X-15 aircraft

[mrushton]

i know many of us like aircraft but didnt know some of this about the Bell X-15. Some big cojones or confidence needed for that job

https://edition.cnn.com/style/articl...aft/index.html

[JonRA]

Wow - really interesting. Thanks for that

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

[Sinnlover]

It was amazing technology at the time. I think it still holds the record for the fastest speed obtained within the earths atmosphere.
The footage of the Mckay crash is horrific, he touched down on the dry lake and the aircraft rolled for what seemed to be miles.
They had to land the aircraft on small skids at over 200mph.
The test pilots of this era really did have 'The Right Stuff'

[gerrudd]

The test pilots of this era really did have 'The Right Stuff'

Amazing article, amazing people. Talking of The Right Stuff. I have both the book and the film sitting on my shelf and on my to read/to watch list.

[AlphaOmega]

Thanks for posting this.

Can't remember if this aircraft was related to the crash they used in the opening credits of The Six Million Dollar Man.

Edit - no.

[mrushton]

Amazing article, amazing people. Talking of The Right Stuff. I have both the book and the film sitting on my shelf and on my to read/to watch list.

Both are really good. How the pilots who flew experimental aircraft every day were unlauded compared to the chosen ones sat in a capsule. Ed Harris and Sam Shepherd great in the film but the book captures the thoughts of both communities.

[Ron Jr]

They have one on display at the Air Force museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

[Mr Curta]

Thanks for that, The Right Stuff indeed.

This is the one in the Smithsonian. Breathtaking.

[PickleB]

i know many of us like aircraft but didnt know some of this about the Bell X-15. Some big cojones or confidence needed for that job

https://edition.cnn.com/style/articl...aft/index.html

Edit There is also this written report about his flight...Armstrong’s X-15 flight over Pasadena...that ends on a very sombre note:

...Still, in 12.4 minutes, Armstrong had covered 350 miles ground track, the record for longest duration and distance of all 199 X-15 flights.

Nice to be able to laugh about it four decades later. But in fact, the fatality rate of pilots at Edwards was grim. Though astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White died in January 1967 in the Apollo 1 fire during a training session, no American astronaut was lost in a spaceflight until the seven crew members of the space shuttle Challenger perished in 1986. Meanwhile, throughout 1948 at Edwards, 13 test pilots were killed. And in 1952, 62 pilots died there during one nine-month stretch. That's not a typo. Sixty-two. About seven unlucky pilots a month...

[ryanb741]

This is the caseback of this watch that arrived today

[village]

Nice ^^^^ still waiting for mine.

I expect yours will be on SC within a couple of weeks max!

[hallanthony]

My watch is almost here I think based on the tracking info

[Kaffe]

Edit There is also this written report about his flight...Armstrong’s X-15 flight over Pasadena...that ends on a very sombre note:

...Still, in 12.4 minutes, Armstrong had covered 350 miles ground track, the record for longest duration and distance of all 199 X-15 flights.

Nice to be able to laugh about it four decades later. But in fact, the fatality rate of pilots at Edwards was grim. Though astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White died in January 1967 in the Apollo 1 fire during a training session, no American astronaut was lost in a spaceflight until the seven crew members of the space shuttle Challenger perished in 1986. Meanwhile, throughout 1948 at Edwards, 13 test pilots were killed. And in 1952, 62 pilots died there during one nine-month stretch. That's not a typo. Sixty-two. About seven unlucky pilots a month...

I'm quite shocked. I had no idea there was such a high casualty rate. Brave men.

[Ron Jr]

We lost a lot of pilots at Edwards.

The base was originally called Muroc Field and in 1949 it was changed to Edwards Air Force Base in honor of Captain Glen Edwards who died while testing the YB-49 flying wing.

[AlphaOmega]

I'm quite shocked. I had no idea there was such a high casualty rate. Brave men.

I had no idea either.

That is ridiculously high. And immensely courageous.

[relaxer7]

I'm not sure todays generation would have the balls for this sort of stuff!