My father operated an FBO/Cessna dealership on the Renton, WA airport where the original -80 was built and made its first takeoff. One of my early memories of the soon to be born jet age was walking out to about the halfway point of 5400 foot long runway 15/33 with my dad and older brother to check out the collapsed left main gear of the -80 some time after the event which occurred during high speed taxi tests some time before its maiden flight. Alas, the same brother and I were watching the Gold Cup hydroplane races on Lake Washington on the black and white TV when Tex did his thing literally a few miles to the north of our home near the south end of the lake.
We watched the maiden takeoff shortly thereafter as well in addition to, several years later watching the first takeoff of the original B-727 during which the center engine belched flame out of the intake with a huge boom as they rotated to lift off but shortly returned to run normally. Turned out the "S" shaped intake duct that start above the fuselage and wormed its way down to the engine which was mounted more or less on the vertical center line of the fuselage was the culprit. At high angles of attack the airflow through the duct would separate and the flow to the engine blocked causing a compressor stall. Howard will be pleased to point out that the solution was to put vortex generators in the curves of the ducting to prevent the separation.
Later when flying the 727 for a few years I learned that strong cross winds at low speed during the start of the takeoff run required a comparatively slow advance of the center engine to take-off thrust to prevent a similar result.
Ted
Topic: 707 Barrel roll (Read 3474 times)