Comments: 47 Years Ago Today: The Fastest Manned Aircraft Flight Ever.
The X-15 program pioneered so many important aspects of modern aviation and space. Its pilot pressure suits are essentially still in use today. It's one of the first uses of digital computer flight controls. The X-15 had a conventional "joystick" AND a sidestick to control the ship through the digital computer. Critical components were made of a new nickel-steel alloy that are commonly used in the turbine section (hottest) of current jet engines. At high speeds it sensed its attitude through the "ball nose" also made on the innovative Inconel-X with tiny holes drilled at right angles.
The B-52 that carried the X-15 to launch altitude performed no-flap takeoffs as the tail of the X-15 prevented use of the mothership's flaps, even with the cut-out section.
Scott Crossfield, the first and one of the most experienced test pilot in the X-15 commented it was the only aircraft where you were happy when the engine stopped. The X-15s when launched were at the heaviest weight of the flight. As the fuel was consumed the massive engine was propelling a lighter and lighter ship faster and faster, with an increasing G-load. G-load on the pilot and ship quickly built from 1-6Gs and stayed there for the duration of the engine burn.
Without doubt, the X-15 and the SR-71 were the pinnacle. America was a great place doing things, once. A couple of Apollo astronauts were X-15 pilots including Neil Armstrong and Robert White, later to die in the Apollo 1 fire.
There are very interesting free/cheap e-books on the X-15 at Amazon.
Posted by tscottme at October 13, 2014 12:28 AM
Correction: I confused X-15 pilot Robert White with Apollo 1 astronaut Edward White, who died on the pad along with Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.
Posted by tscottme at October 13, 2014 12:31 AM
In the early '70s I was attached to a small transport unit at Edwards flying the Convair 440. In the course of pre-flight, annual instrument school, altitude chamber and the other stuff a pilot has to do on the ground, I rubbed elbows with more than a few of these guys. I was always impressed with how matter-of-fact they were. If they knew they were doing something special, they sure didn't show it.
Posted by BillH at October 13, 2014 7:41 AM