Lockheed CL400 Suntan

[Orionblamblam]

Currently have about 20 signed up. So even at full cost ($400), this is down to about $20/person.

 

[CJGibson]

Count me in.

Chris

 

[GTX]

I'm in.

 

[Dynoman]

Sounds great! Add me to the list!

 

[Orionblamblam]

FYI: With people here and on the APR Patreon, the list is currently about 23. So even if it comes in at the full $400, we're down to $400/24 = $16.67 per person. Which ain't too shabby.

I have high hopes of hearing back from the Library next week sometime with details about contents and cost. Might as well tack on the Box 2 Folder 9 "CL-1981 Low Cost Fighter" stuff as well...

PS: those who are interested, please PM me with your email address.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

I'm in, however there's other stuff I'm interested in at the Huntingdon Library. E.g.
Kelly Johnson's papers:
http://pdf.oac.cdlib.org/pdf/huntington/mss/johnsonc.pdf

e.g. Box 9
Folder 8 Subject Files - CL-1200 Lancer/X-27] "CLJ's trip to Washington, DC on August 17-19,
Correspondence and Memoranda (1971-1974)
Folder 9 Subject Files - CL-1200 Lancer/X-27] "CLJ's trip to Washington, DC on August 17-19,
Schedule (1971, Aug. 17-19)

Northrop Corporate archives:
http://pdf.oac.cdlib.org/pdf/huntington/mss/northrop.pdf


Anyone live near San Marino, CA? Might be worth a visit with a digital camera

 

[GTX]

The X-27 stuff would be of interest to me as well. Combined deal?

 

[Sundog]

I'm with GTX, I can chip in as well, if we can find someone to do the research. I would also like to know what is in the Northrop Corporation section as well.

 

[quellish]

Anyone live near San Marino, CA? Might be worth a visit with a digital camera

Huntington is near Caltech, about 1 hours drive from me. If I did not now have a 2 year old driving all of my schedule I would go.

 

[Orionblamblam]

I'm with GTX, I can chip in as well, if we can find someone to do the research.

Given the low price-per-person at this point (handwave: under $15), I'm happy with taking a gamble and getting what we get, so long as the dross like magazine articles are filtered out. If nothing else, we'd *know.*

I would also like to know what is in the Northrop Corporation section as well.

Box 2 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 3 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 4 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 5 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 6 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 7 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 8 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 9 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 10 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 11 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 12 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 13 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings

Is that not enough detail? What more information could you *possibly* hope for?

 

[CJGibson]

May I ask a very stupid question?

Why do some of these CL-400 documents have the date '1973' - assuming that is a date?

Chris

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1973 is when Suntan was first publicly discussed by Ben Rich at a symposium on hydrogen-fueled aircraft at the NASA Langley Research Center. Hopefully the papers include his source material and not just the article (Lockheed CL-400 Liquid Hydrogen-Fueled Mach 2.5 Reconnaissance Vehicle), though I haven't actually read the article either.

 

[aliensporebomb]

I remember reading about a Pratt and Whitney engine facility built in the Florida everglades for this project sufficiently far from prying or curious eyes. I somehow doubt the aircraft prototypes were near completion but I did hear one airframe was near competion when the plug was pulled. It's anyones guess what happened to it.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Crowdfunding this research is now ongoing. The folders requested (not just Suntan but a few other nearby interesting folders as well) run a healthy $410 to get scanned. However, there were enough who signed on that the per-person price dropped to $13.66. I won't know exactly what's in all this until the scans arrive (they estimate 10 days, but there's some holiday stuff in there, so it could be longer), but there are about 230 pages total on Suntan. Which is a hopeful sign.

If you are interested in signing on, send me a PM with your email address.

Once this project has been achieved, I've had an offer from someone who lives not far from the library to swing by and take a look at some of the other holdings... Johnson papers, Northrop, etc.

 

[LowObservable]

Quellish - "If I did not now have a 2 year old driving".... I know they start young in southern CA but that's ridiculous.

Aliensporebomb: I'm sure this is cited frequently on these pages, but to save you time:

https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Engine-Development-Pratt-Whitney/dp/0768006643

The first time I picked it up and started reading it I damn near had a stroke.

 

[foiling]

I too am in.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Scans are starting to trickle in from the Library, starting with two pretty good A-12 diagrams. So those of you who signed up and paid the - let's face it, surprisingly affordable - fraction of the total cost should have received notification by now of the Dropbox folder with the diagrams. The rest of the scans will be put in the same folder as they come in.

Below are some vastly smallerized versions of the A-12 diagrams. These give me hope that the Suntan material will be equally good, if not of the same physical size.

 

[paperforce]

I also would love to participate.

 

[Orionblamblam]

This has been fully funded, thanks.

 

[TSARb]

P&W Model 304:

Via

https://twitter.com/x/status/1283391366899421186

View: https://twitter.com/DrChrisCombs/status/1283391366899421186

 

[FighterJock]

P&W Model 304:

That is the first time that I have seen a diagram of how the engine of the CL-400 works, highly Interesting. And thanks for posting.

 

[foiling]

Currently have about 20 signed up. So even at full cost ($400), this is down to about $20/person.

One of the most exciting boo

I'm with GTX, I can chip in as well, if we can find someone to do the research.

Given the low price-per-person at this point (handwave: under $15), I'm happy with taking a gamble and getting what we get, so long as the dross like magazine articles are filtered out. If nothing else, we'd *know.*

I would also like to know what is in the Northrop Corporation section as well.

Box 2 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 3 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 4 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 5 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 6 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 7 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 8 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 9 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 10 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 11 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 12 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings
Box 13 Subseries 2: Blueprints and Technical Drawings

Is that not enough detail? What more information could you *possibly* hope for?

How would one obtain this set?

 

[flateric]

...

 

[Dew]

from Project Suntan: The Huge Hydrogen Aircraft That Might Have Blown Up Southern California By Dr Michael W. Hankins

(Source: The Huntington Library, California, Ben Rich Papers, Box 3, Folder 1, Projects – Engineering – CL-400)

 

[Archibald]

Great resource ! Thanks for sharing.

 

[bercr]

Nice Hi-Res CL-400 artwork (by artist asterozoa) found here:

original drawn by asterozoa | Danbooru

View this 3200x1449 918 KB image

danbooru.donmai.us

 

[Grey Havoc]

Lockheed CL-400: Burned by the sun.

“Suntan” was a reconnaissance aircraft program of 1956 conceived to replace the U-2 with a much faster (circa Mach 2.5) and higher-altitude successor. Lockheed based their CL-400 in a s…

elpoderdelasgalaxias.wordpress.com

 

[Scott Kenny]

Nice Hi-Res CL-400 artwork (by artist asterozoa) found here:

original drawn by asterozoa | Danbooru

View this 3200x1449 918 KB image

danbooru.donmai.us

View attachment 736281

If unstarts in a Blackbird were exciting and caused the plane to smack the flight crew upside the helmet, I cannot imagine how bad single-engine-out issues would have been for SUNTAN!