Dr. Richard Whitcomb pictured here with F-106B 57-2516 NASA 816 in 1991, was a distinguished Langley retiree who played a key role in developing the "area ruled" fuselage used on the Convair F-106 and its predecessor, the F-102A. This Coke-bottle-like shape was a revolutionary advance in aircraft design that made supersonic speed in level flight practical.