photo #2160341

(NASA Image 1982) This photo shows NASA's F-14 (NASA tail number 991; Navy serial number 157991) flying over Rogers Dry Lake, accompanied by a Navy F-14. NASA 991 was the research aircraft in a joint NASA/Navy program between 1979 and 1985. This looked at ways of improving the F-14's handling at high angles of attack, increasing spin resistance, reducing "wing rocking" (i.e. tilting from side to side), and improving aircraft recovery when it departed from controlled flight (e.g., entered a spin). A number of F-14s had been lost in spin accidents, resulting in the program. The program was an unqualified success, but the Navy did not immediately incorporate the new control laws into its F-14s because of insufficient funding. As a result, mishaps with the Tomcats continued. Finally, the Navy contracted with GEC Marconi Avionics of the United Kingdom to incorporate the control laws into a digital flight-control system with minimal changes, and this was deployed on fleet F-14Ds aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Roosevelt in March of 1999, decreasing the danger of out-of-control flight and making powered approaches to carrier landings much safer. Meanwhile, already in 1980 Dryden research pilot Einar Enevoldson had received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his contributions as project pilot on the F-14 stall and spin resistance tests.NASA Photo 1982