[turnpike boy]

According to a Squadron/Signals Publications book I have (printed 1982), Lockheed was given the contract to develop the plane in 1959 and the first flight was April 26, 1962. Would have been tough to build a plastic model in the mid-50's of a plane that hadn't been designed yet.

Still, there's a lot in the story that parallels both the aforementioned book and the book that Ben Rich, Johnson's protoge', wrote a few years ago. So, maybe the author of the story does have some seat time in the projectile.

Although....neither his name, as a pilot, nor that of his RIO show up on the list contained in lovehamr's link.