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Major Joe Rogers of the United States Air Force Flight Test Center and  F-106 A model (tail no. 56-0467) prior to take-off of his speed record setting flight.

On December 15, 1959 Major Joe Rogers of the United States Air Force Flight Test Center flue A model F-106 (tail no. 56-0467) on a straight line eleven mile (18 km) course at an altitude of 40,00 feet (12192m) to a measured world absolute speed record of 1,525.93 mph (2455.68km/h).  Surpassing the previous record of 1,491.3mph (2399.95km/h) set on October 7, 1959 in a Mikoyan Ye-1152-1 flowen by Colonel G. Molosov of the USSR by 34.63 mph (55.73 km/h). 

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Major Joe Rogers immediately after his speed record setting flight in tail no. 56-0467.

The aircraft (56-0459) that had originally been chosen for the record attempt had a specially fine tuned and tweaked engine  for the attempt, developed problems with the variable engine air intake controls just hours before takeoff and was sidelined.   The designated backup was 56-0467, which had not received any special preparation or tuning for a record attempt, was fired up and the new record was set.

The absolute record stood until  November 22, 1961, when an McDonald F-4H-1F  twin-engine Phantom flown by Lieutenant Colonel R. B. Robertson also of the United States Air Force Flight Test Center set a new  record.

While it is still believed that the that the F-106 continues to hold the world single engine speed record, it is claimed by the Soviets that they broke that record, as well as the world absolute speed record on July 7, 1962  in a single engine Ye-152-1 once again flown by Colonel G. Molosov of the USSR to a claimed 1,665.98 mph (2,680.92 km/h).  That claim has never been substantiated.

You may  be asking yourself, if the claimed maximum speed of an F-106 is 588 knots or 676.2 statute miles per hour how could a basic un-pampered F106 set a record speed over twice that fast?   MAGIC!

 

Col. Joe Rogers Biography & Obituary

The Worlds Fastest Single Engine Jet Aircraft

#	Plane	Top Speed	Max. Altitude
1.	X-43 (Unmanned)  (Experimental)	Mach 9.8	110,000 feet
2.	X-15  (Experimental)	Mach 6.72	354,200 feet
	The X-15 is the fastest manned aircraft in the world.
3.	SR-71 "Blackbird"  (YF-12)	Mach 3.2+	85,000+ feet
	The SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest production airplane in the world.
4.	MiG-25R "Foxbat-B"	Mach 3.2	123,524 feet
4.	X-2  (Experimental)	Mach 3.2	126,200 feet
5.	XB-70 "Valkyrie"  (Experimental)	Mach 3.1	77,350 feet
6.	MiG-31 "Foxhound"	Mach 2.83	67,600 feet
7.	MiG-25 "Foxbat"  (Ye-155)	Mach 2.8	118,900 feet
8.	F-15 "Eagle"	Mach 2.5	60,000 feet
8.	F-111 "Aardvark"	Mach 2.5	60,000+ feet
9.	X-1  (Experimental)	Mach 2.435	90,440 feet
10.	Su-24 Fencer	Mach 2.4	57,400 feet
11.	Tu-144 Charger	Mach 2.35	59,055 feet
11.	MiG-23 Flogger	Mach 2.35	60,700 feet
11.	Su-27 Flanker	Mach 2.35	59,055 feet
12.	F-14A "Tomcat"	Mach 2.34	58,000+ feet
13.	F-106 "Delta Dart"   ( The fastest single engine production aircraft in the world)	Mach 2.31	57,000 feet
14.	IAI Kfir	Mach 2.3	75,000 feet
14.	English Electric Lightning	Mach 2.3	60,000 feet
14.	MiG-29 Fulcrum	Mach 2.3	59,060 feet
14.	F-107 "Ultra Sabre"	Mach 2.3	48,000 feet
15.	Tornado ADV	Mach 2.2	69,997 feet
15.	F-4 "Phantom II"	Mach 2.2	62,250 feet
15.	Mirage 2000	Mach 2.2	59,055 feet
15.	F-104 "Starfighter"	Mach 2.2	58,000 feet (120,800 feet NF-104A)
15.	B-58 "Hustler"	Mach 2.2	64,800 feet
16.	F-105 "Thunderchief"	Mach 2.1	52,000 feet
16.	A-5 Vigilante	Mach 2.1	52,100 feet
17.	Su-22	Mach 2.09	59,055 feet
18.	Tu-160 Blackjack	Mach 2.05	49,200 feet
18.	MiG-21 "Fishbed"	Mach 2.05	50,000 feet
18.	Concorde	Mach 2.05	60,000 feet
19.	D558-2 Skystreak	Mach 2.005	83,235 feet
20.	YF-23 Black Widow II	Mach 2 (AB)	65,000 feet
20.	F-20 "Tigershark"	Mach 2+	55,000 feet
20.	YF-17 Cobra	Mach 2+	50,000 feet
21.	Saab JAS 39 Gripen	Mach 2	50,000 feet
21.	F-16 "Fighting Falcon"	Mach 2	50,000+ feet
21.	Saab 37 Viggen	Mach 2	60,039 feet
21.	Saab 35 Draken	Mach 2	65,600 feet
22.	Tu-22M Backfire	Mach 1.88	43,635 feet
22.	F-14B/D "Tomcat"	Mach 1.88	53,000+ feet
23.	Su-34	Mach 1.8	45,890 feet
23.	F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet"	Mach 1.8	50,000+ feet
23.	F-22 "Raptor"	Mach 1.8 (AB)	50,000 feet
24.	NF-104 "Starfighter"  (Experimental)	Mach 1.79	58,000 feet
25.	F-8 Crusader	Mach 1.72	58,000 feet
26.	F-101B "Voodoo"	Mach 1.66	52,100 feet
27.	X-29 FSW	Mach 1.6	50,000 feet
28.	Tu-22 Blinder	Mach 1.52	48,228 feet
28.	XF8U-1 Crusader  (Experimental)	Mach 1.52	58,000 feet
29.	SEPECAT Jaguar	Mach 1.5	45,930 feet
30.	F-5 "Freedom Fighter"	Mach 1.4	50,700 feet
31.	F-100 "Super Sabre"	Mach 1.3	51,000 feet
32.	X-31 EFMI   (Experimental)	Mach 1.28	40,000 feet
33.	B-1b Lancer	Mach 1.25	50,000+ feet
34.	F-102 "Delta Dagger"	Mach 1.23	55,000 feet
35.	T-38 "Talon"	Mach 1.22	55,000+ feet
36.	XF-90   (Experimental)	Mach 1.1	39,000 feet
37.	MiG-17 Fresco	Mach 1.05	52,366 feet
38.	F-86 "Sabre"	Mach 1.04	50,800 feet
39.	F-117 "Nighthawk"	High Subsonic	45,000 feet
40.	AV-8B Harrier II	Mach 0.98	41,700+ feet
41.	F-94 "Starfire"	Mach 0.97	51,800 feet
42.	A-6 Intruder	Mach 0.94	42,400 feet
43.	Saab 32 Lansen	Mach 0.93	52,500 feet
44.	F-80 "Shooting Star"	Mach 0.88	46,800 feet
45.	BAe Nimrod 2000	Mach 0.87	42,000 feet
46.	B-52 "Stratofortress"	Mach 0.86	55,000 feet
47.	U-2 "Dragon Lady"	Mach 0.8	90,000 feet
48.	C-5 Galaxy	Mach 0.79	35,750 feet
49.	C-141 Starlifter	Mach 0.77	41,600 feet
49.	C-17 Globemaster III	Mach 0.77	45,000 feet
50.	B-2 "Spirit"	Mach 0.72	50,000+ feet
50.	P-3 Orion	Mach 0.72	28,300 feet

Last Updated: May 11, 2006

The Global Aircraft Organization