Author
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Topic: Photo of the week 412 (September 15, 2012)
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heng44 Member Posts: 3387 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 09-15-2012 01:29 PM
Lifting body pilot Bill Dana discusses the flight program of the M2-F3 (seen in background) at the NASA Flight Research Center with Neil Armstrong,who was the NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at the time. The photo was taken in January 1970. Both men flew the X-15 at FRC during the 1960s. Ed Hengeveld |
Apollo Redux Member Posts: 346 From: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 09-17-2012 10:30 PM
Thanks for posting it. |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 09-18-2012 06:43 AM
Looks like the Northrop Lifting body aircraft that was shown in the opening credits of the "Six Million Dollar Man" TV-show. |
328KF Member Posts: 1234 From: Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 09-18-2012 07:24 AM
That is, in fact, the M2-F3 lifting body. It is the same test aircraft that was piloted by Bruce Petersen in the film sequence that was used in the TV series intro.Prior to the crash, the third vertical fin that you can see behind Neil's head had not yet been installed. Then known as the M2-F2, the aircraft had some poor stability characteristics which could lead to pilot-induced occillations. These handling issues led to the incident that badly damaged the vehicle and severely injured the test pilot. Bill Dana was involved in the lifting body test series, but the program was being flown after Neil had already tranferred to the manned space program. This aircraft now hangs in the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. |
albatron Member Posts: 2732 From: Stuart, Florida Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 09-18-2012 08:46 AM
In test flight circles, Bill Dana is certainly one of the most under sung and under appreciated test pilots, but certainly not amongst his peers.A photo pairing him with Neil is certainly well done - thanks Ed. Not only a prolific test pilot for the X-15 and Lifting Bodies, he has flown nearly everything else in the NASA inventory. If anyone wants to hear a funny story about Bill and his humility contact me off list. I've shared it a zillion times and don't want to bore folks with it here. |
Aztecdoug Member Posts: 1405 From: Huntington Beach Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 09-18-2012 03:22 PM
quote: Originally posted by albatron: If anyone wants to hear a funny story about Bill and his humility contact me off list. I've shared it a zillion times and don't want to bore folks with it here.
Never boring. |
Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 977 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-19-2012 08:42 AM
I agree, let's hear it. |
mikepf Member Posts: 441 From: San Jose, California, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 09-19-2012 10:49 AM
Me too...I'm in. Lets hear the story.
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drjeffbang Member Posts: 110 From: Virginia Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 09-19-2012 12:22 PM
Me three. These aircraft are so interesting. |
micropooz Member Posts: 1512 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 09-19-2012 06:46 PM
Al, please DO tell! |
albatron Member Posts: 2732 From: Stuart, Florida Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 09-19-2012 07:10 PM
OK if you insist:In 1999 I took my soon to be 18 year old son to Edwards (actually Lancaster) for the Gathering of Eagles by the flight Test Historical Foundation. The day after the event where I met Bill in person, my son and I went to Dryden. As we were walking around the X-15 (replica) on display, there was this obnoxious guy and his wife by the X-15. He was regaling his bored wife with "facts" about the X-15 (that were soooo far off base). Well here comes Bill back from the Commissary with some box lunches for he and the girls in the Public Affairs Office where he was doing some research. The guy flags him down and starts in "fella fella can you take our picture by the airplane". Bill and I were talking then, and he asks me to hold the lunches while he accommodates the guy. As he hands the camera back, he asks Bill if he knew anything about the X-15. Bill says why yes, I know some. The guy begins to lecture Bill and tells him as a NASA employee he should know ALL about the aircraft, and how it flew into space, was capable of going into orbit (it wasnt) and all these other ridiculous facts. Bill just smiled and thanked the man for the lesson. He takes the box lunches back, winks at us, shakes our hands and walks back in. The guy turned to me and said "your friend sure doesn't know much". I said well do you know who "my friend" was? The guy says no. I says well "my friend" was one of the 12 people who actually flew it, so I think he knows more about it than you do. He was rather embarrassed to say the least. |
Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 977 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-20-2012 09:37 AM
Thanks for this story. |
astroborg Member Posts: 200 From: Woodbridge, VA, USA Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-20-2012 07:28 PM
That is classic!Thanks for letting us in on the story! |
bwhite1976 Member Posts: 281 From: Belleville, IL Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 09-20-2012 08:52 PM
Great story. How big of an expert could he have been if he couldn't recognize the flight legend himself? Everytime I go to a museum I cringe at the other people explaining spacecraft ect. My ultimate would be Gemini 3 being described as Grissom's Mercury capsule. Dana is a man of real class. |