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Lineage: Below lineage information was extracted and combined from two sources. (1) Souvenir booklet issued by the NASA Langley Research Center in conjunction with the retirement of NASA 816 on 17 May 91. A special thanks to Jim Day {retired Convair Rep and later retired HQ/TAC ETS, Langley AFB, VA.} for loaning me his copy of the souvenir booklet. Thanks Jim (2) Page 84, Vol 12 of WINGS OF FAME's feature article; CONVAIR F-106 DELTA DART, THE ULTIMATE INTERCEPTOR, written by author Robert F. Dorr.

04 Sept 58 - F-106B 57-2516 completed as the 39th production model.

27 Feb 59 - Delivered to the USAF. Posted to the Air Research and Development Command, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA.

18 May 59 - Returned to Convair for work.

23 Feb 60 - Assigned to the Air Material Command, Sacramento Air Material Area (SMAMA), McClellan AFB, CA.

01 June 60 - Assigned to the Air Defense Command, 84th Fighter Group, Geiger Field, Spokane, WA.

04 June 60 - Transferred back to SMAMA, McClellan AFB, CA.

03 March 63 - Assigned to the Air Defense Command, 4756th Air Defense Wing, Tyndall AFB, FL.

06 May 63 - Transferred back to SMAMA, McClellan AFB, CA.

03 April 64 - Sent to General Dynamics, Fort Worth, TX for test support.

27 Feb 65 - Sent to 6583rd OMS, Holloman AFB, NM.

01 April 65 - Returned to General Dynamics, Fort Worth, TX.

29 April 65 - Redesignated JF-106B.

22 Dec 65 - Returned to SMAMA, McClellan AFB, CA.

16 March 66 - Redesignated F-106B.

07 April 66 - Returned to General Dynamics, Fort Worth, TX for test support.

31 Oct 66 - Transerred to NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, and was redesignated as NASA tail number 616.

31 May 67 - NASA 616 redesignated NF-106B.

27 Feb 70 - Due to being transferred to a non-USAF activity, the aircraft was dropped from the USAF inventory.

1966 - 1979: NASA 616 flew research missions in support of the U.S. Supersonic Transport Program at the NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH.

?? Jan 79 - NASA 616 turned over to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and was redesignated NASA 816. However, research needs resulted in 816 being transferred directly from NASA Lewis to NASA Langley.

29 Jan 79 - NASA 816 transferred to NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA.

1979 - 1986 - NF-106B NASA 816 was used primarily for Storm Hazards Research, which addressed lightning strike studies. (Click here for more lightning strike info)

1986 - 1991 - NF-106B NASA 816 was used as the test vehicle to flight test the Vortex Flap, a flight experiment to evaluate aerodynamic characteristics of a sharp, leading-edge vortex flap system by analysis of the wing surface pressure distributions and flow visualization data.

17 May 91 - NF-106B NASA 816 was ceremoniously retired and is now displayed at the Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton Roads History Center, Hampton, VA

These additional photos provided by Ted Schmitz. Photos are of tests conducted from January through March 1984 at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. NASA and the USAF, along with the Air Force Weapons Lab, conducted joint tests to compare the electromagnetic effects of lightning with those from a nuclear blast. Photos are by Dale Calvert, Det 1, 1369th AVS. Thanks Ted.