On 1 October 1956 the Ministry of Supply asked Morgan to form a new study group, the "Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee" ("STAC") (sometimes referred to as the "Supersonic Transport Advisory Committee"), with the explicit goal of developing a practical SST design and finding industry partners to build it. At the very first meeting, on 5 November 1956, the decision was made to fund the development of a test bed aircraft to examine the low-speed performance of the slender delta, a contract that eventually produced the Handley Page HP.115. This aircraft would ultimately demonstrate safe control at speeds as low as , about that of the F-104 Starfighter.