"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 01:51:35 GMT, Jim Thomas
wrote:

I hadn't read this post at my last reply. This description sounds
accurate for the Streak Eagle flights. I'm still not sure that the
aircraft accelerated through Mach 1 in vertical flight; it sure could
have, if it did so during an Immelman!

Jim Thomas

Guy Alcala wrote:

Ed Rasimus wrote:

Now, let's put to bed this idea of accelerating through the mach
straight up. While modern jets with greater than 1-to-1 T/W ratios can
accelerate through the vertical, I sincerely doubt the mach claim. Too
much is going on with drag curves, deteriorating performance with
altitude, losses in engine efficiency, etc. I think only heavy lift
rockets accelerate through the mach in near vertical, but they
transition out of vertical fairly early in the flight trajectory and
may not be vertical either.


Oh, I don't know. While not a stock production a/c, the Streak Eagle
was
certainly capable of doing so [From Jeff Ethell's book on the F-15]:

"The 3,000m record flight was piloted by Maj Roger Smith. With a
thrust-to-weight ratio at release of over 1.6 to 1 the 'Streak Eagle'
lifted
off the ground after a roll of only 400ft, approximately seven airplane
lengths. Smith quickly raised the landing gear and maintained nearly
level
flight while accelerating to approximately Mach 0.6. The aircraft was
then
rotated by a 5g pullup to a near vertical climb attitude. The Eagle
accelerated during this climb to Mach 1 and reached the specified
3,000m
altitude in 27.57 seconds.
Guy

---remainder of detail on a great aeronautical achievement snipped--

First, let me note that I'm a political scientist by education and a
military aviator by choice. I'm not an engineer or mathematician (but
I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.....)

As I recall, the first integral of velocity is acceleration.

Nope.