Why the F-104’s Stick Shoved Itself Forward



Why would a fighter fight its own pilot? Pull an F-104 too hard, and the stick shakes, then shoves itself forward. Its tailplane sits high, on top of the fin. As the nose rises, that tail sinks into the air the wing throws down. There it loses its bite, and the nose keeps pitching up on its own. So a nose vane and a gyro watch for it. Near the limit, a motor shakes the stick. Keep pulling, and a hydraulic cylinder kicks the stick forward, tilting the tail nose-down. To win, a pilot had to pull about thirty-two pounds.

Quick question: would you trust a stick that pushes back against you? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: USAF T.O. 1F-104D-1 Flight Manual, F-104D (1 Jan 1960), Section I: auto-pitch control (kicker) system, stick shaker system, sensor vanes; E. C. Holleman and D. L. Boslaugh, ‘A Simulator Investigation of Factors Affecting the Design and Utilization of a Stick Pusher for the Prevention of Pitch-Up’, NACA RM H57J30 (1958); W. C. Sleeman Jr., NACA RM L57I24 (1957), T-tail pitch-up and the wing wake; J. Upton, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Warbird Tech 38 (2003), early stall tests. Illustrative 3D reconstruction of an F-104-type fighter and a simplified cockpit, no markings; the downwash band, airflow, arrows and angles are drawn, not simulated — angles of attack are exaggerated, the gyro and the under-floor linkage are schematic, and the nose vane is slightly enlarged.

#aviationhistory #flighttest #engineering

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