North American Eagle Project

The land speed record car

The North American Eagle Project is a jet-powered automobile that is intended to challenge the 763 mph (Mach 1.02) land speed record set by the ThrustSSC in 1997. It is a cooperation of Canadian and American engineers, pilots and mechanics. Their goal is 1,300 km/h (808 mph), or Mach 1.058.[1]

The vehicle

Length - 56 feet (17.07 m)

Weight - 13,000 lb (5,900 kg)

Chassis - F-104A-10 Starfighter with North American Eagle design suspension and systems integration.

Powerplant

Engine - General Electric LM - 1500 Turbojet (a variation of the GE J79) supplied by S&S Turbine Services, Ltd., Ft. St. John, BC.

Thrust:

Fuel Consumption - Stock engine

Braking systems

Four methods are used to decelerate the vehicle:

  1. High-speed air brakes, formerly used as dive brakes on the F-104.
  2. High-speed parachutes deployed at 700 mph.
  3. Low-speed parachutes deployed at < 350 mph.
  4. Anti-skid neodymium rare-earth magnet eddy-current brake.[2]

Aviation history

Lockheed F-104A-10 Starfighter (tail number 56-0763,[3] serial #1051) was manufactured in the Lockheed Burbank factory. The aircraft was designed by Kelly Johnson of the Lockheed Skunkworks. It was assigned to Edwards AFFTC (Air Force Flight Test Center) from August 29, 1957 until 1970 when it was retired. Initially the aircraft was used as a GE test platform for the J79 engine. It was later used as a chase aircraft for the X-15, SR-71(A) Blackbird and XB-70A Valkyrie test programs. It was flown by Joe Walker, Scott Crossfield,[4] Pete Knight, Bill Dana, Chuck Yeager, Joe Engle and Bob Gilliland among other notable pilots.

Test runs

Fourteen engine test runs were first conducted in June 2004, with the last two in full afterburner. These were performed on a test stand at S&S Turbine Services, Ft. St. John, British Colombia, Canada. In December 2004, the first engine runs in the vehicle were performed. A total of 23 test runs were completed between March 2006 and June 2008. Speeds as high as 400 mph were claimed but not verified. Testing in the US was conducted at Sanderson Field in Shelton, Washington; Toledo Airport in southwest Washington state, Edwards AFB, California. El Mirage Dry Lake, California and Black Rock Desert, Nevada.[5] Development and testing of the vehicle has been ongoing, further runs are expected in the fall of 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "How Stuff Works".
  2. ↑ http://auto.howstuffworks.com/north-american-eagle2.htm
  3. ↑ "Aviation Data".
  4. ↑ "Crossfield flies 56-0763".
  5. ↑ "Geomagic".

External links