"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 22:26:45 -0500, "Paul F Austin"
wrote:


"B2431" wrote in message
...
From: (robert arndt)
Date: 2/14/2004 10:53 AM Central

"Dave Kearton" wrote
in
message ...
"robert arndt" wrote in message
om...
| Check out one of the F-102's competitors. This aircraft is truly
"out
| there" when compared to the technology of the time:

Correct link to Mock-up:
XF-103 Mock-Up: http://wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/fighter/f103-1.jpg

Rob

Try http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/resea...ghter/f103.htm


Thanks.

Looking at it, the aircraft would likely have had the same sort of
performance shortfall that the F102 prototype had because of lack of area
ruling. During that period, transonic aerodynamics were very poorly
understood and engine development failed a lot. The J-67 was one of those
failures IIRC.


AFAIK the "coke bottle" fuselage shape is only an indicator of area
ruling. There are many high speed aircraft over the years that didn't
have a coke bottle shape to the fuselage. Area ruling takes in the
whole package, not just the fuselage.

Yep but doing an eyeball-analysis of the F103 picture makes it look like the
cross section graph would have multiple humps and jumps starting at the
inlet with a ramp starting at the begining of the wing root, a sharp drop at
the aft extent of the wing, then another ramp with bumps for the tail..
"Coke-bottling" was the first-generation effort and applying the area rule
but the people designing the F102 and F103 certainly weren't beyond that
first generation.