F101 Archives - Aviation Wings

‘On takeoff roll, an F-101 came upon our wing; he was going to race us whether we wanted to or not,’ Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft kept its title as the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft for approximately 24 years. It could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

It is therefore not surprising that the aircraft has consistently broken records for both speed and altitude due to its astounding flight qualities.

The following story is taken from Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, an SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer, unpublished book by Col. Richard (Butch) Sheffield titled “The Very First” (RSO).

‘Sometime, early in the program, in January 1967, I believe, we aborted and landed at Buckley Air National Guard (ANG) Base near Denver. The base was home to an F-101 squadron. The F-101 was an interceptor assigned to defend the US in case of war. The fighter community considered it a “hot” aircraft.

‘After we got out of our pressure suits and arranged for the take-off the next day, we went to the Officer’s Club wearing loaned flying suits and our white pressure suit boots. The fighter pilots who came around wanted to know all about our aircraft, like; how fast, how high, and the rate of climb. What they really wanted was to race us as we climbed out after takeoff. We declined all offers of information and races.

‘The next day, on takeoff roll, an F-101 came upon our wing; he was going to race us whether we wanted to or not. Apparently, the F-101 had been orbiting the field just waiting for our takeoff.

‘The SR could climb fast but was no match for the F-101 at those altitudes. He stayed right on our wing up to 25,000 feet where we leveled off to hit a tanker that we always did. About the time we leveled off, someone from the F-101 came on UHF and said, “You guys aren’t so hot.” So I replied, “How fast can you climb above 80,000 feet?” The F-101 made a quick exit.’

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Photo by U.S. Air Force

When an engine fire produced a strong oscillation of the fly-by-wire aircraft in July 1979 while Norman “Ken” Dyson was piloting Have Blue No. 2, he was forced to eject. Dyson survived the crash and went on to pilot the Northrop “Tacit Blue,” even though the jet was destroyed

Norman “Ken” Dyson, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) test pilot and civilian who is most known for his work on the experimental stealth aircraft “HavenBlue” and “Tacit Blue,” passed away on August 15, 2019, at the age of 81.

Dyson, according to Air Force Magazine, was a fighter pilot who later transitioned to test flying. He flew the F-100 and F-4 during the Vietnam War before returning to the Air Force as a test pilot. During this time, he conducted weapons development tests in the F-100, F-101, and F-4 as well as early F-15 test flights. He was appointed director of the Air Force’s top-priority combat aircraft program at the time, the F-15 Joint Test Force.

He started working on top-secret projects, such as the Lockheed “Have Blue” stealth demonstrator that served as the basis for the 1976 F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth attack jet. When an engine fire produced a dramatic oscillation of the fly-by-wire aircraft in July 1979 while Dyson was piloting Have Blue No. 2, he was forced to eject. Dyson survived the crash and went on to pilot the Northrop “Tacit Blue,” even though the jet was destroyed.

The ground-breaking Tacit Blue aircraft, which was constructed in the early 1980s in great secrecy, tested cutting-edge radar sensors and novel stealth technology.

Contrary to the faceted surfaces of the F-117 Nighthawk, Tacit Blue demonstrated that a stealthy aircraft could have curved surfaces, which had a significant impact on succeeding aircraft like the B-2. The design of Tacit Blue also reduced the heat signature given off by the engines, further masking their presence. Tacit Blue was aerodynamically unstable, but it had a digital fly-by-wire system to help control it.

Dyson flew the B-1 bomber through a large portion of its test program after retiring as a lieutenant colonel and starting working for Rockwell, which is now a part of Boeing. Additionally, Dyson piloted the X-31 demonstrator of enhanced fighter maneuverability. In order to collect data on the control in the post-stall flight domain, a multinational project with Germany to study the X-31’s post-stall flight was test-flown at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in the early 1990s. With the aid of cutting-edge flight control technology and thrust vectoring, which directs engine exhaust flow, the X-31 program successfully demonstrated the value of controllable flight at extremely high angles of attack.

In 1993, Dyson left Rockwell after serving as the company’s chief test pilot and director of flight tests. Dyson got the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Cross medals, nine Air Medals, and other decorations for his combat and test flying in the Air Force.

Dyson, a past president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, was also recognized as a distinguished alumnus of the USAF TestnPilot School, an Engineering Fellow of the University of Alabama, and a Distinguished Aerospace Engineering Alumnus of Texas A&M University.

When Have Blue and Tacit Blue (retroactive to 1982) were both declassified, Dyson earned the SETP’s Iven C. Kincheloe award, the highest distinction given by peers, in 1989 for his work on Have Blue and again in 1996 for Tacit Blue. He was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California, in 1997.

Norman “Ken” Dyson, the First Man to fly “Have Blue” and “Tacit Blue” Experimental Stealth Aircraft, Passed Away — The Tacit Blue aircraft was nicknamed “The Whale” for its unusual shape. Also, the single-engine intake on the top of the fuselage was reminiscent of a whale’s blowhole.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

Aviation stories, Aviation glories

F101

When a pilot of an F-101 once attempted to compete against an SR-71

‘On takeoff roll, an F-101 came upon our wing; he was going to race us whether we wanted to or not,’ Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer

The First Man to fly “Have Blue” and “Tacit Blue” Experimental Stealth Aircraft died

When an engine fire produced a strong oscillation of the fly-by-wire aircraft in July 1979 while Norman “Ken” Dyson was piloting Have Blue No. 2, he was forced to eject. Dyson survived the crash and went on to pilot the Northrop “Tacit Blue,” even though the jet was destroyed