CAF -- CF-35a Lightning II

CF-35a Lightning II

Now that the Election is over, we know that Canada is going to be getting these new CF-35. There are 3 different Variants, Canada is getting the "A / CTOL" variant.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length:15.67m (51.4ft)
• Wingspan: 10.7m (35ft)
• Height: 14.2 ft (4.33 m)
• Wing area: 42.7m² (460ft²)
• Empty weight: 13,300kg (29,300lb)
• Loaded weight: 22,470kg (49,540lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 31,800kg (70,000lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
• Dry thrust: 125 kN (28,000 lbf)
• Thrust with afterburner: 191 kN (43,000 lbf)
• Internal fuel capacity: 8,382kg (18,480lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,930 km/h, 1,200 mph)
• Range: 2,220 km (1,200 nmi) on internal fuel
• Combat radius: over 1,090 km (590 nmi) on internal fuel
• Service ceiling: 18,288 m (60,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: classified (not publicly available)
• Wing loading: 446 kg/m² (91.4 lb/ft²)
• Thrust/weight:
• With full fuel: 0.87
• With 50% fuel: 1.07
• g-Limits: 9 g

Armament

• Guns: 1 × General Dynamics GAU-22/A Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 4-barreled gatling cannon, internally mounted with 180 rounds
• Hardpoints: 6 × external pylons on wings with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) and 2 internal bays with 2 pylons each for a total weapons payload of 18,000 lb (8,100 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:

Missiles:

• AIM-120 AMRAAM
• AIM-132 ASRAAM
• AIM-9X Sidewinder
• IRIS-T
• JDRADM (after 2020)
• AGM-154 JSOW
• AGM-158 JASSM
• JSM

Bombs:

• Mark 84, Mark 83 and Mark 82 GP bombs
• Mk.20 Rockeye II cluster bomb
• Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
• Paveway-series laser-guided bombs
• Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
• JDAM-series
• B61 nuclear bomb

Avionics

• Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APG-81 AESA radar
• Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system
• BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 (Barracuda) electronic warfare system
• Harris Corporation Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communication system

Differences between variants

	F-35A CTOL	F-35B STOVL	F-35C CV
Length	15.7 m (51.4 ft)	15.6 m (51.3 ft)	15.7 m (51.5 ft)
Wingspan	10.7 m (35 ft)	10.7 m(35 ft)	13.1 m (43 ft)
Wing Area	42.7 m² (460 ft²)	42.7 m² (460 ft²)	62.1 m² (668 ft²)
Empty weight	13,300 kg (29,300 lb)	14,500 kg (32,000 lb)	15,800 kg (34,800 lb)
Internal fuel	8,390 kg (18,500 lb)	6,030 kg (13,300 lb)	8,890 kg (19,600 lb)
Max takeoff weight	31,800 kg (70,000 lb)	27,000 kg (60,000 lb)	31,800 kg (70,000 lb)
Range	1,200nmi (2,220km)	1,670 km (900 nmi)	2,520 km (1,400 nmi)
Combat radius on internal fuel	1,090 km (590 nmi)	833 km (450 nmi)	1,185 km (640 nmi)
Thrust/weight full fuel 50% fuel	0.87 / 1.07	0.90 / 1.04	0.75 / 0.91

F-35A CTOL	Conventional TakeOff and Landing
F-35B STOVL	Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing
F-35C CV	Carrier-based Version

The CF Variant
The Canadian CF-35 will differ from the American F-35A through the addition of a drag chute and an F-35B/C style refueling probe. Norway may also use the drag chute option, as they also have icy runways.






JSF Program requirements and selection

The JSF program was designed to replace the United States military F-16, A-10, F/A-18 (excluding newer E/F "Super Hornet" variants) and AV-8B tactical fighter aircraft. To keep development, production, and operating costs down, a common design was planned in three variants that share 80 percent of their parts:

George Standridge of Lockheed Martin has said that the F-35 will be four times more effective than legacy fighters in air-to-air combat, eight times more effective than legacy fighters in air-to-ground combat, and three times more effective than legacy fighters in reconnaissance and suppression of air defenses – while having better range and requiring less logistics support and having around the same procurement costs (if development costs are ignored) as legacy fighters. Further, the design goals call for the F-35 to be the premier strike aircraft through 2040 and be second only to the F-22 in air superiority.

While the actual JSF development contract was signed on 16 November 1996, the contract for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) was awarded on 26 October 2001 to Lockheed Martin, whose X-35 beat the Boeing X-32. Although both aircraft met or exceeded requirements, the X-35 design was considered to have less risk and more growth potential. The designation of the new fighter as "F-35" is out-of-sequence with standard DoD aircraft numbering, by which it should have been "F-24". It came as a surprise even to Lockheed, which had been referring to the aircraft in-house by this expected designation.

Design phase

Based on wind tunnel testing, Lockheed Martin slightly enlarged its X-35 design into the F-35. The forward fuselage is 130 mm (5 inches) longer to make room for avionics. Correspondingly, the horizontal stabilators were moved 51 mm (2 inches) rearward to retain balance and control. The top surface of the fuselage was raised by 25 mm (1 inch) along the center line. Also, it was decided to increase the size of the F-35B STOVL variant's weapons bay to be common with the other two variants. Manufacturing of parts for the first F-35 prototype airframe began in November 2003.

The F-35B STOVL variant was in danger of missing performance requirements in 2004 because it weighed too much; reportedly, by 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) or 8 percent. In response, Lockheed Martin added engine thrust and thinned airframe members; reduced the size of the common weapons bay and vertical stabilizers; re-routed some thrust from the roll-post outlets to the main nozzle; and redesigned the wing-mate joint, portions of the electrical system, and the portion of the aircraft immediately behind the cockpit. Many of the changes were applied to all three variants to maintain high levels of commonality. By September 2004, the weight reduction effort had reduced the aircraft's design weight by 1,200 kg (2,700 pounds).

On 7 July 2006, the US Air Force officially announced the name of the F-35: Lightning II, in honor of Lockheed's World War II-era twin-prop Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Cold War-era jet, the English Electric Lightning. English Electric Company's aircraft division was a predecessor of F-35 partner BAE Systems. Lightning II was also an early company name for its fighter that was later named F-22 Raptor.

On 19 December 2008, Lockheed Martin rolled out the first weight-optimized F-35A (designated AF-1). It is the first F-35 to be produced at a full-rate production speed and is structurally identical to the production F-35As that will be delivered starting in 2010.

As of 5 January 2009, six F-35s were complete, including AF-1 and AG-1, and 17 were in production. "Thirteen of the 17 in production are pre-production test aircraft, and all of those will be finished in 2009," said John R. Kent, acting manager of F-35 Lightning II Communications at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. "The other four are the first production-model planes, and the first of those will be delivered in 2010 to the U.S. Air Force, and will go to Eglin Air Force Base." On 6 April 2009, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed speeding up production for the US to buy 2,443 F-35s.

In August 2010, Lockheed Martin announced delays in resolving a "wing-at-mate overlap" production problem, which would slow initial production.

CAF Jets -- CF-18 Hornet

In the late 1970's Canada was in need of replace it's fleet of aging aircraft. The CF-100 Canuck, CF-101 Voodoos, CF-104 Starfighter and CF-5/CF-116 Freedom Fighter. The Candidates included the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle, Panavia Tornado, Dassault Mirage F1 (later replaced by the Mirage 2000), General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet

CF/A – 188a Hornet
commonly known as CF-18 Hornet

• Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
• First flight: 18 November 1978
• Introduced: 7 January 1983
• Number built: 138
• Unit cost: US$35 million (1977)
  

General characteristics

• Length: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in with Sidewinders (12.31 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m)
• Wing area: 400 ft2 (37.16 m2)
• Loaded weight: 37150 lb (16850 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 51550 lb (23400 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F404-GE-400 turbofans, 16000 lbf (71.2 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1127 mph, 1814 km/h) at 36100 ft (11000 m)
• Combat radius: 330 mi (290 nmi, 537 km) on hi-lo-lo-hi mission
• Ferry range: 2070 mi (1800 nmi, 3330 km) (range without ordnance)
• Service ceiling: 50000 ft (15000 m)
• Rate of climb: 50000 ft/min (254 m/s)
• Thrust/weight: 0.89

Armament

• Nine Weapon/ Store Stations (5 pylons: 1 Under Fuselage and 4 Wing Stations) (2 LAU 116 located on sides of fuselage: deploys AIM 7 Sparrow and AMRAAM Missiles)(2 LAU 7 located on the wing tips: Deploys AIM 9 Sidewinder Missile), carrying up to 13700 lb (6215 kg) of missiles, rockets, bombs, fuel tanks, and pods
• 1 × 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan internal gatling gun with 578 rounds, with a firing rate of 4000 or 6000 shots per minute

Missiles

• Air-to-air: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMR AAM, AIM-7 Sparrow
• Air-to-ground: AGM-65 Maverick, CRV7 rockets
  
• Bombs: Paveway, Mk 82, Mk 83, Mk 84, GBU-10, -12, -16 and -24 laser guided bombs.
  

Avionics

• Raytheon AN/APG-73 radar
• BAE Systems AN/APX-111 IFF
• Rockwell Collins AN/ARC-210 RT-1556/ARC VHF/UHF Radio
• General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems AN/AYK-14 XN-8 mission computer
• Smiths Aerospace AN/AYQ-9 Stores Management System

Variants

• CF-18A: Single-seat fighter and ground attack aircraft.
• CF-18B: Two-seat training version.

Deployment

Canadian Forces Air Command has 72 CF-18As and 31 CF-18Bs in inventory

3 Wing CFB Bagotville, Quebec

• No. 425 Alouette Tactical Fighter Squadron

4 Wing CFB Cold Lake, Alberta

• No. 409 Nighthawks Tactical Fighter Squadron
• No. 410 Cougars Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron
• AETE (Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment)
  

Notable Losses

• As of March 2011 not one Jet was not lost in combat
• 14 August 1996: Aircraft crashes on takeoff from Iqaluit, Northwest Territories. Pilot safely ejects.
• 26 May 2003: CF-18 crashes on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range during the annual international training exercise MAPLE FLAG; pilot (Captain Kevin Naismith) killed.
• 19 June 2004: Aircraft from CFB Cold Lake lost when it was unable to stop while at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Aircraft was salvaged and is back in service. Pilot ejected but was injured.
• 16 August 2005: Aircraft crashes during a training exercise near CFB Bagotville. Pilot safely ejects.
• 23 July 2010: A CF-18 (#188738) crashed while practicing an airshow routine at the Lethbridge County Airport. The pilot, Captain Brian Bews safely ejected.
• Here is a link to the July 23 crash Video
  
• 17 November 2010: Captain Darren Blakie ejected from his CF-18 on approach to CFB Cold Lake. The aircraft crashed 13 kilometres from the base.

NORAD and NOTA

As a member of NORAD and NATO, the CF-18 Hornet is being used as interceptors for North America air space. In 1995 a Tu-95 Bear-H bomber came to close to Canadian air space, CF-18 Hornets where scrammed from CFB Cold Lake to intercepted the Bomber.

After the attacks of 9/11 The CF-18 Hornet where task to secure the USA air space. They where also used to secure 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010 Winter Paralympics games and G8 summit.

CF-18 Hornet in Combat

In 1991, Canada sent 26 CF-18 Hornet to the Persian Gulf, based in Doha, Qatar, for the Gulf War, to remove the Iraq forces from Kuwait. Canadian pilots flew more than 5700 hrs, including 2700 combat missions. They flew in combat escort missions and ground attack missions. They flew 56 bombing sorties dropping 500lb (230kg) conventional bombs (dumb bombs). This was the first time since the Korean war that the Canadian military had participated in combat operations

In 1999, Canada sent 18 CF-18 Hornet Aviano, Italy. For the NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canadian pilots flew 678 combat sorties. 120 as combat escort missions and 558 bombing strikes.

In 2011, Canada sent 6 CF-18 Hornet, to enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 (2011) was adopted to enforce a Libyan no-fly zone, Canadian pilots are flying combat escort and bombing strikes, this mission is still going on.

The replacement of the CF-18 Hornet

Currently the Government is looking to replace the CF-18 Hornet by 2020, and so far the runner up is the CF-35a Lightning II

~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 CF-35a ~~~~~~~~~

CF-105 The Avro Arrow

“In its planning, design and flight-test programme, this fighter, in almost every way the most advanced of all the fighters of the 1950s, was as impressive, and successful as any aircraft in history.”
— Bill Gunston, 1981
In 1953 Canadian Air-Force wanted a new interceptor to protect the northern part of the country from the USSR heavy bomber. At this time jets had the speed of 1060 km/h and ceiling of 12000 m. The Canadian Generals wanted their new jet to have the speed of 2410 km/h (mack 2) and a ceiling of 50,000 ft+.

They went to Avro with this plains to make the jet and at the time it was almost impossible thing to do. Avro took the contract and deside that this project will be an all Canadian Jet.
Avro had in the past made plans during World War II for the British and Canadian Air Force. Here are some of the air craft that they made:


Handley Page Hampden Medium Bomber
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 4
Maiden Flight: 21, June, 1936
Produced: 1936 to 1941
Retired: 1945
Number Built: 1,430
Length: 16.33 m
Height: 4.37 m
Wingspan: 21.98 m
Powerplant: 2 Bristol Pegasus XVIII 9-Cylinder Radial engines (980 hp each)
Maximum Speed: 410 km/h at 4,724 m
Service ceiling: 5,790 m
4 to 6 7.7 mm Vickers K Machine Guns
Bombs/Torpedoes and Mines: 1,814 kg

Avro Lancaster Heavy Bomber
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 7
Maiden Flight: 8, January, 1941
Produced: 1942
Retired: 1963 (In Canada)
Number Built: 7,377
Length: 21.18 m
Height: 5.97 m
Wingspan: 31.09 m
Powerplant: 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines (1280 hp each)
Maximum Speed: 450 km/h at 5,600 m
Service ceiling: 8,160 m
8 7.70 mm Browning Machine Guns
Payload: max 10,000 kg, typical 6,400 kg

There are a few variants of the Lancaster; Avro Lancastrian, Avro Lincoln, Avro York and the Halifax.

Hawker Hurricane Fighter; Battle of France and Battle of Britain
Primary Users: RAF and RCAF
Crew: 1
Maiden Flight: 6, November, 1935
Produced: 1937 - 1944
Number Built: 14,000
Length: 9.84 m
Height: 4.0 m
Wingspan: 12.19 m
Powerplant: 1 Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V12 engines (1,185 hp)
Maximum Speed: 547 km/h at 6,400 m
Service ceiling: 10,970 m
8 7.70 mm Browning Machine Guns

The Cold War Canadian Designed
Avro CF 100 Canuck
Primary Users:RCAF and Belgian
Crew: 2
Maiden Flight: 19, January, 1950
Produced: 1952
Retired: 1981 (In Canada)
Number Built: 692
Length: 16.5 m
Height: 4.4 m
Wingspan: 17.4 m
Powerplant: 2 Avro Orenda 11 turbojets
Maximum Speed: 888 km/h
Service ceiling: 13,700 m

Avro CF-105 Arrow
Primary Users: RCAF
Crew: 2
Maiden Flight: 25, March, 1958
Produced: Canceled
Retired: 20, February 1959
Number Built: 5
Length: 23.71 m
Height: 6.25 m
Wingspan: 15.24 m
Powerplant: 2 Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3 turbojets (this was going to be replaced with the Iroquois Jet Engines)
Maximum Speed: 2,104 km/h at 15,000m
Service ceiling: 16,150 m
1 to 4 AIR-2 Genie unguided nuclear rockets
8 AIM-4 Falcon, Canadair Velvet Glove (cancelled 1956)
2 AIM-7 Sparrow II 2D Active guidance missiles (cancelled)

Design and development

At the start of the project, there was some debate on the design of a supersonic jet. Namely the wings, straight or swept style wings. The CF-100 had straight wings and it can carry a lot of fuel within the wings. After some testing with mock-up of wooden jets, they decided to go with a delta style wings and tailless. With using the delta wings, they increase the amount of fuel the jet can carry and keeping the wings thin so that it can be very aerodynamic.

One new idea that Avro employed in their new supersonic jet. Adding 4,000 pounds per square inch hydraulic system, It used small actuators and piping, this first time that this kind of system was used. This was a rudimentary “Fly-By-Wire”, most modern jets use today.

In 1955 Avro was given the go-head to start rolling out the prototype jets, five where made and the flight test started. For the most part the testing went really good. However one of the jets landing gear broke on landing. At this time the Iroquois engines where not completed, so the Pratt & Whitney J75-P-3 turbojets where used in their place. The rollout of the first CF-105, marked as RL-201, took place 4 October 1957. The company had planned to capitalize on the event, inviting more than 13,000 guests to the formal occasion. Unfortunately, the media and public attention for the Arrow rollout was dwarfed by the launch of Sputnik the same day.

Sputnik was the first satellite launch from Earth. The Russian name "???????" means literally "co-traveller", "travelling companion" or "satellite", and its R-7 launch vehicle was designed initially to carry nuclear warheads.

RL-201 first flew on March 25 1958 with chief development test pilot Janusz Zurakowski. The aircraft demonstrated excellent handling throughout the flight envelope. The Jet went supersonic on only its third flight and reached at three quarters throttle. (Mach 1.98).

Political issues

Storms of Controversy revealed a top secret brief prepared for George Pearkes, then Minister of National Defence, for his July 1958 meeting with U.S. officials. The brief states,

"The introduction of SAGE in Canada will cost in the neighbourhood of $107 million. Further improvements are required in the radar… NORAD has also recommended the introduction of the BOMARC missile… will be a further commitment of $164 million… All these commitments coming at this particular time… will tend to increase our defence budget by as much as 25 to 30%…"

It was the Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (Liberal) that approved and gave the go-head with the Avro CF-105 Arrow. They had refused the USA offers on their jets, namely the CF-101 Voodoo and the Bomarc Missiles. The Government did not want the Nuclear missiles installed on Canadian soil. They tried to sell USA, British and the French governments on the CF-105 Arrow. The USA was no, the French did not want the jets, however they wanted the Iroquois engines and order 200 for their Mirage Jets. Some years later the British government was about to order the CF-105 Arrows after the first flight test and later changed their minds on the deal, then the French cancelled their order on Iroquois engines, in 1957.

At this time there was an election in Canada and the Liberal Party lost. The Progressive Conservative lead by John Diefenbaker, won a Minority Government. It is believed that some one in the Canadian government leak-out the information that the Avro CF-105 Arrow was about to be cancelled.

In 1958 there was another general election in Canada and John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservative won the election. They started to cancel majority of the Liberal projects, calling them "industrial welfare".

Black Friday -- Broken Dreams


On 20 February 1959, later know as "Black Friday", the government of Canada, Prime Mister John Diefenbaker canceled the Avro Arrow.

Avro of Canada at the time only had two projects on the go. One being the CF-105 Arrow and the other was the Orenda Iroquois. With no new money, a decision was made to layoff all of the employees at the time. This immediately put over 50,000 people out of work at the plants and outside suppliers.

Within two months, all aircraft, engines, production tooling and technical data were ordered scrapped. This was partly in response to Royal Canadian Mounted Police fears that a Soviet "mole" had infiltrated Avro, later confirmed to some degree in the Mitrokhin archives. Officially, the reason given for the destruction order from Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff was to destroy classified and "secret" materials utilized in the Arrow/Iroquois programs.

Along with the five flying test models and production aircraft, blueprints and other materials were destroyed leading to the creation of a piece of Canadian mythology. The rushed destruction incited a number of conspiracy theories alleging American culpability for the Arrow's demise. There remains an enduring but fanciful legend that one of the prototypes was spirited away after the cancellation and remains intact, but continues to be the basis of an urban legend.

Following the Canadian government's cancellation of the Avro Arrow project in 1959, CF-105 Chief Aerodynamicist Jim Chamberlin led a team of 25 engineers to NASA's Space Task Group to become lead engineers, program managers, and heads of engineering in NASA's manned space programs-Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. This team would eventually grow to 32 Avro engineers and technicians, and become emblematic of what many Canadians viewed as a "brain drain" to the US. Many other engineers, including Jim Floyd (whose design studies at Hawker Siddeley (Avro Aircraft's UK parent) on the HSA.1000 SST design studies were ultimately influential in the design of the Concorde) found work abroad in either the UK or the United States.

Key People of Avro Canada


Gordon Jr. Crawford
December 26, 1914 - January 26, 1967
Born in: Winnipeg Man
He was the President of Avro 1952 to 1959

During the Second World War, he helped the government to reorganize the industrial resource to meet the needs of the wartime productions. In 1952 he was called upon to become the new president of Avro.

A quot from the Avro Vice-President (Engineering) James C. Floyd.
"At the time we laid down the design of the CF-105, there was a somewhat emotional controversy going on in the United States on the relative merits of the delta plan form versus the straight wing for supersonic aircraft… our choice of a tailless delta was based mainly on the compromise of attempting to achieve structural and aeroelastic efficiency, with a very thin wing, and yet, at the same time, achieving the large internal fuel capacity required for the specified range"

After “Black Friday”, James Floyd moved England. He did come back to Canada in 1981 and retired in the Toronto area in the shadows of the once-great Avro Canada company buildings, that are now demolished.

Janusz Zurakowski
September 12, 1914 - Februrary 9, 2004
Born in: Ryzawka, Russia
He was the chief development test pilot

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he flew with the Polish air force. After the defeat, he escaped the Germans and went to England. He flew in Spitfire V in the Battle of Britain. He also escorted the USAAF bombers on daylight bombing raids

After the war he became a test pilot for RAF, he flew 30 different type of plan. He moved to Canada in 1952 and was a test pilot for Avro. He broke the sound barrier on 18 December 1952, diving the CF-100 fighter, the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve this feat. He flew Arrows RL 201, 202 and 203, over a total of 21 flights, 23.75 hours, reaching speeds of Mach 1.89 and an altitude of 50,000 feet.

After flying Arrow 203 on 26 September 1958, Janusz decided to give up test flying for good, fulfilling a promise he had made to his wife to stop experimental flying once he reached the age of 40.

John Carver Meadows Frost
1915 - October 9 1979
Born in: Walton-on-Thames, England

In 1947 he left England and moved to Canada, where he started to work at Avro Canada. On 14 June 1947, the Avro design team met their new Project Designer, working on the XC-100 (CF-100) and later worked on the CF-105 and the Avrocar.

After Black Friday he moved to New Zealand.

Jim Chamberlin
May 23, 1915 - 1981
Born in: Kamloops, British Columbia

Chamberlin was chief aerodynamicist on the C-102 Jetliner and CF-100 "Canuck" jet interceptor and, later, chief of technical design for the CF-105 Avro Arrow, generating many of the ideas that would make the design famous.

After Black Friday, he and 25 others moved to the States and worked in NASA on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.

Chamberlin was described by a NASA Administrator as "one of the most brilliant men ever to work with NASA." In March 1962, millions of people watched John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, wave to the crowds in New York from the lead limousine of his ticker tape parade. Directly behind, in the second limousine, was Jim Chamberlin

Chamberlin left NASA in 1970 to join McDonnell Douglas Astronautics, where he prepared an ultimately unsuccessful space shuttle bid before becoming technical director for the company's facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, a position he held until his death in 1981.