"I put in 24 years in the AF, 23 flying, 3300 hours flying the F-106 and numerous assignments at NORAD/ADC/ADTAC dealing with the F-106 and its employment. The descriptive words in the article on the F-106 sounds like it was written by Hughes Aircraft in selling the airplane....The MA-1 NEVER had full control of the aircraft, which capability so many publications erroneously extol. The MA-1, using its data link target information or command information, would provide directives for altitude, airspeed, xyz coordinates and command directions, which would be flown by the autopilot, however, the MA-1 NEVER regulated the throttle at any time, for forward and aft movement, thus the MA-1 could never really fully control the airplane except to provide requested directions that required coupling and thrust selection by the pilot.  The pilot HAD to take it off, climb, descend, and land the aircraft, every time!..  The challenge was to get the landings to equal the number of takeoffs!  The F-106 proved its ultimate performance capabilities in providing aggressor "enemy" delta-wing familiarization training to the Navy's best pilots during the time they were implementing TOP GUN. The Navy jocks learned valuable lessons  that the Delta winged 106 was almost unconquerable in the dogfight arena, with guns in the air-to-air environment, which you read so little about in the Navy publications.  Wing loading of 43 lbs/sq ft and a .8 -1 TWT put it in a class of its own against the A4s, F-104s, F4B,C,D, F-105, F-100, F8 fighters of its time.....not to mention the many many '14s and '15s that blew engines in attempting to fight when it took them above 40,000 feet,  to a guns-only environment.  Good thing they finally fixed those great fighters to handle the altitudes the 106s formerly ruled.  

"The F-106 uses a Hughes MA-1 electronic guidance and fire control system. After takeoff, the MA-1 can be given control of the aircraft to fly it to the proper altitude and attack position. Then it can fire  Fires the Genie and Falcon missiles, break off the attack run, and return the aircraft to the vicinity of its base. The pilot takes control again for the landing.

"The aircraft on display at The Air Force Museum (S/N 58-0787) was involved in an unusual incident. (During a training mission from Malmstrom AFB on February 2, 1970, it suddenly (NOT ALL THAT SUDDEN!) entered an uncontrollable flat spin forcing  the pilot to eject. Unpiloted, the aircraft recovered on its own, apparently due to the balance and configuration changes ), caused by the ejection, and miraculously (  made a gentle belly landing in a snow-covered field near Big Sandy, Montana  . After minor  repairs, the aircraft was returned to service. It last served with the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron before being brought ( to the Museum in August 1986 .

"Just my contribution to add color to the "history of airplanes without pilots."

-Dick Stultz, F-106 Pilot  (who....."Fired simulated AIR2A in William Tell Competition without Operational MA-1!")