Bullhunter
Global Moderator 
318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Posts: 7,445 
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Post by Bullhunter on Dec 2, 2007 3:09:00 GMT 9
This is a F-106 engine on the 318th FIS Test Cell, McChord AFB, WA. Worked test cell for alittle over a year. Being a country boy and an outdoor sportsman I had to get back on the flightline. ever liked inside shop work. Happened to be looking through an old book last night and found these old photos. Taken about 1974 Test Cell Control Room:  Intake and bell-mouth inlet screen  Side view  Afterburner view  Wow, going inside the engine run-up building to do leak checks was awesome. Good ear plugs and head sets were a must. When the engine was put into afterburner you had to go back and check the afterburner for fuel leaks around the fuel pig tails. What a blast. Remember had to keep my mouth open inside my mouth mic cover so my teeth would not chatter together. In afterburner it was a real wind tunnel in there and if the engine suffered a catastrophic failure, your personal survival was in question. |
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Post by daoleguy A.J. Hoehn (deceased) on Dec 2, 2007 7:52:39 GMT 9
I never got a chance to view a run in the Test Cell. Wish I could have. I know the Trim Pad was nerve and noise rackening. I mentioned this elsewhere, but I always got a kick out of a NUBE for a trim (I was one too). It seems that nobody bothered to let you know about the brief delay prior to AB lite up. My first time at night I nearly took off running as the Six leapt against the cables and made a huge bang after the silence with an incredibly long flame shooting out. Of course one of my buds from the engine shop told me before the run he, "Always worried about catastrophic failure, but that shouldn't happen". That definitely didn't help when it went boom! Especially when I was squatting under the left wing with the Hot Section Analyzer.
AJ
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sixerviper
F-106 Skilled
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Post by sixerviper on Dec 2, 2007 9:12:48 GMT 9
Ahh, yes!! Sixes and Thuds and the good ole Hot Section Analyzer!!! I'd damn near forgotten about that system! FYI, the Thud's system was easier to work with--boxes more accessible for maintenance.
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az09
F-106 Skilled
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Post by az09 on Oct 10, 2008 5:16:57 GMT 9
Just got around to this page ---- J-79 is a GE product found in the F-4, the J-75 is the engine in the "six", built by Pratt and Whitney, a larger version of the J-57 engine found in the F-102.
Test cell runs are more controlled than the Trim pad runs. In the cell the afterburner cooling shroud is off and everything is locked down. After the test cell run is complete the shroud was installed and the sealants applied to the open seams .
On the trim pad the aircraft is tied down with a bridle assembly hooked onto the lugs on the main gear and then tied down to the "dead man" assembly in the ground. Once you have a good start and no big fires anywhere but where they are supposed to be you do the leak checks and then pull the front wheel chocks and slowly advance the throttle up until the slack is taken out of the tie-down cables then the chocks are re-installed with the cables tight.
Then the 100% run is made and all the data recorded and adjustments made if needed. Then the full Afterburner run is made and all the data recorded, then the A/B modulation check is made. With the burner lit at 100% you slowly pull the throttle back to its lowest angle and record the data in the lower burner run.
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