A collection of images to accompany “Pelican’s Perch #61: Test Pilot School.“
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Click the image for a much higher-resolution version, which will open in a new window. Note: CHUM (see lower right corner of chart)stands for Chart Update Manual. The CHUM has all the changes to the charts for new towers and obstructions, and comes out every month. These here are just planning charts for general briefings, and don’t need all the latest details, so they are not updated from the CHUM, and these warnings are placed on the charts as a reminder. |
Entrance to USAF Test Pilot School
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This aircraft is one of three NF-104s, a special version made for the TPS. Inaddition to the monster engine installed, there was an additional rocket engine(or engines) for special tests. This is the type that once held the altituderecord, and one was lost when Chuck Yeager exceeded the test parameters and wentinto a violent spin, from which he was forced to eject. |
More Photos of John and the T-6 (a.k.a. SNJ-4)
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Yellow Peril
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Instructor’s Position
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Student’s Cockpit Left Side
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Student’s Cockpit Right Side
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Student’s Cockpit Lower Left Side
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Instructor’s View (or lack thereof?)
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“Kilroy was here.”
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Full-Face Kilroy, first time ever.
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Only the oldest readers will catch the meaning of this WWII saying, and it’s beyond the scope of this column to explain it.
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