cfiaime@ihnp4.UUCP (Jeff Williams) (07/30/85)
The F-104 rate of climb story got me thinking... Many years ago, when the Lear 23 was still in prototype stage, the following happened (as embelished through the years). The Lear 23 has a better initial rate of climb than an F-100, which at the time was considered THE fighter for mortal man. (It was the first fighter that could routinely break mach 1.) Enter our hero, the Lear 23. An early one had some problems and put down at an Air Force base. After being repaired, the crew took off and climbed out in typical Lear fashion. Tower: Lear 23GL, do you always climb out that quickly? 23GL: No sir, normally we use both engines. The Lear 23 was a small, fast, and comfortable airplane. I am sure that everyone knows how the FAA crashed and burned Serial #1 just hours before it was to leave for the Reading (Pa.) Airshow, and Bill Lear flew Serial #2 to the show, proving that the airplane was viable. (That crash moved certification UP several weeks because the FAA was quite embarrased about the crash.) Did you know that the early Lears used surplus instruments? The attitude gyros were somewhat unreliable. Many crews took the placard from the turn coordinator and placed it on the attitude gyro. The placard? "No Pitch Information." If you really want, I will tell you the one about the Chicken Gun... jeff williams AT&T Bell Laboratories ihnp3!cfiaime