Did I ever tell you about the time my Dad refused to fly? Maybe he wasn't the greatest story teller but his memory was superb up until the day he passed. Eighty plus years later he could still see the calendar dates and clock hands hanging on the walls and put names with faces without a doubt. His recalls were at the very least factual with no need of exaggerations....
....Again, still he finds himself continuing test flying those crude and basic autopilot contraptions. Well, the military is progressive by nature and funded by taxpayers through Congressional approval so this project is in need of review by a Washington committee to see if it merits further funding and is headed in a right and forward direction. The base readies for a show and tell of detailed successes with auto-pilot mock-ups and cost analysts charts even painting the test plane two tone (modified Hellfighter I believe) belly one color topside another color.
Days before the congregation arrives, with his test plane freshly painted for any dignitaries who might opt for in flight observations, my Dad gets in and takes off for a final flight check of functions. Gets up to speed and pulls back on the stick like a hundred time before and the plane barely leaves the ground like in inches from. This is totally unexpected. Full power now and full muscle on the stick and the plane just clears an 8 foot high perimeter chain link fence at the end of the runway doesn't bother or have time to call the tower bringing the plane around directly as in a 'U' turn to land the opposite direction he left from on the same runway. Claims he never got more than fifty feet in air.
Standard procedure invokes the flight crew and mechanics to go over the plane. The report back is that it is airworthy. At a hastily called meeting the reports are read and events rehashed leading to the conclusion by the commanding officers on the ground of pilot error. My Dad admits the plane powers up and taxis down the runway just fine, it's takeoff that's the problem and without a plausible explanation as to why, he's not about to try again to cheat death. Meeting adjourned leaving unnerved commanders with visions of funding beginning to sprout wings. Follows most military thinking. ya know.
Next day, next meeting a larger head count proves this is no laughing matter. Designers, engineers, head mechanics, private industry interests and developers, all there. Case review by persons closer to the top of the ladder re-certifies the plane airworthy with the same logical conclusion: Pilot Error. With that verdict he is now ordered to take to the air. His response is, "Okay, I'll go up but one of you gentleman in this room has to go up with me." No volunteers....only deafening silence. Before any definitive reactions by those seeking to maintain power and prestige along with those money interests there comes out of a corner in the room a pimpled face kid about 23 years of age fresh out of MIT, today, one of the representatives of the on-board hardware and parts manufacture speaking up asking for permission to inspect the plane. It's agreed it couldn't hurt and why not as the meeting breaks for lunch.
On the tarmac the kid requests some rolling stairs, precedes with and completes his inspection. Converses with maintenance, reports to a commander and finally discussed his findings with my Dad who's nodding his head in agreement and willing to try liftoff once again, of course after the fix.
Alone back in the pilot's seat rolling down the runaway to the plane's liftoff speed he pulls back on the stick and said the plane jumped into the air.
The MIT graduate had told my Dad about project assignments at MIT using a newly installed wind tunnel where testing could be done in real time feedback on site in a controlled environment at close observation. One of his first joint reports dealt with different bird wing shapes affecting air flow at various wind speeds which are clearly seen using smoke streams. The new two tone paint job on the plane was masked off directly along the leading edge of the plane's wings not only once but twice for the second color leaving a rough join creating air turbulence that interfere with airfoil effect. The kid had asked that the leading edge of the wings be buffed smooth.
