Post by willi1 on Dec 10, 2020 9:32:35 GMT
The B-58 Rocket Sled (referred to as "The Texas Hustler") is the only one of its kind known to have been developed at Holloman Air Force Base in the early 1950s to accommodate various ejector seat designs for B-58 crews to test. As the first supersonic bomber aircraft in USAF operations, the B-58's high altitude and high speed capabilities meant certain death to crews forced to exit the aircraft at mission height and speed by conventional means. Extensive testing was therefore required to solve the problem.
Using a B-58 fuselage designed by Convair and mounted on rails, the engineers accelerated the sled to supersonic speeds and performed the ejection process, often using test animals instead of humans.
Using a B-58 fuselage designed by Convair and mounted on rails, the engineers accelerated the sled to supersonic speeds and performed the ejection process, often using test animals instead of humans.
With the withdrawal of the B-58 from the front line in 1969, this rocket sled was used for other test programs in Holloman. The rocket sled is at the Grissom Air Museum, Indiana and is on loan from the United States Air Force National Museum.
