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N AVAL AVIATION NEWS |
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TIGER TAILS Published in the September 1974 issue of Naval Aviation News |
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Two F-11 Tigers that once bore the markings of the Blue Angels are at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md., in support of a seven-month program to evaluate the tactical use of an inflight thrust reverser. The No. 1 airplane is equipped with a thrust reverser that can turn 100 percent forward thrust into 50 percent thrust in the opposite direction in 1.5 seconds. The "breaking device" has a number of tactical applications which the Test Center will evaluate. Lt. Dave Palmer, project officer, says the inflight thrust control could affect an aircraft's tactical maneuvering, dive angles for ordnance release, glide-slope control and infrared suppression capability. The thrust reverser was manufactured by Rohr Industries under a NavAirSysCom program. Grumman configured the Tiger for the test work and flew the initial hops to establish a basic envelope within which the Navy pilots would work. The only visible difference between the two F-11s is a 33-inch extension of the tail section on No. 1 (BuNo 141853). The No. 2 (BuNo 141824) aircraft, a chase plane, appears much as it did when it was an Angel aircraft. |
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Both these aircraft were with the Blue Angels and are on display now to see were go to the GHOSTS OF THE PAST WHERE ARE THEY NOW there is an F11 section. |
