F-100D ZEL Crash Site

November 22nd 2017





Summery :

 The Zero-length Launch, or ZEL, program was developed to launch jet fighter/bombers without a runway, using rocket boosters to get the plane from zero to flying speed. Twenty live launch tests of F-100D made March through October of 1958. Although the system was reliable and relatively simple to operate, it was never deployed operationally.
This F-100D (#56-2904) "ZEL" was the first plane of only two F-100D loaned to North American Aviation for tests of the ZEL system.
On April 11, 1958, on its second test, it was launched from a mobile trailer platform without a problem, but the spent rocket motor refused to detach from the plane. Since test pilot Al Blackburn could not land safely with the motor hanging below the wheels of the plane, he had forced to abandon and ejected after nearly an hour of attemped to shake it loose.
Blackburn touched down safely with a parachute.


    
Description



Manufacturer:
North American Aviation
Base model:
F-100
Version:
D
Nickname:
Super Sabre
Designation System:
U.S. Air Force
Designation Period:
1954-1970 (USAF)
Basic role:
Fighter/fighter-bomber
Serial Number:
56-2904
Year built:
1956
Crash Date:
4/11/58
Cause of Crash:
unable to detach rocket booster, pilot Ejected
Fatalities:
0




Specifications



Length:
50' 15.2 m
Height:
16' 3" 4.95 m
Wingspan:(extended forward)
38' 9" 11.81 m
Empty Weight:
21,000 lb 9,500 kg
Max Takeoff Weight:
34,832 lb 15,800 kg





Propulsion



No. of Engines:
1
Powerplant:
Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21/21A turbojet
Thrust:
16,000 lbf with afterburner
Launch Booster:
Rocketdyne solid-fuel rocket booster
Thrust:
130,000 lbf (for four seconds)





Performance



Max Speed:
864 mph 1,390 km/h Mach 1.3
Ceiling:
50,000 ft 15,000 m





Number built:
2294


    
Other F-100 Link :
 Wikipedia Link : North American F-100 Super Sabre
 Wikipedia Link : Zero-length launch
    



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