"Tex Houston" wrote in message ...
"Dan Thomas" wrote in message
Read recently (in an article I cannot now find) about an
airplane designed and built in the '60s or '70s that had a turbojet
engine in the tail and a huge turboprop in the nose. Supposed to be a
fighter or fighter-bomber. Only two were built, and after one flight
the test pilots didn't want to fly them any more. They were LOUD in
the cockpit or anywhere else. It hurt bad. Very few test flights were
carried out. I imagine they were designed to defeat the enemy through
intimidation alone. Apparently most of the noise came from the prop
tips, which were running supersonic or transonic, even in static
runups.
One of the pilots lived ten miles from the airbase, and he could
hear the techs running it up, on the ground, all the way from his
home. That has to be pretty bad.
Anyone here remember what it was?

Dan

You may have read about it in "Air and Space Magazine", if I remember
correctly. Not exactly sure if this is the aircraft in question but would
almost bet money on it. According to a senior curator I met at the Air
Force Museum when it was tested there it was painful to be anywhere near.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/resea...hter/f84sp.htm

Tex


That's the one. Thanks!

Dan