Caliper halves keep leaking!

[Terry M.]

Re: Caliper halves keep leaking!

While I don't know anything about its reliability or flying personalities, it is one gorgeous airplane.

Gary

The guys who flew them spoke highly of their attributes, but fighter jocks are a strange breed (I better leave it at that because I know of two former F106 pilots in NCRS, and there may be more.) The amount of maintenance time necessary to keep them in operational condition was astronomical. Given that the first ones were built in the mid to late 1950s they were the hot stuff in their day. They had a digital computer that started with vacuum tubes, but we converted it to solid state in the early 1960s. They had a flight control system that could control the aircraft from 50 feet above the runway and vector it to intercept and back to within 50 feet of the ground. That made it ideal for their ignominious end as remote controlled drones for target practice. They were also very powerful machines. For a long time they held the speed record for single engine aircraft; but then single engine aircraft went out of favor. It was fun times keeping them flying.

[Joe L.]

Re: Caliper halves keep leaking!

We never worried about leaks on the F106. The term was: "Normal seepage." Of course I don't think Convair makes flying machines any more, at least I hope not.

Terry------


Not in a LONG time. I think the B-58 was their last-produced military aircraft and the Convair 990 was their last-produced commercial aircraft. The F-106 was probably their last operational aircraft.

[Joe L.]

Re: Caliper halves keep leaking!

Gary, Glad you're okay. Don't beat yourself up.... things happen. We're all the same we just have different names.

BTW, I had a caliper that drove me crazy once. I too thought it was at the 2 halves joint at the bottom. Retorqued, okay and figured it'd have to come apart. It was actually a leaky bleeder port due to bad machined surface. It would slowly drain down and drip at the bottom joint.

I was going to mention it when reading your posts but you found the loose bolt.

When I do a chassis restoration or brakes, steering, or anything critical, I have a few fail-safes I use. If any fastener is not torqued, I put a piece of colored masking tape on the bolt or nut. At a glance I can see if I missed something. Comes in handy. On non-judged type car tasks, I'll use a marking crayon and put a dab on every fastener after it's torqued.

Rich

PS Joe, What about the Pitman Arm Nut to steering box shaft? Isn't that around 150 lbs/ft?

Rich------


I have seen various specs for this nut. I don't know which one is correct.

[Terry M.]

Re: Caliper halves keep leaking!

Terry------


Not in a LONG time. I think the B-58 was their last-produced military aircraft and the Convair 990 was their last-produced commercial aircraft. The F-106 was probably their last operational aircraft.

After I made that post I turned to Dr Google. They made some rocket ships after their military aircraft, but they ended operations as a company in 1996.
I served on a base in central Indiana that had both F106 and B58 operational. It was a jumping place. We also had a lot of KC135s to keep those thirsty bombers in the air.

[Joe L.]

Re: Caliper halves keep leaking!

After I made that post I turned to Dr Google. They made some rocket ships after their military aircraft, but they ended operations as a company in 1996.
I served on a base in central Indiana that had both F106 and B58 operational. It was a jumping place. We also had a lot of KC135s to keep those thirsty bombers in the air.

Terry------


The B-58 was retired in early 1970 as a result of a SALT treaty with the Soviet Union. The F-106 was not retired from the Air Force until 1988 and NASA actually flew it until 1996.