Page 2 - The Future of Aerospace is X - X-Planes 2021

X = Experimental, to the highest power

Reader’s
by Stuart Ibberson craft to break the sound barrier; the first aircraft Air Force Base, Fla.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and the Na-
editor to use a variable-sweep-wing in flight; the first to tional Aviation Facilities Experimental Center in
fly at altitudes in excess of 100,000, 200,000 and Atlantic City, N.J. However, Edwards has seen Services
When people hear the term “X-Planes” they 300,000 feet; the first to use exotic alloy metals more X-Plane programs and test flights than any
often think of cutting edge aircraft used to test for primary structure; the first to test gimbaled other similar facility in the United States
How to contact
technology. jet and rocket engines; the first to use jet-thrust As with every research program testing pro- Aerotech News and Review
Some of the most famous X-Planes that come for launch and landing; the first to fly three, four, totype equipment, the X-Plane Program has not
to mind are the Bell X-1 in which Chuck Yea- five, and six times the speed of sound; the first been without technical glitches and equipment • E-Mail: editor@aerotechnews.com
• Phone: (661) 945-5634
ger broke the sound barrier, the X-15 in which to test boundary-layer-airflow control theories failures. Since the beginning of the program’s • Fax: (661) 723-7757
multiple pilots earned their astronaut wings, and over an entire wing at transonic speeds; the first manned flight operations in 1946, approximately • Website: www.aerotechnews.com
the X-35 that later became the F-35 Lightning to successfully complete a 180-degree turn using a 15 major accidents and four pilot fatalities have
II fighter, in service with the U.S. Air Force, the post-stall maneuver; and the first missile to reach
U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and many al- an intercontinental flight range. been associated with manned vehicle tests. Advertising
lies around the world. The majority of testing for the X-Plane family So who determines whether an X-Plane is an Corporate Headquarters:
However, not all X-Planes are aircraft (some has occurred at Edwards Air Force Base (formerly “X-Plane?” The U.S. Department of Defense (877) 247-9288
are rockets and missiles), and not all aircraft that known as Muroc Army Airfield). Hosts within Ed- has specific guidelines and detailed protocols Email: sbueltel@aerotechnews.com
have the ‘X’ in their name are officially desig- wards include the Air Force Test Center and Arm- that identify all aircraft, helicopters, rockets,
nated as X-Planes — the X-91, X-92 and XB-70 strong Flight Research Center (formerly known missiles, spacecraft and other aerial vehicles in
come to mind. as the Air Force Flight Test Center and Dryden military use. These guidelines are what give us Subscriber Services
Beginning in 1946, two XS-1 experimental Flight Research Center, respectively.) F for fighter, C for cargo, A for attack, and X for Subscriptions to Aerotech News
and Review are $59 for six
research aircraft (later redesignated X-1s) con- Other sites which have served as X-Plane experimental, among other designations. months or $89 for one year. For
ducted pioneering tests at Muroc Army Air Field testing sites include: Langley Research Center, In this special issue of Aerotech News and Re- more information, contact the
(now Edwards Air Force Base) in California, to Va.; Ames Research Center, Calif.; various U.S. view, we take a look at some of the better known subscription department at:
obtain flight data on conditions in the transonic government-owned ships; White Sands Missile X-Planes, some of the less well-known aircraft, (661) 945-5634
speed range. These early tests resulted in the first Range, N.M.; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a few of the current programs — as well as the
piloted flight faster than Mach 1.0, the speed of Ohio; Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla.; Pinecastle X-Plane that wasn’t really an X-Plane.
sound, on Oct. 14, 1947. Story ideas, letters, editorials
The XS-1 was the first high-speed aircraft built Please send all letters and editorials to
purely for aviation research purposes. The model Stuart A. Ibberson, editor,
was never intended for production. The XS-1 was at editor@aerotechnews.com.
designed largely in accordance with specifications
provided by the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics (NACA) [now National Aeronautics
and Space Administration], paid for by the Army Web Site
Air Forces, and built by Bell Aircraft Inc. The Access the Aerotech News web
XS-1 #2 (serial number 46-063) was flight tested X-32A site at www.aerotechnews.com
by NACA to provide design data for later produc- X-31 Submissions for upcoming events, air
tion high-performance aircraft. shows and museums
The research techniques used in the X-1 pro- should be emailed to
gram became the pattern for all subsequent X- editor@aerotechnews.com.
craft projects. The NACA X-1 procedures and
personnel also helped lay the foundation of Amer- For questions concerning the web site,
contact the webmaster at
ica’s space program in the 1960s. The X-1 project webmaster@aerotechnews.com.
defined and solidified the post-war cooperative
union between U.S. military needs, industrial ca-
pabilities, and research facilities. The flight data X-36 X-61
collected by NACA in the X-1 tests then provided Where you can get
a basis for American aviation supremacy in the Aerotech News and Review
latter half of the 20th century, which continues For information on
to this day. Aerotech distribution, call
X-Planes have since accomplished many avia- (661) 945-5634 or visit
tion “firsts” including breaking speed and altitude www.aerotechnews.com/distribution.
barriers, varying wing sweep in flight, implement-
ing exotic alloys and propulsion innovations, and
many more. Aerotech News and Review is published
As a result of the X-1’s initial supersonic flight, every other Friday, serving the
the National Aviation Association voted its 1948 X-57 aerospace and defense industry of
Collier Trophy to be shared by the three main X-59 Southern California, Nevada and
participants in the program. Those honored at the Arizona. News and ad copy deadline
White House by President Harry S. Truman in- is noon on the Tuesday prior to
cluded Lawrence “Larry” Bell for Bell Aircraft, publication. The publisher assumes no
Capt. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager for piloting the responsibility for error in ads other
flights, and John Stack of NACA for the NACA than space used. Your comments are
contributions. welcomed and encouraged. Write to
The U.S. X-Plane Program has evolved from the address below.
being the first rocket-powered airplane to break
the sound barrier, to testing over 30 different
major research designs — although not all were
developed into flying prototypes. • Publisher ....................Paul Kinison
• Business Manager ....... Lisa Kinison
As the program progressed, other non-rocket- X-38 X-56 • Editor .................... Stuart Ibberson
powered experimental aircraft were built and • National Advertising
tested. These aircraft included: a range of vertical Manager .....................Paul Kinison
takeoff and horizontal landing vehicles; smaller,
propeller-driven reconnaissance vehicles; and a
series of unmanned missile testbeds of both single
and multistage designs. Although the program Aerotech News and Review
grew to include conventional propeller-driven e-mail: editor@aerotechnews.com
aircraft, all designs had in common the aspect of Visit our web site at
being highly valuable research tools for advance- www.aerotechnews.com
ment of aerodynamics and astronautics.
Accomplishments of the X-Plane family have X-53 X-48
been many. The program included: the first air-

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