PROGRESS REPORT NO. 7

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89B00487R000300450007-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2011
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: December 1, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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December 1, 1955
Copy #1
This progress report on Contract,SP-1913 is written on the anniversary of
the official go-ahead for the project -- an even year ago. As of this date,
the project has the following status:
1. Four aircraft have been designed, built and flown, except for the
fourth, which will fly in three days.
2. The tenth fuselage is in the jig. (One fuselage was completed and
destroyed for static test purposes; so, actually, the ninth airplane
is well underway.)
3. Practically all of this Contractorts fabricated parts are completed
for the contract.
4. Two crews have been trained for the ground service requirements.
5. Major modifications have been made in the ability to carry various
items of military load, including nine types of equipment beyond
the basic configuration originally designed into the aircraft.
6. The delivery schedule for the end aircraft has been accelerated by
a month over the initial schedule.
7. A new facility at Bakersfield has been designed and will be in oper-
ation within four weeks.
8. The aircraft has essentially demonstrated its altitude capability,
flight characteristics, structural integrity, and stability as a
special equipment platform. While it has not yet demonstrated its
maximum range, there is no reason to believe, at the present, that
this cannot be achieved.
9. The foregoing has been accomplished substantially below the estimated
cost to this point.
CONFIGURATION SUMMARY
A report is attached (Attachment #1) covering the current status of various
equipment items developed for the aircraft. It is felt in order to summarize
this Contractorts understanding of what the equipment items are, their cur-
rent weights, and installation problems. Based on this report, a recommen-
dation is made regarding what airplanes should be equipped with what particular
equipment packages. 25X1
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It is evident that the design military load will be exceeded in practically every
case, because of the addition of such things as the autopilot, new communi-
cation equipment, and overweight of certain basic packages.
It is also of interest that during the time so much work was done on the air-
craft design and testing, it has been impossible to choose the focal length for
the "C" package!
Page 4 proposes a reasonable variation of aircraft configurations from this
Contractor's point of view. It is evident, even at this point, that to obtain the
configurations listed, it will be advisable to fly the fuselage sections of several
aircraft from back to the factory for modification. It is no
longer practical to consider any major modification on airplanes prior to #10,
because of the state of construction of this group of aircraft.
AIRCRAFT WEIGHT
The basic aircraft weight situation is outlined on pages 5 and 6. In the pre-
vious progress report, it was indicated that the writer believed the basic
performance could be obtained with the weights then envisioned. The weight
growth from this point on will cause a retrogression of performance from that
initially quoted.
FLIGHT TEST STATUS
Airplane #2 is being modified for delivery to the training group, while airplane
#4, incorporating the autopilot, has been taken over for flight test. It appears
that a solution has been found to the engine control problem. The major engine
problem existing to date is the presence of oil vapor in the cockpit pressuriza-
tion area. Various filters are being tried to eliminate this oil.
Little flight testing has been done since the previous report, due to a tie-up of
the base facilities. Flying should resume December 5th, subject to weather.
Emphasis will be placed on long range flights.
It does not appear, from the tests to date, that the use of paint on the aircraft
has reduced its drag a noticeable amount. It is apparently very difficult to
reproduce data at altitude because of the presence of vertical air currents,
which have a considerable effect on this airplane, and inconsistent engine per-
formance to date. Further evaluation of paint will be carried on.
It has been necessary to add approximately 100% to the original oxygen quantity
in the airplane. This has been due to excessive consumption of oxygen by the
pilot when in the pressure suit. No data were available to show the current
_r.5-/O1a Sgt
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rates of consumption for these conditions at the start of the project.
Blowouts of the engine- and depressurization have occurred to altitudes over
70, 000 feet. Operation of the pressure suit has been excellent.
CURRENT PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS
1. From recent information, it appears that activation of the second and
third groups will be considerably delayed from this Contractor's .early
understanding. This poses a great problem as regards the ground crew
training program and over-all stringing out of the whole program for the
first twenty aircraft. Why cannot the activation of the last two groups be
accelerated?
2. What firm requirements can be set up regarding the configurations of the
final ten aircraft?
3. What are the design number of missions per week to be attempted? There
is a discrepancy of 500% between those being considered by the writer and
those being planned for by several equipment manufacturers.
The over-all expenditures on Contract SP-1913 to date are $ 7, 145, 738. 33.
This is 73. 8% of the estimate to this point. All schedules are being met or
beaten to date.
7'a-/fQ 9.D0
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SUGGESTED CONFIGURATIONS
Airplane #
1
Basic Photo - A2
A-1
Electronics Pkg. #2
Autopilot
B-1
Electronics Pkg. #1
C-1
Radio ARC 34
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
APQ-56
A ! (7 )
A-1
Autopilot
Chart. Camera
A-2
Electronics Pkg.
#
a
B-1
,
~
,
Radio ARC 34 'x ul
C-1
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Electronics Pkg. #4
A-1
APQ-56
Autopilot
A-2
Radio ARC 34
B-1
C-1
17
18
19
20
Basic Configuration Possible Alt. "Design" Alternate
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IVEIGHT EMPTY STATUS
Airplane #1 as weighed (-37 Engine & 2 Oil Coolers)
9957.8
Auto Pilot Instal.
'87.6
Descent Chute
+30.4
Double Brakes
*28.7
Structural Changes:
Static Test Beef Up
t 4.3
prov. for Drift Sight
+ 2.8
Tail Cone Augmenter Re-designed
+ 7.3
Second Emergency Battery
+lO.2
Fuel System Changes:
pressurization
+ 7.1
Sump Tank Interconnector
r 2.1
Goose Neck to Reduce Unusable Fuel
+ 0.9
Tail Gear Emergency Release Mech.
r 2.2
Engine Pressure Ratio Indicator
4 6.5
Electrical Switches
+ 0.8
Heavy Duty Screw Jacks
' 2.4
ARC-34 Equipment in Lieu of ARC-12
04.2
Access Provisions for APQ-56 & Electronic
Package II
+ 5.0
3.3 K.V.A. Alternator Instal. (Incl. 5# Eng.
Rework) +39.7
Instal. Remote Sextant +15.0
~~'EMOVE :
Outboard Aileron Bal. Weight Re-designed
- 2.1
Oil Cooler Deleted (also 19# of useful load)
-113.4
Electronic Package #1 moved to Military Load
-17.0
POSSIBLE CHAN3E :
185.0
TOTAL CHANGES
+309.7
WEIGHT EMPTY (-37 Engine)
10267.5
ENGINE INCREMENT
(-31 in lieu of -37)
-299.4
WEIGHT EMPTY (-31 Engine)
9968.1
Ts . /,V
013 fe
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GROSS "WEIGHT STATUS
CREW
FUEL
-37 -31
Engine Engine
285 285
Unusable - Fuselage
11
11
- Wing
60
60
Trapped
26
26
Engine (16 Gal. -37 Eng., 6 Gal. on -31)
120
45
MILITARY LOAD
450
450
OXYGEN (3) 51h cu. in. bottles
61
61
TOTAL USEFUL LOAD
1,013
938
WEIGHT EMPTY (-31 Engine)
10, 268
9, 968
I101t Fuel Gross Weight
11,281
10,906
(vs 10,650)
??4'.2
?3
c'ap, ro4 3
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