The Complete Book of Jets and Rockets

164 Pages·1957·18.144 MB·English

by  D. N. Ahnstrom

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I
AHNSTROM
by D. N.
Author of The Complete Book of Helicopters
WITH OVER 100 ILLUSTRATIONS

The Complete Book and
of Jets Rockets
Also by D. N. Ahnstrom
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF HELICOPTERS
i
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF
and
Rockets
Jets
BY D. N. AHNSTRCWI
1
THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY
CLEVELAND AND NEW YORK
PUB
>
Library ofCongress Catalog Card Number: 57-5894
Drawings by Alex Williams
AY
1
Copyright © 1957 by D. N. Ahnstrom. All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may
be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher,
except for briefpassages included in a review appearing in a newspaper or
magazine. Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica.
Typography and design by Lawrence S. Kamp
1
ACKNOWLEDG
\l I. N IS
As Hoi) Buck, Trans World Airlines < aptain, put it, "Ii look us twenty-five
years to go from a Kinnei Fleet to a jet and the jet's what we'd been looking
. . .
loi .ill the (ink .mil (lulu i know ii. Just one jet flight proved the same thing
to inc, also a Fleet flyei oi years back, and my thanks go to Lockheed Ain i.»1
Corporation lor introduction to the jet, and to Republic Aviation Corpora-
tion, Boeing Airplane Company, and Beech Aircraft Corporation for subse-
quent air jauntswhich emphasized ('aptain Buck's opinion and also provided
much of die inspiration for this book.
A particular debt ofgratitude is owed Republic's Leon Schloss, Lockheed's
Maggie Smith, Boeing's larold Mansfield and Gordon Williams, and Beech's
I
Phil McKnight and Jim Greenwood lor their help in putting together the jet
facts and photos.
Thanks also are due John limes ol Chance Vought Aire raft, [nc, Dick
Gottschall ofConvair Division of General Dynamics Corporation, Al Cline
of Northrop Aircraft, Lie., Lou Davis of Fairchild Engine Division, Al Smyser
of North American Aviation, Int., and Ned Benham of Pratt & Whitney
Aircraft, who came to the rescue when details were needed.
I also dip the wings in grateful salute to Walt Bonney of the National
Advisory Committee lor Aeronautics, to Randy Carpenter,Joe Chase, and
Jerry Ledererofthe Flight Safety foundation, to Vie Raeburn ofAir France,
\la\ Karant ofAircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Syd Carter ofTemco
Aircraft Corporation, and Jack Anderson of Marquardt Aircraft Company,
as well as Willard Kimm ofReaction Motors, Inc., for their especially help-
ful suggestions, and to Gordon Manson of Bell Aircraft Corporation for his
aid in highlighting the past and pinpointing the future of rocket-riding the
stratosphere.
Without the military's help, the book could not have been written, and so
supersonic thanks to Major Ben Fern of the Air Force, and Lieutenant Com-
manderJ. T. Bibby, Lieutenant H. Hetu, and Commander D. E. Poynter of
the Navy.
To Dr. Roland Spaulding of New York University, who kept the whole
"flight" straight and level,just as he did The Complete Book ofHelicopters which
I wrote in 1954, and to Harold Mehling who ferreted out so much, I owe
many thanks.
The wonderful co-operation of these and many others has made The
Complete Book ofJets and Rockets a lot offun to do.
D. N. Ahnstrom
PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
Page i, B-58 bomber: Convair Div. ofGeneral Dynamics Corp. Page 2, Nike missile: U.S. Army
Photo. Page 3 (center), Pilot wearingT-suit: U.S. Air Force Photo; (below), R.A.F. Meteorfighter:
British Information Services. Pages 6 and 116, Twin-jet Morane-Saulnier 760: Societe Morane-
Saulnier from Beech Aircraft Corp. Page 7, Regulus, Navy's unmanned aircraft: Chance Vought
Aircraft, Inc. Page 8, British Navy lighter, de Havilland 110: British Information Services. Page 9,
R.A.F. lighter, GlosterJavelin: British Information Services. Page 10, Terrier missiles test-fired by
U SS Mississippi: Official U.S. Navy Photo. Page 11,Gloster E28/39, first Britishjet to fly: British
Information Services. Page 17, Air France. Page 20, British Information Services. Page 22, F-80
lighter with ramjet engines: Lockheed Aircraft Co. Page 26, Marquardt Aircraft Co. Page 30,
Aviation Age. Page 31 (below), Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Div., United Aircraft Corp. Pages 34 and
35, Lockheed Aircraft Co. Page 37, P-59 Airacomet: Bell Aircraft Corp. Pages 38 and 40, British
Information Services. Page 43, Lockheed Aircraft Co. Page 44, Northrop Aircraft, Inc. Page 45,
B-52 bomber: Boeing Airplane Co. Page 48, North American Aviation, Inc. Page 49,Convair Div.
ofGeneral Dynamics Corp. Page 50, Lockheed Aircraft Co. Page 51, Glenn L. Martin Co. Page
52, British Information Services. Page 53, Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du
Sud-Est. Page 54, Department ofDefense Photo Page 55, de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd. Page 56,
Languepin "Son & Lumicre." Page 57, Boeing Airplane Co. Page 59, British Information Services.
Page 61, F-84FThundeistreaks: U.S. Air Force Photo. Page 65, Bell Aircraft Corp. Page67, Pres-
surized cockpit: Chance Vought Aircraft,.Inc. Page 69, Official U.S. Air Force Photos. Page 71
(left), Lockheed Aircraft Co.; (right), U.S. Air Force Photo. Page 75, Republic Aviation Corp.
Page 77, North American .Aviation, Inc. Page 78, Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc. Page 79, Flying-boom
refueling method: Boeing Airplane Co. Page 83, Flight Refueling, Inc. Page 84, Boeing Airplane
('(i Page 85, Convair Div. ofGeneral Dynamics Corp. Page 87, Launchingjet from aircraft car-
rier: Offii1.1I U S. Navv Photo Pages 89 and 91, Official U.S. Navy Photos. Page 93 (left), Glenn
L. Martin Co.; (right), U.S. Air Force Photo, Pages 94 and 96, Official U.S. Navy Photos. Page
97, Navy Cougar fighters: U.S. Navy Photo Page 98, Boeing Airplane Co. Page 104, Republic
AAivrieat1.i1Io1nC(olorPpagPeag1e12[0(5le,ft*),>lGh<riualmUm.aS.nNAairvcyraPfthoEton.giPnaegerein1g08,CoNrpa.v;y(jreitghttr)a,inUe.rS,.TA2iVr-1Fo:rcLeocPkhhoeteod.
Page 1 17 (lop), Continental Aviation \ Engineering Corp.; (below), Fairchild Engine Div., Fair-
child Engine & Airplane Corp. Page 119, Ronald A. Cole. Page 121, HonestJohn rocket: U.S.
Anns Photo, Page 124, Glenn L. Martin Co. Page 123, Official US. Navy Photo from Martin In-
formation Services Page 126 (left). Official U.S. Army Photo; (right). Official U.S. Navy Photo
from Chance Vought Aircraft, Iin Page 127, Fairchild Guided Missiles Div., Fairchild Engine &
Airplane Corp Page 129 (top), U.S. Army Photo; (below), Lockheed Aircraft Co. Page 133, Bell
Am rail Corp. Page 135, Bell X-2: Bell Aircraft Corp. Page 136, Convair Div. of General
Dynamics Corp. Page 141. Northrop Aircraft, Inc. Page 147 (top). Navy interceptor, F4D Skyray:
Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc. Page 160, Viking ioc.kct: Official U.S. Navy Photo.
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Contents
foreword by Jerome Lederei
i. Discovery ofJet Propulsion 1 1
2. Patterns of Propulsion 22
3. Born of Tempest 37
4. Nurtured for Peace 45
5. Problems of Propulsion (>i
6. Protection for the Pilot <>7
7. Filling Stations in the Sky 79
8. Slingshot Send-off 87
9. Flying aJet 97
10. How To Become aJet Pilot 108
1 1. Your PersonalJet Plane Il6
12. Age of Rockets 121
13. Desert Sands to Satellite.
STATISTICAL CHARTS 148