Home of the North American Eagle - World Land Speed Challenger

testpilots1

The history of the North American Eagle™ is unlike any other in automobile racing. The team did not have the resources to spend enormous sums of money on research and development. So, we decided the fuselage of a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter would make the ideal platform. It is a part of American history and more specifically, aviation history. This particular F-104A serial number 56-0763 was used at Edwards AFB from 1958 to 1964 in the J-79 testing program. This aircraft was built in 1957 at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California. From 1964 to 1968 it was used as a chase plane for the rocket powered X-15 project. Some of its pilots read like a who's who of aviation flight history. Listed below is a partial list of some of the pilots of 56-0763.

Test pilots in group picture at top of page are shown in same order for individual photos above.

DATE	PILOT	CHASE
SEVERAL	Scott Crossfield	DEAD STICK
30-Jun-64	Joseph W. Rogers	CHASE 4
13-Jan-65	William "Bill" Dana	CHASE 2
28-Apr-65	Joseph H. Engle	CHASE 3
10-Aug-65	Joseph F. Stroface	CHASE 4
25-Aug-65	Robert K. Parsons	CHASE 4
26-Sep-65	W. J. "Pete" Knight	CHASE 4
27-Oct-65	Joseph H. Engle	CHASE 4
3-Aug-66	Donald K. Sorlie	CHASE 4
12-Aug-66	Michael J. Adams	CHASE 4
14-Sep-66	Joseph F. Stroface	CHASE 4
6-Oct-66	Bradley W. Spahr	CHASE 4
29-Nov-66	Jerauld Gentry	CHASE 3
22-Mar-67	Mervin L. Evenson	CHASE 3
28-Apr-67	Fred J. Cuthill	CHASE 4
8-May-67	Michael J. Adams	CHASE 4
29-Jun-67	Mervin L. Evenson	CHASE 4
16-Jul-68	Thomas J. Davey	CHASE 4
12-Aug-68	Wendell H. Shawler	CHASE 5
13-Sep-68	Jerauld Gentry	CHASE 4

Who was the test pilot of XF-104s, nicknamed "Fish"?

To read an interesting article about the
Flight Test School at Edwards AFB, click here.

The rocket assisted altitude climb.
For more info. about the NF-104 AST click here.

Ed Shadle with Joe Engle above and Scott Crossfield below.

Gen. Joe Engle in the cockpit again
at the Edwards AFB '05 Open House.

March 9, 2006 - Recieved a phone call from General Joe Engle today. He plans on coming down to Edwards for our May testing. We had quite a conversation, expecially about 763. He told me 763 was a favorite airplane amoungst the test pilots and got used all the time. He told me that Crossfield wasn't exaggerating when he said he did 80 dead stick landings in it in preparation for flying the X-15. He said he had to do the same thing. He told me 763 was "well used" when it was retired. I offered a ride in the NAE™ if he is interested. He said he would love to. Ed Shadle

f-104-4 When 56-0763 was delivered to us it was in pretty bad shape. As the photos below show, extensive structural damage was located throughout the aircraft. Layers of paint and graffiti covered the entire exterior. Every piece of glass was broken. The wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers were missing. The cockpit was gutted, and the electronics bay was empty. The forward gun door and lower cockpit hatch was missing. In other words, the 56-0763 had one foot in the grave. Her next stop was the aluminum scrapyard. She would have been lost forever. The North American Eagle™ team has rescued the old bird. Even though it will never fly again, we are certain that if Kelly Johnson were here today, he would approve. As our photo page shows, the team has given a new life to 56-0763. One day she will hopefuly make another mark in the history books as 56-0763 will try to break the 763 mph landspeed record currently held by Andy Green who drove Richard Noble's Thrust SSC in 1997.

We know a lot of our fans are on facebook. Now the North American Eagle™ is on facebook as well! In fact many of our team members are also! Tell your friends! It's fun!

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