The Buildup

On Y1 D178, Jebediah Kerman and Bill Kerman flew their brand-new T-1B Sparrow to the Dessert Airfield, located in the Western Dessert, where the X-1 supersonic rocket plane had been waiting for 10 days.

The X-1 flight had been scheduled for D168, but a failed aileron on T103 had caused Valentina Kerman and Bob Kerman to make an emergency crash-landing at the Kerman Lake airfield.

The X101 flight, now ready to take off, albeit with a different crew, was similarly doomed to failure. All of the people involved, from the engineers to the pilots, failed to check the volume of the liquid oxygen (LOX), which had slowly been boiling off inside its tank while it sat at the airfield in the hot desert sun.

When the crew arrived, they switched aircraft and took off. However, the flight only lasted a few moments before the engine shutdown prematurely due to lack of LOX. With the aircraft not at the speed, altitude, or direction it was supposed to be when the engine was supposed to shutdown, an emergency landing was made, which severely damaged the aircraft and left it to be scrapped.

The Near-Disaster

Defeated, Jeb and Bill got back into their T-1B and took off on Flight T104, intended to return to the KSC. However, luck was not with them, and the engine on their single-engine aircraft failed. They were able to make an emergency landing in the ocean, the vehicle designed for such an eventuality. However, after Bill Kerman repaired the engine, they were unable to reach the speed required to take off. They limped to a small desert island from which they were able to take off and fly to the coast of the Western Dessert to await rescue, their fuel having run out.

The Rescue

Back at the KSC, a plan was hatched to rescue the crew. A T-1B was outfitted with powered drop tanks (drop tanks with engines) that could move the aircraft nearly about 2/3 of the distance to T104 in a short period of time. When the drop tank fuel ran out, the drop tanks would be discarded and the main engine would start, leaving enough fuel for both aircraft to return to the KSC after offloading fuel to T104. Using unpowered drop tanks was not a feasible solution, as the tanks added too much weight and the aircraft would lose lift not long after takeoff.

Designated a T-1C, it was constructed in 7 days. Because food and water would run out on T104 in just 6 days, the flight would have to be done immediately after rollout without integration testing. The flight was flown by Valentina Kerman and Bob Kerman, one of the most experienced crews. A whole host of new technologies were used in flight T105, including an autopilot that was also in N1B, a new navigation system for finding the stranded aircraft, and drop tanks that had their own independent jet engines. Takeoff was done at night on Y1, D186, 4:01 UT. The aircraft climbed to an altitude of 5200 meters (17000 ft) to fly over the mountains west of the KSC.

Within 15 minutes, T105 was over the ocean, flying at 171 m/s (382.5 mph). Within 30 minutes, the Great Dessert Peninsula was visible. More ocean would have to be crossed to reach T104.

The checklist dictated that the tanks should be dropped when the fuel level was at 2 liters (0.5 gallons), or about 8 seconds of fuel left. This was to ensure that the tanks would separate cleanly without colliding with the aircraft. This happened 48 minutes into the flight, and, interestingly, Bob Kerman noted that it appeared that the tanks appeared to collide in midair.

At T+52 minutes, the mountains on the coast became visible, and sunrise was starting behind the airplane. According to the navigation system, T104 was only 85 km (52 miles) away.

When T104 was only 40 km (25 miles) away, T105 began its descent. The aircraft would have to make a precision landing in a hilly desert area without damaging any of its components.

T105 landed approximately 2 km away from T104, and rolled the rest of the way like a car.

After the two aircraft met, they transferred fuel via a refueling line. Some food and water was also moved to N1C. In case of any other issues, N1C was to take off first and N1D would follow.

The Return

T104 resumed flight on Y1 D186 5:27 UT. The flight plan was to take it directly to KSC, with Kerbin Lake Airfield as a backup. The aircraft landed at KSC, but was damaged and was scrapped for parts.

Meanwhile, the T105 crew waited for T104 to land before setting off. T105 attempted a glidescope landing using the autopilot. However, the aircraft crashed into a light stand on the runway and was damaged beyond repair. The crew was unharmed. Valentina and Bob both earned the Collision Ribbon as a result.

The Aftermath

A variety of changes were made to policy after the near-disaster of T104:

• All aircraft parts were to be inspected prior to flight by an engineer.
• Any damaged aircraft parts were to be repaired or replaced.
• A set of design changes were laid out for aircraft autopilots to prevent their failure in case of loss of power.
• Most importantly, the X-1 program was moved to KSC. Until it could be shown that the T-1 series could be flown long distances safely, or a crew facility could be built at the Dessert aerospace complex, experimental testing could only happen closer to home.
• New facilities for refueling, T-1 inspection and maintenance, and crew quartering was to be built at the Dessert Airfield.
• Procedures for semi-automated landing with the new autopilot system were to be developed.