Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners Path: news From: rdd@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Robert Dorsett) Subject: REVIEW of TEX JOHNSTON X-Submission-Date: Sun, 6 Dec 92 03:59:13 CST Message-ID: Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM X-Submission-Message-Id: <9212060959.AA08798@rascal.ics.utexas.edu> Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM Date: 08 Dec 92 15:50:54 PST Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot By A. M. Johnston, with Charles Barton. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. 274 pp., illustrated. ISBN 1-56098-013-3, hardbound. Contents: Forward by William Randolph Hearst, Jr. First Flights Barnstorming Instructing and Ferrying Test Pilot Beginnings The First U.S. Jet Swept Wings and Rocket Power Cobra I and II: The Thompson Trophy Remote Control and Swept-wing Tests The X-1 Bell Helicopters The Move to Boeing The XB-47 The B-52 Program Problems and Prospects KC-135 Jet Tanker and the Dash 80 Jet Transport Public Relations, Hot Brakes and Flutter, and the 707 Barrel Roll 707 Certification and Pan Am Route Survey The Russian Tu-104 and the 707 European Round-Robin Transition Problems and Sales Trips Air India Accidents and Consequences Dyna Soar and Apollo Index Tex Johnston has gone down in history as "the guy who rolled the 707 prototype," but his career was much more extensive, fascinating one, ranging from flying a home-built glider as a teenager in the 1930's, to barnstorming, to serving as Boeing's most famous test pilot. This book provides an outline of that career, outlining his major life-events, and offering a collection of anecdotes on specific, important, problems and issues, many of which continue to befuddle net.dwellers. :-) These include, among other things, discussions of his ferry work during World War II; his work on the P-39; work on the XB-59; the first American jet aircraft; the X-1, the first American supersonic fighter; the XB-47, the first American jet bomber; the YB-52 (with tandem seating!); the 367-80, the 707 prototype; and the 707 itself. Johnston's best compared to Chuck Yeager, in terms of the legend that has built up around his accomplishments in the industry. His autobiography, however, is written for pilots, not the masses: just the facts. For example: his discussion of the first instance of in-flight spoilers on large aircraft: "The XB-47 contained many new, state-of-the-art configuration and structural design concepts. One of significance was the flexible- stress wing design, which provided a strong, flexible structure, allowing the wing to flex during gust and maneuvering loads, thus relieving high-stress areas and providing a smoother ride. "During a low-level flight demonstration at Wichita for observing dignitaries, I increased the air speed to approximately 435 mph and applied right aileron and up elevator for a right climbing turn. The airplane rolled left. I snapped the throttles closed and the lateral control to neutral, simultaneously increasing the climb angle. As the speed decreased to 425, the lateral control became normal. Analysis of the problem determined that at the high air loads at speeds above 425 mph, when the ailerons were deflected, the flexible wing began to twist, changing the angle of attack of the outboard wing sections, resulting in control reversal. This twist was called wing windup. 'It sure gets your attention,' I said. "That event led to the development of lateral control spoilers to eliminate the wing-twist problem on all Boeing airplanes. A lateral control spoiler is a rectangular door, hinged on its forward edge, which fits flush with the upper surface of the wing. During a turn in flight the doors are raised on the wing at the inside of the turn, decreasing the lieft of that wing so that the airplane rolls in that direction. When the spoilers are raised on both wings simultaneously, they serve as air brakes while retaining their lateral control function, and extremely valuable control for dissipating excessive airspeed." His analysis and discussion of early 707 crashes has particular relevance for the recent "safety" discussions: a snapshot into the industry's early learning curve, which we seem destined to repeat. The book is somewhat stiltish, and certainly doesn't share _Yeager_'s 14-point type and hick dialect. It doesn't provide a very good sense of historical continuity (certain major events never have a date attached to them, and there's sometimes little "filler" between major events, some of which were separated by years). It reads like it may have been a more lengthy text, edited down, perhaps excessively, by non-technical editors. There is a tad too much "pilot's ego" about certain events, but this is certainly forgivable, and a part of the character. But it remains highly readable, fascinating fare for those interested in the advent of jet aircraft in the 1940's and 1950's. About a third involves the barnstorming/WWII days, a third on the B-47 and B-52, and the rest on the 707. -- Robert Dorsett Internet: rdd@rascal.ics.utexas.edu UUCP: ...cs.utexas.edu!rascal.ics.utexas.edu!rdd