Dr. Abernethy did not have the luxury of the "white sheet". Who could keep up with Kelly Johnson? (the airframer).....
From my understanding, the geometry was done, the engine built. Dr. Abernethy's invention was an elegant solution to a "how do we do this"?
Thanks for your cool photos!
The F-111 was (initially) intended for carrier ops, as I recall. One of the first test pilots: "There isn't enough thrust in the free world to get this turkey off a carrier deck...."
Last edited by Lyman; 15th Feb 2013 at 17:13.