Posted on 06/01/2006 11:16:01 AM PDT by BenLurkin
PALMDALE - An F-104 jet fighter that once served flight test duty at Edwards Air Force Base is coming home, but with a much different purpose.
The North American Eagle, built from the F-104 fuselage, is a jet-engine-powered car intended to break the world's land speed record.
The vehicle will be on display Saturday at the Plant 42 Heritage Airpark before the team sets out for test runs at El Mirage Dry Lake next week.
The free viewing is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the airpark on Avenue P just east of 20th Street East. Members of the project team will be on hand to greet visitors and talk about their vehicle and the record-breaking attempt.
The North American Eagle team plans to attempt to break the world land speed record by racing their vehicle to 800 mph. The current world record is 763 mph - Mach 1.02 - set by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green in 1997.
The all-volunteer project is the brainchild of co-owners Ed Shadle and Keith Zanghi , who feel it is a matter of national pride to bring the record back to American soil.
The team has been working on the project for nearly 10 years, putting in time on weekends and vacations while they pursue their own careers, Shadle said.
Their vehicle is built from the fuselage of a supersonic F-104 Starfighter that was once part of the Edwards flight test fleet and used as a chase plane for the X-15. According to the North American Eagle team, the fighter was piloted by such notables as Chuck Yeager, William J. "Pete" Knight and Joe Engle.
They chose the F-104 specifically for its pencil-like shape, designed for speed.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
Somehow reusing an old airframe for something it was not intended to do seems more than a little crazy. Richard Noble had a lot of engineering behind his attempts before they took the record.
Can't see the jet, can you post a larger pic?
Sure! Let me search around here, to see if I have the life-sized pic...
He better not try driving that in the car pool lane.
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