USAFNM R&D Aircraft - April 28th, 2012
Enter the Research & Development Aircraft hanger
Bensen X-25A Gyrocopter & McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry
Bell XV-3 first successful tilt-rotor aircraft 1951
The XV-3 paved the way for the CV-22 Osprey
Only surviving XV-3 of two made, retired in 1965
Fisher P-75A Eagle flight tested in 1943
2 coaxial contra-rotating propellers w/dual drive shafts
Unsatisfactory performance cancelled the P-75A in 1944
Tacit Blue stealth technology tester flew 135 times 1982-85
Northrop X-4 swept wing semi-tailess transonic flight test
2 X-4's flew 1948-53 & proved horizontal tails are needed
Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II
General Dynamics AFTI/F-16 made 700 flights 1978-2000
North American F-107A extensively redesigned F-100B
Prototype aircraft that flew Mach 2 and climb at Mach 1
No. 2 of 3 F-107A aircraft that flew 1956-57
Bell XGAM-63 Rascal air-surface guided nuclear missile
De Havilland DH 89 Dominie built in 1944
Teledyne-Ryan AQM-34L Firebee RPV built in 1960
VB-9 (left) and VB-10 Guided Bombs tested 1944-45
VB-6 "Felix" heat seeking 1000 pound Guided Bomb
Republic XF-84H turboprop T-tail modified F-84F
Triangular fin added to reduce high torque from the prop
Ground crew nausea & headaches = Thunderscreech
#1 of two XF-84H's flew 8 of the 12 flights 1955-56
Republic YRF-84F "FICON" designed to be carried by B-36
Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor rocket powered interceptor
Hawker Siddeley XV-6A Kestrel (1961) led to 1969 Harrier
Ryan X-13 Vertijet VTOL jet aircraft flew 1955-59
X-13 had a successful VTOL with level flight in 1957
Martin X-24A lifting body return from space test aircraft
This jet-powered Martin SV-5J (X-24A derivative) never flew
To the left, the Douglas X-3 "Stiletto" twin turbojet
Designed for sustained supersonic flight at high altitudes
Also to test titanium and new construction techniques
X-3 took off itself, so engines did not achieve potential
X-3 benefitted the design of F-104, X-15, and SR-71
Martin X-24B delta shaped lifting body landed safely 1975
North American X-10 pilotless supersonic research 1953-7
North American X-15A-2 flew above 50 miles @ 4000mph
X-15 rocket fired 80-120 seconds then 11 min glide down
Bell X-5 first to vary sweepback in flight, 1951-55
X-24B flight test landings led to the Space Shuttle
Bell X-1B tested aerodynamic heating & pilot RCS, 1954
Walk underneath the North American XB-70 Valkyrie
Lockheed P-80R Shooting Star achieved 623mph in 1947
Lockheed NT-33A in-flight simulator for human factors
Grumman X-29A forward swept wing test aircraft
Composite material helped wings stay rigid @ high speed
#1 (here) of two X-29As flew 1985-1994, #2 flew past 1990
Lockheed YF-12A Mach3 supersonic bomber interceptor
YF-12A were never operational & testing ended in 1966
Lockheed D-21B unmanned reconnaissance aircraft
D-21B flew in 1966, was cancelled in 1971 & still classified
Darkstar stealth RPV transfered digital images, 1996-99
NASA/Boeing X-36 tailless fighter RPV, 1997-98
Piper PA-48 Enforcer light attack aircraft evaluated 1984
Now, over the XV-3 tiltrotor wing . . .
Towering over no vectored thrust YF-22 loser
Although YF-23 does have interesting exhaust ports
The one and only North American XB-70 Valkyrie!
One of the world's most exotic airplanes
A high altitude bomber that could fly at Mach 3
But funding limited construction on only 2 test aircraft
Six General Electric YJ-93s of 30,000 lbs. thrust each
Stainless-steel honeycomb sandwich panels & titanium
Landing gear had to support 534,700 lbs. loaded
No. 1 XB-70 first flew on Sept. 21, 1964, retired in 1969
No. 2 XB-70 crashed in a mid-air collision on June 8, 1966
XB-70 is 186ft long with a wingspan of 105ft
It flew over 2000mph (Mach 3) on October 14, 1965
The XB-70 was the point of this KYOH trip
Like Mecca to one atmospheric aerospace engineer