NF-106B (N816NA) showing several of the 714 lightning strikes it incurred during 1,496 thunderstorm penetrations over 6 years at NASA’s Storm Hazards Program to study the effects of lightning strikes on aircraft. In 1984 it was struck 72 times in a period of 45 minutes while flying at 38,000 feet.
I used to love watching these Delta Darts taking off at Osan AB when they used their single stage afterburners! (1969)
ReplyDeleteWhat a gig for a pilot. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThere was a squadron out of Tyndall in Panama City Fl. back in the 80's....I was flying along the beach in a Cessna 172 once when a flight of four took off and climbed past me like I was standing still....interesting factoid.....I was doing a job at Pensacola NAS and gad gotten permission to fly in there....it was kind of cool taxing past a flight of A4 Skyhawks and having the pilots salute on my way to the runway....funny stuff....
ReplyDeleteIf you can find the test pilot's stories about flying those "strike me" missions, read them. Quite a job.
ReplyDeleteI designed avionics for a living. That research was invaluable.
I'm surprised that pilots with balls that big could get into that aircraft.
ReplyDelete...and considering they were made of solid brass, maybe helps explain what attracted all those strikes.
DeleteWhen I was a kid in Sault Sainte Marie, MI in the late 50s and early 60s Kinross (Kincheloe) AFB was about 15 miles south of us. It was a SAC B-52 base and also had Air Defense Command F-102 and later (I believe) F-106 fighter aircraft. We heard sonic booms almost daily. Good times.
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