Photo credit: Charles A. Koch
A Regulus II target drone on a launcher, on August 21, 1959. |
Regulus II target drone GM-2008 on a launcher. |
A Regulus II launcher, just after a target drone has been fired. |
The radar and ground control van for the Regulus II target drones. These were located about 1,000 feet north of the launch site, near an old United States Army shooting range, and south of the United States Coast Guard Loran transmitting station. |
The flight controller for the Regulus II target drone, on September 3, 1959. He would pilot the target drone, from the ground control van, for the first 18 minutes of its flight, after which a USAF pilot would take control of it, in his aircraft. The flight of the target drone would take it 30 miles west of the launch site and then northward to Eglin Air Force Base. |
The launch of USAF Regulus II target drone GM2008 at 4:31 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 1959, as viewed from the Venice beach. On this flight, the target drone carried air mail, which was taped to the inside of its radar compartment and postmarked the next day, at Eglin Air Force Base! The target drone can be seen, in flight, along the left edge of the photo. |
Page number 2 of Regulus II target drone mission profile number 631-11, for a launch on May 25, 1960. This section of the five-page mission profile, which includes a cover page signed by the test range supervisor, details the flight plan, from launch to landing. |
Page number 3 of Regulus II target drone mission profile number 631-11, for a launch on May 25, 1960. |
Part of a telemetry chart from a Regulus II target drone flight showing the status of the After-Burner, Throttle, and Fuel. |
The bottom part of the telemetry chart shown on the left, with R.P.M., Oil, and Time. |
An air mail cover that was carried on Regulus II target drone GM2008, on September 3, 1959, and postmarked on September 4th, at Eglin Air Force Base. |
