Chase plane

Chase plane
Two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, in formation with a NASA Boeing 747.
Two T-38 Talon chase planes follow Space Shuttle Columbia as it lands at Northrop Strip in White Sands, New Mexico, ending its mission STS-3.

A chase plane is an aircraft that "chases" another aircraft, a spacecraft or a rocket during flight. Safety can be one function of a chase plane; others are to photo or video the target vehicle, or to collect engineering data from it. Chase planes may be used during test flights, and for many years the best way to ensure the safety of an experimental aircraft was to fly alongside it and observe the flight.

This second airplane's crew would keep a constant lookout for problems with the test aircraft, and if problems did arise they would provide warnings and critical information to the test aircraft's crew and to the mission controllers on the ground. They would also monitor the surrounding airspace for other aircraft that could pose a hazard to the flight, either by straying into their flightpath or threatening any kind of secrecy associated with that particular project.

Since the early days of USAF testing, the chase aircraft have been manned by test pilots just like the experimental planes they accompany, providing a common language and bond between test pilot and observer. The experienced pilots in the chase aircraft could guide distressed test aircraft down to safe landings should experiments go wrong.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • chase plane — noun An aircraft that flies alongside another, to advise or photograph it while experimental flights are being carried out …   Wiktionary

  • Chase County, Kansas — Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls …   Wikipedia

  • Chase Talbott III — is a character from the comic strip Doonesbury. He was introduced shortly after Mark Slackmeyer realized that he was homosexual. For a while he invented an imaginary boyfriend for himself called Neil, who he pretended to talk to on the air. Later …   Wikipedia

  • Chase (band) — The band Chase was created in 1970 by Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, all veteran jazz trumpeters who were also adept at vocals and arranging. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on… …   Wikipedia

  • Chase for the Sprint Cup — The Sprint Cup trophy is presented to the champion after the Ford 400. The Chase for the Sprint Cup[1], originally known as The Chase for the Championship [2] during its creation, and then The Chase fo …   Wikipedia

  • USS Samuel Chase (APA-26) — was a Naval Attack Transport manned by the United States Coast Guard during World War II. She was named after Samuel Chase, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. The ship was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 107) on …   Wikipedia

  • Bill Chase — Infobox Musical artist Name = Bill Chase Img capt = Landscape = Background = non vocal instrumentalist Born = birth date|1934|10|20 Died = death date and age|1974|8|9|1934|10|20 Origin = Boston, Massachusetts, USA Instrument = Trumpet Voice type …   Wikipedia

  • Ku-ring-gai-Chase-Nationalpark — West Head Lookout …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • USS Chase (DE-158) — USS Chase (DE 158/APD 54), a Buckley class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Admiral Jehu V. Chase (1869 1937). Chase was launched 24 April 1943 by Norfolk Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. J. V. Chase ; and… …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 Martinsville plane crash — Flight path taken by the plane. Accident summary Date …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”