By Robin McMacken, X-Press Editor
The crew chief on some of the world's most extraordinary planes has died. His modest demeanor will continue to be an inspiration for those who knew him for years to come.
John W. "Jack" Russell, 78, died at his Lancaster home April 14 of leukemia. Memorial services were held Wednesday, April 23, at Central Christian Church, 3131 West Ave. J in Lancaster.
Working for Bell Aircraft, the Air Force and later NASA, Russell was instrumental in numerous projects from the X-1 to the X-24B.
"Looking back on it, it was such a great experience to be selected on programs like we were - the first jet airplane, the first airplane to break the sound barrier," Russell said in a 1994 interview for the Air Force Flight Test Center's Oral History Program. "To me, it made this part of the world a very meaningful place. We always considered ourselves very fortunate to have been a part of these tests. I kind of fell in love with the place."
Russell spent 27 years at Dryden as chief of the rocket propellant group. When former co-workers shared their thoughts about working with Russell, they each mentioned his quiet tenacity and good nature.
"Jack was a delightful person; everybody liked Jack," Dryden engineer Dale Reed said. "He really knew his business."
Dryden Historian Dill Hunley, who had interviewed Russell in March, said Russell was not only highly capable, but "a real gentleman" as well.
"Jack was easy to get along with. He was a constant-speed kind of guy. He was very productive, but he never raced around looking harried," recalled Dryden Chief Engineer Bill Dana. "He was pleasant to work with because he didn't grind you down. He was very bright and very knowledgeable about rocket engines."
B-52 Project Manager Roy Bryant echoed those sentiments: "He was always easy to work with and very professional about his work. Jack seemed to be very thorough about the things he did. He was always very motivated about the job he was doing, and I guess the closest association I ever had with him was when he was with the X-15 program. He flew as a launch panel operator for that program aboard the B-52."
In fact, Russell was on board the B-52 launch aircraft for 150 of the 199 flights in the X-15 program.
During the taped interview with Hunley, Russell softly reflected on his career.
"I chose aviation because of an uncle who used to take us out to the Buffalo airport to see planes come and go," Russell said.
He and his older brother, Roy, graduated from Burgard Vocational High School and headed west for San Diego, Calif., to work for Consolidated Aircraft. They returned to Buffalo after a strike by aluminum industry workers, which eventually trickled down to aviation and prompted layoffs.
Friends urged the brothers to apply at Bell Aircraft, and Roy and Jack were hired in 1940. Russell's first assignment was on the flight-test crew for the XP-63.
After the XP-63 program ended, Russell recalled being summoned to a top-secret meeting about a new aircraft. "A few of us were interested, and they couldn't tell us much about the project because it was so secret," Russell said. The project was the XP-59, America's first jet plane.
Once the first model of the XP-59 was built and moved to North Base at Muroc Army Air Field (predecessor of Edwards Air Force Base) for flight tests, Russell boarded a train and headed west.
Russell later returned to Buffalo, where the XP-59 was built and became crew chief of the XP-83, a large, twin-engine jet also built by Bell. In 1946, he left the aircraft manufacturer as a crew chief on the X-1, but then got the same job with the Army Air Forces (predecessor to the Air Force) at Muroc as a civilian employee.
On Oct. 14, 1947, Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in the X-1. "We were jumping around on the ground when we heard him say that something went screwy with the Mach meter and it's bouncing around," Russell recalled of that history-making day. "Everybody knew exactly what he meant."
That particular aircraft, nicknamed "Glamorous Glennis" in tribute to Yeager's wife, now hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Russell's name is painted on the aircraft's fuselage.
Once the record-setting X-1 was delivered to the Smithsonian, there were no more rocket aircraft in the Air Force inventory. Rather than wait for the arrival of the X-1A and X-1B from Bell, Russell in 1950 accepted an invitation from Joe Vensel to work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (or NACA, which later became NASA).
At NACA and then NASA, Russell worked on the D-558-2, the first aircraft to fly at Mach 2, in 1954; the X-2, the first aircraft to fly at Mach 3, in 1956; and the X-15, which set numerous speed and altitude records from 1959 to 1969.
Russell ended his career by working on the M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A and X-24B lifting bodies. "When that was over, I decided that was enough for me," he said. "I was satisfied with what I had done."
Reed, who basically inaugurated the lifting-body program at what later became the Dryden Flight Research Center, said many of the rocket engines from the early X-planes essentially were recycled for the lifting-body program. He added that Russell was instrumental in refurbishing those rockets for their next career.
Numerous accolades followed Russell during and after his retirement, including induction into the Amherst Museum's Niagara Frontier Aviation Hall of Fame in upstate New York.
Russell is survived by his wife, Ruth; sons and daughters-in-law, John and Debra Russell of Long Island, N.Y., and Jim and Sharon Russell of West Palm Beach, Fla.; three grandchildren; his brother Roy of Lancaster; and a sister, Doris McLeod of Buffalo, N.Y.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to the City of Hope, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, Calif. 91010.
(Editor's note: Jack Russell's son, John, sent Dryden Historian Dill Hunley this poem. He said it was his father's favorite.)
Through the history of world aviation Many names have come to the fore Great deeds of the past in our memory will last As they're joined by more and more.
When man first started his labor In his quest to conquer the sky He was designer, builder and pilot, As he built a machine that would fly.
The pilot was everyone's hero. He was brave, he was bold, he was grand. As he stood by his battered old biplane With his goggles and helmet in hand. To be sure, these pilots all earned it, To fly then you had to have guts. And they blazed their names in the Hall of Fame On wings with bailing wire struts.
But for each of our flying heroes There were thousands of little renown. And these were the men who worked on the planes But kept their feet on the ground. We all know the name of Lindbergh, And we've read of his flight into fame. But think, if you can, of his maintenance man, Can you remember his name?
And think of our wartime heroes, Gabreski, Jabara and Scott. Can you tell me the names of their crew chiefs? A thousand to one you cannot.
Now pilots are highly trained people And wings are not easily won. But without the work of the maintenance man Our pilots would march with a gun.
So when you see the mighty aircraft As they mark their path through the air, The grease-stained man with the wrench in his hand Is the man who put them there.
By Alan Brown, Projects Science Writer
The unique Pathfinder solar-electric flying wing found a new path through the sea lanes of the Pacific Ocean last month, as it was transported by ship from Los Angeles to Hawaii for a new series of flight tests.
Dryden is sponsoring the flights from the U. S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the island of Kauai under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program.
The flights, scheduled to begin in June, are expected to take Pathfinder to record altitudes for solar-powered aircraft and to perform the first major scientific missions using a solar-powered aircraft.
The Pathfinder left AeroVironment Inc.'s Simi Valley facility April 15 and began its voyage from San Pedro Harbor near Los Angeles to Hawaii April 19, said Bob Curtin, project manager for AeroVironment Inc., the Pathfinder developer. After arrival in Honolulu, the ultralight aircraft was transported by barge to Kauai. The disassembled Pathfinder was enclosed in a specially designed container for the shipment.
Several Dryden representatives, including ERAST Project Manager Jennifer Baer-Riedhart, Deputy Project Manager John Del Frate and Chief Engineer Jeff Bauer, joined their colleagues in the ERAST Alliance from AeroVironment for an "In-Briefing" at the PMRF, and they were on hand for Pathfinder's arrival.
A traditional Hawaiian dedication ceremony for the hangar, which will be Pathfinder's home for the six-month flight test program, is set for early May.
The new series of Pathfinder flights will be divided into two phases, Del Frate said.
"In the first, we will focus on attempts to reach high altitudes with only a minimum of science instruments aboard," he said. "After a planned five-week downtime to integrate the science payloads, we will start the second series in August."
Del Frate said the second series would be oriented to atmospheric sampling and related missions, in line with the overall goals of ERAST to develop the technology for slow-flying, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft and related sensors that can perform scientific sampling missions at high altitudes.
Flight operations are being conducted at the PMRF to take advantage of Kauai's low latitude, which allows a good sun radiation angle for Pathfinder's solar cell arrays, Baer-Riedhart said. In addition, Kauai has favorable prevailing northerly winds, which allow more opportunity for high-altitude solar-powered flying during science missions in the second phase of the flight-test program.
Since the Pathfinder last flew at Dryden in November 1996, project officials at Dryden, the PMRF and AeroVironment have been engaged in intense planning for the upcoming flights.
"We have been practicing and refining procedures, getting range and flight-safety plans together and obtaining the necessary approvals," Curtin said. "There have been very few changes to the airplane and its systems just programming some waypoints into its software and installing slightly bigger nosewheels to accommodate a rougher surface on the runway apron area we will be using."
The Pathfinder holds the world's altitude record of 50,567 feet (15,170 meters) for solar-powered flight, set Sept. 11, 1995, on a flight from Dryden that lasted nearly 12 hours. It is believed to be capable of a maximum altitude of about 70,000 feet (21,000 meters).
Two follow-on ultralight flying wings under development by AeroVironment as part of NASA's ERAST program are expected to advance the art of solar-powered flight to new heights and durations. The Centurion is being designed to fly at 100,000 feet altitude for up to two hours, while Helios is intended to combine fuel-cell technology with solar power for round-the-clock operations.
NASA HEADQUARTERS, Washington, D.C. Six NASA centers, two Department of Defense installations (White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base) and an industry team led by the prime contractor, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., are playing key roles in the development and eventual flight testing of the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator. The program is managed by the Marshall Space Fight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
The X-34 is designed to bridge the gap between the earlier Clipper Graham, or DC-XA, subsonic demonstrator vehicle, and the larger, more advanced X-33 vehicle. The X-34 will demonstrate key technologies applicable to development of a future Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The overall goal of these programs is to demonstrate the key technologies needed to dramatically lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into space by a factor of 10 or more.
Plans call for the reusable X-34 to fly up to 25 times within a year's period beginning in late 1998. The autonomously operated, suborbital aerospace vehicle will be air-launched from an L-1011airliner. It will reach speeds of Mach 8, and fly at altitudes of approximately 50 miles. The winged, single-stage craft also will demonstrate the ability to conduct subsonic flights through rain or fog and autonomous landings in cross winds of up to 20 knots.
Key technologies being demonstrated by the X-34 include composite primary and secondary airframe structures; composite reusable propellant tanks; cryo insulation and propulsion system elements; advanced Thermal Protection Systems and materials; low-cost avionics, including differential Global Positioning System and Inertial Navigation System equipment; integrated vehicle health monitoring system; a flush air data system; and automated vehicle checkout.
The X-34 also will have the potential to serve as a platform for demonstration of additional technologies and experiments.
The X-34 will be powered by the Fastrac engine, which is currently in design and development at the Marshall Center. Fastrac is a single-stage main engine that burns a mixture of liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene (RP-1).
Involvement of all the team members is essential in providing key elements in the design and vehicle development. The six NASA centers playing key roles in supporting the X-34 program are:
In touch with Center Director Ken Szalai: Women important part of DFRC
A personal family emergency prevented me from participating and properly noting the observance of Women's History Month. I do have some thoughts.
First, I thank and congratulate all of the women at Dryden for their contributions to the NASA Flight Research Mission. As most of you know, women played a key role in the X-1 flight-data analysis. They were called ÒcomputersÓ in 1947, when the X-1 went supersonic for the first time. So women have been a pillar of Dryden since the very beginning of this place.
But it was a while before women achieved higher-graded positions here. Harriet Smith was one of the first to work here with a bachelor of science degree. She went on to be one of the top engineers at Dryden and one of the very best project managers, managing the successful F-14 High-Angle-of-Attack project in a joint effort with Langley Research Center.
I believe it was the influence of these early female pioneers that led to a continuing strong role for women here at Dryden. Today, women are in every facet of the Dryden workforce, even in areas historically dominated by men.
Women hold leadership positions, manage major projects, fly as crew members, maintain aircraft, plan and conduct flight experiments, analyze data, manage offices, manage departments, manage the budget, participate in real-time flight operations, guard the site, carry guns and tend to the human needs that often occur among the team.
These are some points that I would like to underscore from my perspective.
Men and women alike have the capability to do any job at DFRC.
Men and women each bring slightly different perspectives to doing the mission, and this is useful, important and necessary.
Communicating problems, issues and perceptions of each other is the key to an effective workforce.
If we do not learn to work within a diverse workforce, we will fail in our mission.
Treating all people with fairness, dignity and respect takes care of a lot of other problems.
I salute the magnificent job that women have done in the workforce at Dryden. NASA and the nation owe them much for the sacrifices they have made in often taking prime responsibility for the care of children in addition to carrying out their duties for the United States of America. I am personally proud of the contributions women are making in our flight-research mission.
The NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) announces the premiere of the newest element of the Professional Development Initiative (PDI): an Internet-distributed training and on-the-job information resource.
This self-paced, individual development education resource "will enhance your understanding of SMA theory, practice and the new techniques that will enable us to meet the challenges facing NASA now and in the future," according to Frederick D. Gregory, associate administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance.
This innovative approach implements NASA's strategic plan by delivering self-paced instruction and day-to-day job support in a variety of subject areas for safety and mission assurance and related functions.
Sample topics include performance-based contracting, configuration management, ISO 9000 and preventive action/corrective action. Currently, 30 of the 60 Web-based instruction modules planned for this year can be accessed from Internet-capable workstations seven days a week.
This training is being developed by the PDI Working Group, which consists of teams of experts from the NASA centers. The program will be introduced through a series of briefings and hands-on demonstrations to potential users. Roll-out of the program will begin May 6-7 at Dryden.
Training material currently is available to any NASA employee who wishes to preview the system prior to the on-site demonstrations.
Every user of the NASA SMA training system must have a unique user ID and password. Using the Netscape browser from a computer station, a user requests access from the NASA SMA Training Home Page (http://pdi.msfc.nasa.gov).
After the user completes a registration form, including name, contact information and desired password, the request is processed and a confirmation e-mail is sent back. Authorized users then can proceed in the system to various catalogs, curricula and other training resources.
The PDI Web site provides:
Exact times and locations are posted on public mail and posters throughout the Center. For more information, call Phil Rodriguez at ext. 3045.
(Editor's note: The is the fifth installment in a series of articles on Dryden's fleet of F-104 aircraft.)
By Roy Bryant B-52, Project Manager
Dryden's F-104-820 logged 1,022 total flights, and the second phase of its career was solely as a support aircraft.
In its second career this airplane provided support for such research programs as the YF-12, the basic F-15 tests, the F-111 TACT and the Lifting Bodies. Like other F-104 aircraft, it served as an airborne simulator of landing patterns and approaches for the wingless lifting-body vehicles. Ten different pilots (nine from NASA and one from the Air Force) flew this aircraft during its illustrious career. These included a Center director and Apollo astronaut, Dave Scott; an X-15 pilot, Bill Dana, who made the last X-15 flight over 300,000 feet as well as the last flight in the X-15 program; three lifting-body pilots, John Manke, Bruce Peterson and Dana; and two YF-12 pilots, Fitz Fulton and Don Mallick. On May 2, 1975, this Starfighter stepped out of its conventional roles of research and support to perform a special civic duty. In a farewell tribute of honor to longtime Center research pilot John B. (Jack) McKay, Dryden research pilot Tom McMurtry made a fly-by over the cemetery during the memorial service.
The crowning event in this Starfighter's career occurred in April 1985 when it was enshrined in the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to stand as a symbol of the contributions the Flight Research Center has made to aviation technology.
Less than a year after the retirement of F-104-820, Dryden's oldest Starfighter F-104-819 (Air Force tail number 303), acquired in 1959 followed down the same pathway. At 6:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21, 1978, research pilot John Manke and flight test engineer Ray Young took this F-104 on its final mission, a one-hour crew training flight. Under the skillful direction of Dr. William "Bill" Winter , this aircraft had provided data that made a significant impact in the field of biomedical research (see March 21, 1997, X-Press). Many of the research flights with this F-104 were to acquire flight data on a number of biomedical experiments. Data attained by this aircraft also played a vital role in establishing the Ground Command Guidance system as a valuable flight test tool to be used by the Center (see March 21, 1997, X-Press). Two other areas in which this aircraft made important contributions were the development of the low lift/drag approach and landing patterns used by the X-15 and lifting-body vehicles as well as the testing of a ballute system. (A ballute is a cross between a balloon and a parachute.) This aircraft was a major player in the early work, including night flights, done to develop and "standardize" the low lift/drag approach and landing technique used so successfully in numerous programs flown at Dryden.
The "prime" ballute experiment involved obtaining data to evaluate a towed high-speed decelerator through a Mach number range from 0.7 to approximately 2.0 (7/10 to twice the speed of sound) and a system that could be used to increase the drag of an asymmetrical vehicle. The ballute was a semi-spherical shaped device, four feet in diameter, similar to a small balloon that self-inflated with the air picked up by the small air scoops located around its circumference when deployed. It was installed in the drag-chute compartment of the airplane and deployed in a manner similar to that of a standard drag chute. Up until these tests, the state-of-the-art research on ballutes was limited to wind-tunnel studies and rocket-flight tests of ballutes behind symmetrical bodies. The F-104 presented a test platform by which the study of the ballute system could be expanded.
During its career of more than 18 years, this Starfighter flew some 1,731 flights. A major portion of those flights were devoted to obtaining research data. At least 19 different pilots (16 from Dryden, two from Ames and one from the Air Force) flew this aircraft during its career. These included Apollo astronauts and X-15, lifting-body, XB-70 and YF-12 pilots.
As with F-104-820 the crowning event in this Starfighter's career occurred more than five years after its active career when in June 1983 it was put on permanent display at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. It stands as a testimonial to the contributions the Flight Research Center has made to advance aviation and other fields of technology.