Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 05-10-2014 12:30 AM               

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Pilots Bill Dana, John Manke and Cecil Powell pose in front of the M2-F3 lifting body after Manke made flight M-43-58 on December 20, 1972. It was the last flight for the M2-F3. Dana died May 6 at age 83.

Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 05-10-2014 02:07 AM               

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A fitting tribute to a great guy.

Nice going, Ed.

Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 05-13-2014 03:41 PM               

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Nice that the lifting-body 'wingless' test pilots are getting their due as important precursors of shuttle.

Interesting that these aircraft were the 'go-to' subjects of novels and a TV series in the 1970s: Martin Caidin's novel 'Cyborg' (where a lifting body was referred to as the 'M3-F5'), and which later was the basis of the series Six Million Dollar Man (the crash of an M2-F2 in 1967 was used in the opening credits).

In a later episode of the series, the lifting body that crashed with the title character aboard was referred to as the 'HL-10'.

Posts: 179
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009