Armstrong currently flies F-15D Eagle aircraft for research support and pilot proficiency. The F-15Ds have a two-seat cockpit and like the 2 seat Support Aircraft F-18, they are normally used for photo or video support.
Armstrong Flight Research Center’s F-15D #897 is seen here freshly painted and sporting the new AFRC decal. NASA research pilot Troy Asher flew this qualifying flight to get acquainted with the aircraft; Jim Less flew as a backseater. Photo NASA / Jim Ross
They will be transmitting live video from the air back to Armstrong so engineers can visually monitor the mission as it is being flown. This feature greatly enhances flight safety.
NASA photographer Jim Ross, flying with research pilot Nils Larson in F-15D #884, took this photograph of F-15D #897 with Troy Asher on his qualifying flight. Photo NASA / Jim Ross
NASA research support aircraft are commonly called chase planes and fill the role of escort aircraft during research missions. Chase pilots are in constant radio contact with research pilots and serve as an “extra set of eyes” to help maintain total flight safety during specific tests and maneuvers.
NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s F-15D Eagle #897, flown by pilot Troy Asher with videographer Lori Losey in the back seat, serves as a chase vehicle for NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory on the Olympic Mountain Experiment (OLYMPEX) science mission, Nov. 10, 2015. The OLYMPEX team of NASA and university scientists are taking to the field from Nov. 10 to Dec. 21, studying wet winter weather near Seattle, Washington to verify rain and snowfall observations made by the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite mission. This photo was also featured as a NASA Image of the Day on Dec. 8, 2015 NASA Photo / Ken Ulbrich
They monitor certain events for the research pilot and are an important safety feature on all research missions.
Left to right: “2nd to None” (F-15D #897), “Mr. Bones” (F-15D #884), and workhorse F-15B #836 on the back ramp at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center. Photo NASA / Jim Ross
Chase aircraft also are used as camera platforms for research missions that must be photographed or videotaped. Aeronautical engineers use this pictorial coverage (photos, motion pictures, and videotape) extensively to monitor and verify various aspects of research projects.
The F-15Ds are also used by Armstrong research pilots for routine flight training required by all NASA pilots.
