejection seat fired down instead of up.We could recover from the spin that resulted from the aircraft pitching up uncontrollably when it stalled,which was due to the T-tail configuration, but most pilots who used the Stanley C-1 downward seat ejection system didn't’t live to complain about it. Twenty-one had died in downward ejection seat accidents, including, in 1958, X-2 and X-15 test pilot Ivan Kincheloe.

The seat required the pilot to wear metal “spurs” on the heels of his flight boots, thus earning an F-104 pilot the nickname “Cowboy.” The spurs had slotted receptacles that the pilot slipped over steel balls at the base of the seat’s foot rest. The balls were anchored to cables on the seat that automatically pulled the pilot’s boots against the base of the seat so that when he ejected, he could safely clear the aircraft in one piece.

[musicman]

Had to check to see if it was a Barney Frank or Lindsey Graham thread.

BFLR & BTTT !!

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

[pbear8]

Hey, that was Cousin Pancho’s place!

[Tawiskaro]

Fascinating essay. Thanks for posting.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Yep

[muir_redwoods]

Totally random observation:

"Twenty-one had died in downward ejection seat accidents, including, in 1958, X-2 and X-15 test pilot Ivan Kincheloe."

Actor, Ivan Dixon played Kincheloe on Hogan's Heroes"

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[Paladin2]

No wonder W was labeled a cowboy.

[Paladin2]

"March 01, 2010"?

Back to the Future.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Smithsonian is publishing this article for March

[Seven plus One]

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

[SZonian]

The seat required the pilot to wear metal “spurs” on the heels of his flight boots, thus earning an F-104 pilot the nickname “Cowboy.” The spurs had slotted receptacles that the pilot slipped over steel balls at the base of the seat’s foot rest. The balls were anchored to cables on the seat that automatically pulled the pilot’s boots against the base of the seat so that when he ejected, he could safely clear the aircraft in one piece.

Same as in the U-2S model built in the '80's.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

A tradition was started when Pancho’s friend formed during Mexican hunting and fishing expeditions, Chuck Yeager, broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 — Pancho gave him a free steak dinner. After that, pilots were given a free steak dinner when they broke the barrier for their first time.

[vbmoneyspender]

bookmark

[spodefly]

F104s always looked like jet powered lawn darts to me.

[DariusBane]

They aught to have made the engineering team that designed that thing fly it.

[doorgunner69]

Good stuff, have not got that issue yet..............

[Former War Criminal]

I hear Steve Ritchie is flying a 104 these days.