Testing the American Jets: F106

A tribute to Roland 'Bee' Beamont



Reproduced from : AEROPLANE MONTHLY

Legendary fighter- and test-pilot Roland 'Bee' Beamont, who died on November 19 2001, was a distinguished RAF 'Battle of Britain' pilot. He went on to fly Typhoons and Tempests over Europe and subsequently to became English Electric's chief test pilot. 'Bee' took the Canberra and the Lightning through their test programmes and later piloted the ill-fated TSR.2 on its maiden flight. He flew numerous British and American jet types in the course of his career and, during the 1980s, recounted his experiences for 'Aeroplane Monthly' readers in a series of detailed articles.

We are pleased to include this extract from his description of flying the Convair F106 'Delta Dart' - which includes interesting comparisons with the Lightning - in tribute to a much respected pilot and Aeroplane contributor. A full obituary appeared in Aeroplane magazine's February 2002 issue.

(Below) ... a view of the second F-106A. Delta Darts were armed with Hughes MA-1 electronic guidance and fire-control systems operating with the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment defence system.



Conclusions... The basic characteristics of the F-106 are similar to those of the F-102, as are the systems and cockpit layout, and it was possible to make some attempt at measuring performance from the start on this one flight.

From this limited experience it was clear that the F-106 contained many control features which were developments from and improvements on the F-102 production standard; in particular transition trim changes had been reduced (stabilisers IN) to insignificant proportions, and the turn co-ordinator clearly takes care of the adverse yaw characteristics which are still quite apparent on the F-102.

The result is a pleasantly balanced aircraft, which is easy to control and pleasant to fly throughout the limited conditions experienced.

Performance, which during the climb phase promises well, is disappointing at altitude and as measured does not approach the standard at present achieved with the P.1B series.

In the cockpit, seat comfort and control layout were good, but forward vision through the Convair 'V' windscreen was found to be very restricting.

It can be said, therefore, that at the present time on the F-106, a high standard of artificial stability and control has been achieved, and that in its present form the aircraft is already likely to be suitable for all-weather operation up to and including supersonic speeds.

No information was available on the timescale of the ultimate weapons system, but it was clear that much work remains to be done on the intake/engine installation to recover design performance before a production configuration with specification performance can be achieved.
Although limited by the current engine and intake development problems, it was clear that the handling qualities of this second generation delta-wing fighter were already excellent and likely to result in a practical and formidable Mach 2 all- weather fighter when the specified power became available.

It seemed likely also that the Hughes MAl weapons system would provide some advantages over the Ferranti AirPass system of the Lightning, but that otherwise in direct comparison the Lightning was likely to remain superior on many counts.

These included acceleration and time to altitude, hard-turning capability and sustained gat all altitudes due to the Lightning's low-tailplane configuration, which produced significantly less lift loss and induced drag in the turn than did the all-elevon delta wing of the F-106. Also the Lightning's inherent stability was a marked safety and reliability factor, in contrast to the auto-stabiliser-dependent F-106 (on all axes).

This interesting visit to the centre of American military test flying ended on a high note, with the sheer enjoyment of landing this fine new fighter easily and without complication on the wide expanse of Edwards AFB under the brilliant afternoon sky. But, on the way back to the UK, it was also pleasant to reflect that in the Lightning the RAF would clearly now have a fighter which could handle anything in the USAF inventory up to and including the F-106.

Over the next three decades these two fine aircraft justified those predictions and gained great reputations among succeeding generations of fighter pilots. The F-106 was still equipping squadrons of the Air National Guard in 1986, with Lightnings continuing in front-line defence of the UK at Binbrook where the pilots of Nos 5 and 11 Squadrons claim that they can "still see off anything we meet in the skies of Europe". They have albums of recording camera shots of "bounced" F-16s, F-15s Mirages and F-5s to prove it - "and F-4s, of course, have never been a problem"!

Of the first three generations of subsonic, transonic, and Mach 2-capable jet fighters, the North American F-86 Sabre was undoubtedly the classic of the first era. The English Electric Lightning will always be held, by it pilots at least, to be the finest of the first Mach 2 fighters, the F-I06 and Mirage running it close in all departments except combat manoeuvrability, in which the Lightning was supreme.



(above) The first two-seater Delta Dart, the F-106B, taking off on its maiden flight at Edwards Air Force Base on April 9, 1958. The pilot for the 40 min. flight was John M Fitzpatrick. Originally designated TF-106A, the F-106B retained the F-106A's combat ability and the designation was changed to F-106B.

(below) The same aircraft photographed on the same day. The elogated nose of the two-seater is eveident in this view though the length of the fuselage was not changed with the addition of the rear cockpit. A total of 63 F-106Bs were ordered by the Air Force, the last aircraft being delivered in 1960.




Webmaster's note: The F-106 Delta Dart and its stable-mates were the complete antithesis of 'stealth' and almost seem to assert US authority by looks and name alone. What opponent could remain un-phased on learning that he would be facing the Convair company's other razor-edged interceptor, the 'Delta Dagger' or Republic's mighty 'Thunderchief'? Or, for that matter, that his country would be on the receiving end of a blow dealt by Convair's awesomely beautiful B58 'Hustler' bomber?