Page 5 - Aerotech News and Review 9-18-15

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about! Milo summed this up by saying the airplane was up to the
early days of World War II and his highly touted AAF was tasting :LWKHYHQLQJVKDGRZVFRYHULQJWKH¿HOGDQGZLWKMXVWJDO- WDVNEXWQRWHYHU\SLORWFRXOGKDYHHQGXUHGWKHSDLQRIDQGD
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0LOR%XUFKDPFUDZOHGRXWRQWKHZLQJDIWHUKDYLQJEHHQDORIW sang a song in the quiet air of the Antelope Valley that the winds of
with the right drop tanks, give the Lightning a range that was un- IRUKRXUVZKLOHFRYHULQJDGLVWDQFHRIPLOHV$QGKH ZDUZHUHFKDQJLQJLQIDYRURIWKH$UP\$LU&RUSVRIWKH8QLWHG
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still had enough reserve fuel to push that number to 3,026 miles! States of America, and that the fork-tail devil could go a long way
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bank, ordering them to proceed with a carefully documented dem- KDYHEHHQSXVKHGWRDVWDJJHULQJQXPEHUIRULWVGD\PLOHV 7LOOQH[WWLPH%RERXW
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given no special treatment except the installation of the newest and
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in the two external tanks, there was also 26 gallons of oil on board,
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Palmdale was chosen to avoid taking off over a populated area

for obvious reasons, and using no more than 35 inches of manifold
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ping his fuel tanks near the Colorado River (wonder if those are

still out there somewhere!) He still had plenty of fuel on board,
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September 18, 2015 Aerotech News and Review 5

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