Fastest Manned Flight ever....47 years ago

[+MigBuster]

Good article:

 

 

It flew at nearly Mach 7, seven times the speed of sound and twice the speed of a rifle bullet. The speed record it set 47 years ago today still stands today.

It flew so high its pilots earned Air Force astronaut wings: 280,500 feet or 53.1 miles above the earth.

http://alert5.net/2014/10/02/47-years-ago-today-the-fastest-manned-aircraft-flight-ever/

[B52STRATO]

Will remain an amazing achievement. Alas this record will probably remain for centuries, today our so-called progress society reward especially those flying at the speed of a snail on batteries or powered by solar source.

[Lexx_Luthor]

Any soul interested in this has to get s'>Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15

 

 

Pubbed by Specialty Press, and they have freaking amazing books on B-36 and B-70. Get em all, the detail is mind blowing, too much for my purposes for X-15, waaay deep in detail and history. B-36 and 70 are different, since they have a use over both Siberia and The StrikeFighters!!!!!

 

Edited October 7, 2014 by Lexx_Luthor

[+FastCargo]

I have both the X-15 and XB-70 books by Specialty Press and I'd agree, fantastic books.

 

Also, hypersonic is easy (which is why we don't do it anymore)...with rockets and high altitudes.

 

It is MUCH harder at low altitudes with air breathers...that's why success has been more limited.  Not due to efforts in efficiency...which are important.

 

FC

[+Stratos]

I want to thank MigBuster by his links to articles about aviation, is a pleasure to read them!

 

BTW, anyone know of a sim or mod that I can use to replicate X flights? Specially If I can launch from the mother aircraft.

[+JediMaster]

I had a sim over 20 years ago that had the X-15 in it, but I can't recall which it was. Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer maybe?

The crappy part was the X-15 was only able to take off from the runway, there were no B-52 drops. I think you might have been able to start in the air to preserve your fuel, but still you had no chance of going too fast before you ran out of fuel.

 

You COULD go too high, though, and the game didn't model the puffer jets that allowed control at altitude above where the control surfaces stopped functioning. So basically you'd get to Mach 5 or so and 200k ft...and start tumbling with no way to regain control.

[+SupGen]

  We do have a NF-104 here at CombatAce. Its ground launch only but you do have RCS.

[+MigBuster]

Remember flying it off a B-52 in this:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(video_game)

 

Not much of game otherwise IMO

[+FastCargo]

I want to thank MigBuster by his links to articles about aviation, is a pleasure to read them!

 

BTW, anyone know of a sim or mod that I can use to replicate X flights? Specially If I can launch from the mother aircraft.

 

X Plane 10

 

Orbiter

 

FC

[+Gepard]

And i always thought the Apollo astronauts had been the fastest when they were on the way to the moon.

[+Fubar512]

And i always thought the Apollo astronauts had been the fastest when they were on the way to the moon.

 

They mean the fastest manned "controlled-flight" within the atmosphere.  And they also stated that it was surpassed during the first shuttle re-entry.