Avoiding Expensive Design Costs

Keith took a trip to Washington, D.C. and while there, visited the Smithsonian' Air & Space Museum. As he was walking around he noticed on the ceiling and hanging from suspension wires, was NASA's F-104 Starfighter jet aircraft. He stood there looking at it for about a half-hour thinking to himself, "Get one of these babies, take the wings and landing gear off, and you've got an already proven aerodynamic design for well beyond mach 1."

Dubbed the "Missile with a Man in it", this aircraft's engine - the G.E. J-79 - had set the climb rate record for the fastest ascent of 50,000 feet in 60 seconds. Even though this aircraft weighed about 8 tons, it could still get up and go. With this kind of power to weight ratio, it could literally go vertically straight up like a rocket and accelerate.

Designed in the mid -'50s by Skunkworks' Kelly Johnson and built by North American Aviation, this fighter jet was at the cutting edge of jet aircraft technology in its day. While the Air Force used a couple hundred of them in the U.S. most of them were sold to NATO countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Denmark.

After returning back to the Pacific Northwest, Ed & Keith took a trip to southern California together. During the plane ride back home, their discussion led to the realization that both had separately been considering the idea of using an F-104 fuselage as a their platform for a supersonic land speed car that would be modified to roll along the ground using the same engine it flew with. It was at this point that they agreed to go into a partnership and form a corporation; the North American Eagle.

Ed began to cast word on the Internet to various aviation communities that they were looking for an F-104 fuselage. While word came back that there was one that was available somewhere in the southwest, it was bought out from under Ed before he could get the cash together to purchase it. So, they continued to ask and hope. A couple of months later, word arrived that there was one in Belfast, Maine that a surplus dealer was try to sell to a museum to be put onto a display post outside its entrance. The price was reasonable and it was shipped out to Spanaway, Washington on a flatbed trailer.

Having been asked by Ed & Keith to continue with them onto the new project, I was called on the day it arrived to come take a look. I was in for a surprise when I got there.