Revelations on Lockheed's HGV hypersonic v.


Message posted by Fuel fraction on April 24, 2002 at 19:28:31 PST:

Dear guys and girls,

Hi! :)

I have a little bit of information i have found a recently which i would like to add. I have already seen the past thread on HGV here, and i believe i my data here will correct a few little inaccuracies ad well as add to the subject.

I have found the exact dimensions to HGV (!).
Here we go:

Exact LENGHT: 45.96 '
Exact SPAN: 11.14 '

Exact Lenght of rocket booster: 20.20 '
Exact Diameter of booster: 6.19 '

(ok, ok... i know the lenght of the booster and total lenght of the vehicule don't add on, but that's because there is a shroud connection between the booster and fuselage, and i wish to keep that little dimension part for myself, as i will release a model kit of that vehicule).

The following information came only from my own findings. No outside leaks involved. Now you will all be asking yourself how i found this, don't you...:) ?

Well­...
actually, that's the funniest part. I calculated it myself. First, i found a drawing of the Boeing FWT (Flying Wind Tunnel). I ALSO had a drawing of the Lockheed HGV (he, he, he...). By then, i thought... mmh... what could be the dimension of the HGV...? (I had no dimensions indicated on the drawing, and no side view or front view).
Now, while i was looking at my little FWT drawing, i noted that it had a rocket booster...
A rocket booster.... rocket booster... rock....
Aaaaaaaaargh.....!!!
It was the SAME rocket booster as the HGV....!!!
Idea...
Now if only i could.... (well, yes, i could).
On the Flying Wind Tunnel drawing, you also SEE it held under the wing of the.... B-52.....!!
Bingo....!
Now i only had to find the dimensions of the B-52N X-15 pylon ;)
I went on the web site of space modellers i frequent. In my past researches, when i went there and asked for help to obtain papers on FDL-5MA (which i described there in great detail), i was usually met with nearly death silence.... a few asked to see pictures firts (they did see it (several people had no idea which vehicule i was talking about... (...)). But no real help came after that... (well, a bit, but, no results).
This time, i was thinking i would find nothing, but i posted it anyway.

To my amazement, and to make a change, data started pouring in like crazy. 3 weeks later, people were still posting pictures of that B-52 X-15 pylon... (!)
What was the funniest is that no one had any idea what this was all for.... (!) :)
(one modeller finally asked for what i was looking for these pictures...? I just said: 'for a special project'..)(and indeed, it was...!).
I can't believe anyone could have thought i was planning to make a 1/48th scale model of the B-52 with X-15 under wing....(!!..)(that would not even have fit in a room....!)(and no one in his right mind would have made such a model....). But... the data kept pouring in... (people even posted some of the other aircrafts that had been carried by that specific pylon). One specific pictures that came later on was particularly helpful, as it showed a technical drawing of the HiMat under that pylon. (that came direct from the history office of the Air Force, apparently (i would not even have tried to ask, thinking they would not have provided it). So i could verify the exact proportions of the pylon (way better than using photographic approximations).
But wait...
I sent one friend to measure the pylon at Pima...!
(even before this, one person on the site had taken his car to go measure it...!).
On top of this, as i wanted to make sure i got the proper data and enough stuff to cross-reference everything (and that proved to be a good idea), i contacted the personnel at the museum, to have the pylon measured for me.
Much to my amazement,the did...! (good customer service...!***)(i have to admit i didn't tell them it was to find HGV's dimensions...).

So... that's how i got my HGV dimensions.

Fuel Fraction.


Replies:



[ Discussion Forum Index ] [ FAQ ]