The Fastest Flight Ever

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  • Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
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    Want to read more about the A-15 Flight Program? amzn.to/2WqKnEC
    Dropped in mid-air from beneath the wings of a B-52 mothership, the X-15 A-2 ignited its powerful rocket engine and streaked into the upper-atmosphere. Previous burns only lasted 90-seconds, but on this October 3, 1967, flight, the aircraft was equipped with special tanks that would allow the rocket to stay lit for an additional 51-seconds.
    The additional burst of thrust sent the X-15 A-2 hurtling through the sky to reach a speed of Mach 6.70. As the engine burned out, alarms sounded and the plane was buffeted by shockwaves. Aerodynamic heat melted an attachment pylon and tore-away a dummy scramjet that was being tested on the aircraft. It was the fastest speed at which a piloted flight had flown, and with the mission having come perilously close to disaster, the record has not been challenged to this day...
    - As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. -

Комментарии • 1,8 тыс.

  • @DGP406
    @DGP406 4 года назад +2679

    being an engineer in those times must have been very exciting and fun

    • @God4445
      @God4445 4 года назад +42

      Right now it must

    • @silasmayes7954
      @silasmayes7954 4 года назад +100

      @El Mostrito I know this is a joke, but the reason we haven't been to the moon since is budget and safety. The safety standards are a lot higher than they used to be.

    • @andrerrie
      @andrerrie 4 года назад +17

      But painters had a rough time afterwards

    • @madisonatteberry9720
      @madisonatteberry9720 4 года назад +28

      And nerve wrecking. Remember many of these test were military orientated and each individual involved had the threat of nuclear war in the back of their minds.

    • @sp1nrx
      @sp1nrx 4 года назад +54

      I grew up in an area where many neighbors worked at North American Aviation. Every time the X-15 was going for a run it everyone knew about it and in school they would have announcements of whether the mission was scrubbed or not. It *was* exciting. Where I lived was the equivalent of Silicon Valley except is was Aerospace. NAA, Douglas Aircraft, Northrup, Hughes Aircraft and many of the ancillary companies were only 6 miles away. As a young child even I could feel it was a special time. Scott Crossfield lived the next block over (the house is still there, still the same and a fairly modest abode for someone like that)

  • @Luscious3174
    @Luscious3174 4 года назад +1636

    When you're 4500 miles away and you're like "Honey I'll be home in 10 minutes"

    • @HRM.H
      @HRM.H 4 года назад +71

      It would take about 35 minutes. Not exaggerating

    • @truthseeker8123
      @truthseeker8123 4 года назад +21

      That ID photo tho lol

    • @dsm091
      @dsm091 4 года назад +6

      No pilot limitations anymore.

    • @richardsmith5477
      @richardsmith5477 4 года назад +2

      Luscious3174 ~~~And your at work no less!

    • @mcmb8254
      @mcmb8254 4 года назад +36

      Thomas it would take an hour almost exactly, Mach 6.1 is 4600 mph

  • @boahneelassmal
    @boahneelassmal 4 года назад +921

    This is, by far, one of the most Kerbal piece of machinery ever built by humans in real life

    • @sr20det6789
      @sr20det6789 4 года назад +39

      That we know of...

    • @cicatriz.9761
      @cicatriz.9761 4 года назад +34

      @Sharron Clark He's referencing a game called Kerbal Space Program, where you design and fly rocket ships and aircraft.

    • @Ant_Man211
      @Ant_Man211 4 года назад +7

      Sharron Clark it’s awesome you should check it out if you’re into planes and space craft but definitely not limited to just that

    • @matthewsheeran
      @matthewsheeran 4 года назад +13

      Yeah the X15 truly rocks man: still unbeaten today for manned flight! For all the military industrial shit that America blows its money on this and the Apollo moon landings I don't hold against them: they took enormous risks and pushed the technology way beyond the real limits of its capabilities of the day and should be much more proud of these achievements than the later booyeah military superpower bullshit ones! That's a man at mach 6.7 people booyeah!

    • @lionelbillingsley8406
      @lionelbillingsley8406 4 года назад +3

      Sharron Clark, Kerbal is referring to the game Kerbal Space Program in which you can create space and air craft.
      Edit: punctuation

  • @porroco
    @porroco 4 года назад +1306

    Thanksfully i grew up watching this kind of documents on discovery channel and not watching how naked people survive on the jungle

    • @juliandavis3427
      @juliandavis3427 4 года назад +16

      Whats wrong with naked and afraid"??

    • @armadillotoe
      @armadillotoe 4 года назад +107

      @@juliandavis3427 What's wrong with actually learning something?

    • @cgbdfb52
      @cgbdfb52 4 года назад +20

      Maybe they should combine the two. Sort of a learn and yearn kind of program.

    • @Homunculus144
      @Homunculus144 4 года назад +15

      @@armadillotoe not everything needs to be educational. get off ur high horse

    • @alfredodorado2821
      @alfredodorado2821 4 года назад +21

      i grew up watching this kind of documents on discovery channel and ALSO watching how naked people survive on the jungle

  • @andrewschwartz_
    @andrewschwartz_ 4 года назад +271

    These videos are so cool to watch. My great grandfather was chief engineer of the X-15 and later lead the North American company into the Apollo division, and every time I go to my grandma's house she would tell us stories of her dad and the amazing people he would bring home. It's something that she's greatly proud of and it only makes me wish I was born earlier to meet him.

    • @x15galmichelleevans
      @x15galmichelleevans 4 года назад +20

      Like Paul, I am curious what the name of your great grandfather was. The chief engineer at North American Aviation on the X-15 was Harrison Storms. He later led the NAA effort to win Apollo contracts, and did win for the Apollo Command and Service modules as well as the Saturn S-II stage. Those who were part of his team called themselves the Stormtroopers. I enjoyed getting to speak to him back in the 1980s when I was doing my initial interviews for my book, "The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying the First Wings into Space."

    • @andrewschwartz_
      @andrewschwartz_ 4 года назад +17

      @@x15galmichelleevans no way my dad forwarded me your book a while ago( he's also really proud). Yes he was Harrison Storms😁

    • @x15galmichelleevans
      @x15galmichelleevans 4 года назад +11

      @@andrewschwartz_ That's wonderful to have him as your great grandfather! He was an amazing man and accomplished a lot of great things in his life. You should most definitely be proud of him. Hope you enjoy my book. Be sure to go to the web address at the top of the List of Illustrations page where you'll find hundreds of photos and other info about the X-15. If you happen to have any family photos that you'd like to share so I could add them to the site, you'll also find my contact info on my site.

    • @jerryperttula9167
      @jerryperttula9167 4 года назад +3

      Could the X-15 have been "modified" (e.g., extra capacity fuel and oxygen tanks, hardened against ionizing radiation?) so that it could have been launched from a B-52 to accelerate to the moon and back? This flight would have been too grueling for one pilot. Re-entering the Earth's atmosphere seems problematic, but not impossible, with enough retro-rockets (and rocket fuel). Did the proposed X-20 (Dynasaur?) have room for two (or more) crew? Then there is the "Project Horizon" puzzle.

    • @louf7178
      @louf7178 4 года назад +7

      Great grandfather? I'm not doubting you, but it hasn't been that long.

  • @jigsawalwayswins8636
    @jigsawalwayswins8636 3 года назад +76

    Pilot: "sir shes burning up!"
    Tower control: "what's the speedometer say?"
    Pilot: "I cant read it, it's on fire!"

  • @thomasknight9896
    @thomasknight9896 4 года назад +775

    Amazing what good engineers with only slide rules and drafting tables could do!

    • @thomasknight9896
      @thomasknight9896 4 года назад +99

      The SR-71 was designed the same way. Years later they went over the design with modern computers and were amazed with the accuracy of the design that were done with slide rules and drafting tables. Right on. Still have my slide rule!

    • @jerryscanas
      @jerryscanas 4 года назад +20

      They did have number crunching computers back then they just took a long time to calculate stuff

    • @kevintucker3354
      @kevintucker3354 4 года назад +10

      Yes! My dad worked for Boeing testing the 747 wings to breaking point and that’s what they used!

    • @LBLUME0722
      @LBLUME0722 4 года назад +20

      Thomas Knight I’ve heard that. I’ve also heard that the computer couldn’t make the plane any better.

    • @jaik195701
      @jaik195701 4 года назад +16

      these guys had a knack for it. They cold "see" if it would fly. Marcel Dassault said something like, "to fly, it must be beautiful"

  • @brandonleesanders
    @brandonleesanders 4 года назад +387

    This wasn’t just a plane. It was literally a liquid fuel rocket with wings attached.

    • @ackbar4603
      @ackbar4603 4 года назад +22

      Congrats you just describes thousands of planes

    • @DDDSSDDDSSDDDSS
      @DDDSSDDDSSDDDSS 4 года назад +32

      @@ackbar4603 the key word was rocket.

    • @sansarsah2966
      @sansarsah2966 4 года назад +11

      It looks like pilot sitting in missile

    • @alif6526
      @alif6526 4 года назад +3

      @@sansarsah2966 its a mini space shuttle

    • @kohlllll
      @kohlllll 4 года назад +10

      Ack Bar I see you don’t know shit about planes

  • @StevenEveral
    @StevenEveral 4 года назад +736

    :Edit: Neil Armstrong flew one of the early flights of the X-15, and he flew it so high he received astronaut wings before he joined NASA. Two others flew it, as well. One was killed, and the other, Joe Engle, was a backup for Apollo 17, but later flew on the Shuttle.
    Still, the brass it took to fly one of these things is impressive.

    • @jokerzwild00
      @jokerzwild00 4 года назад +24

      @@Francois_Dupont imagine thinking the earth is flat and space is fake in . Now imagine one step above that. This is where you are.

    • @allangibson8494
      @allangibson8494 4 года назад +18

      Armstrong was scheduled to fly the prototype X-20 for the airforce until that project was cancelled and he transferred to NASA.

    • @jaapheslenfeld7365
      @jaapheslenfeld7365 4 года назад +15

      Yes and during one of Neil Armstrong’s flights he flew so high (he reached space) that he could not re entry, because he bounced of the atmosphere after he ran out of fuel. He landed approximately 150 miles farther away than he was supposed to.

    • @allangibson8494
      @allangibson8494 4 года назад +19

      @@jaapheslenfeld7365 No - he landed exactly where he was supposed to - Edwards Airforce Base, he flew further than planned but 150 miles at Mach 3 isn't very far, gliding back was a near run thing, he did consider diverting to LAX. The X-15 always landed with no fuel onboard, the hypergolic propellants were really nasty to share a crash with.

    • @olengagallardo8551
      @olengagallardo8551 4 года назад +10

      Armstrong was already with NASA,he joined it when it was still the NACA.They mention the last man who flew it,but not the 1st,Scott Crossfield who was a brilliant engeneer who help design it & the most experienced test pilot in the world at that time. He was first a navy avaitor then joined the NACA & later North American.

  • @kevintucker3354
    @kevintucker3354 4 года назад +178

    It takes a certain type of crazy to do something 22 more times after it almost killed you! Such are the balls of a test pilot...

    • @Handlebarrz
      @Handlebarrz 4 года назад +3

      Too bad all that extra weight isn't allowed anymore. Nowadays test pilots are automated

    • @archiecoolsdown5854
      @archiecoolsdown5854 3 года назад +2

      BALLS! I mean real BALLS!

    • @Walamonga1313
      @Walamonga1313 3 года назад

      His paycheck must've been thousand times bigger than his balls too

    • @anthonysmith3577
      @anthonysmith3577 3 года назад +3

      They say some guys have brass ball. Others are said to have balls of steel. That man had his family jewels, a pair of massive diamonds!

  • @nimrodquimbus912
    @nimrodquimbus912 4 года назад +151

    Fuel consumption wasn't that bad compared to my 77 Town car that had a 460.

    • @SeemslikektwasallFAKE
      @SeemslikektwasallFAKE 4 года назад +1

      I love those cars and the 65 Continental too

    • @oscarv314
      @oscarv314 3 года назад

      if i did decent math, the fuel efficiency is about 40.23 feet per pound of fuel. or 27.04 meter per kilograms of fuel.

  • @robertzeurunkl8401
    @robertzeurunkl8401 4 года назад +33

    9:17 - As a former USAF Air Traffic Controller, I would have *loved* to say, "XH Flight Zero One, Climb Flight Level 2640..." At that time (early 80s), the highest flight level I'd ever issued was for a VMAX climb for an F-15 to 55,000 feet, or FL550. The thought of a *four digit* Flight Level would have been insane.

  • @johnleibenguth2563
    @johnleibenguth2563 4 года назад +57

    The truly amazing fact about these X crafts were that they were designed without the aid of computer design and only had people using slide rules for the calculations.

    • @pegleg2959
      @pegleg2959 3 года назад

      Makes you wonder why space x is having so much trouble tbh.

    • @owo1744
      @owo1744 3 года назад +2

      @@pegleg2959 Because wastly higher safety standards and standards in general, and much much larger and harder to reach goals.

    • @kidzbop38isstraightfire92
      @kidzbop38isstraightfire92 2 года назад +1

      The engineers working on these aircrafts were brilliant! Too bad they were marred by all of those child rape allegations..

  • @zoesdada8923
    @zoesdada8923 4 года назад +347

    The fuel pump could empty an olympic swimming pool in about ten minutes.

    • @PabloGonzalez-hv3td
      @PabloGonzalez-hv3td 4 года назад +55

      @@d.1.a_mayby18 Sounds like my first girlfriend

    • @narmale
      @narmale 4 года назад +22

      pfft… Saturn 5 pump could empty the same pool in 1/4 of that time

    • @danielbubb1079
      @danielbubb1079 4 года назад +20

      @@narmale how much bigger was Saturn 5 though.

    • @narmale
      @narmale 4 года назад +1

      @Michael Doyle 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @theshermantanker7043
      @theshermantanker7043 4 года назад +3

      Considering the Shuttle empties an Olympic swimming pool in 30 seconds I'd say this plane would eat up much more fuel than that

  • @Luke..luke..luke..
    @Luke..luke..luke.. 4 года назад +400

    I always get a little bit more happy when I see a ping from Dark Docs or Dark 5

    • @GrabinGears
      @GrabinGears 4 года назад +3

      Me too I love this channel

    • @crakkbone
      @crakkbone 4 года назад +2

      Me, three! The new format isn’t bad, tho I miss the tunes.

    • @joshlink2129
      @joshlink2129 4 года назад

      Like your happy? Good, good man. 👍

    • @curtisgordon8988
      @curtisgordon8988 4 года назад

      Lord Molly I know right?!

    • @cherrypoptart2001
      @cherrypoptart2001 4 года назад +1

      I prefer this channel

  • @komerwest3748
    @komerwest3748 3 года назад +14

    I remember as a kid we all ran around with our arms out pretending to be flying the X15. Those where great times.

    • @jackmitchelles2646
      @jackmitchelles2646 2 года назад

      It was definitely a better time with children being taught to be proud of their country

  • @gaufrid1956
    @gaufrid1956 4 года назад +52

    Those pilots were brave in the extreme. It was only 20 years before that pilots first flew at Mach 1, and here was one flying at Mach 6.7!

    • @extremegopro1037
      @extremegopro1037 4 года назад

      What de phuck are you talking about? First hypersonic flight took place only 2 years After the WW2. There was even one german pilot that stated he flew mach 1 during WW2

    • @miroslavmilan
      @miroslavmilan 4 года назад +6

      Extreme GoPro | And that’s exactly what he’s saying. It’s 20 years apart.

    • @jerryperttula9167
      @jerryperttula9167 4 года назад

      The word "stunt man" comes to mind, or the Psychiatric term "counter phobic".

    • @Towing417
      @Towing417 4 года назад +3

      @@extremegopro1037 yah 20 years apart. Can you read?

  • @robertzeurunkl8401
    @robertzeurunkl8401 4 года назад +26

    11:08 - Neat that the F-104 is used as a "chase plane" for the SR-71. Probably one of the few planes that could keep up with it.

    • @eritain
      @eritain 3 года назад +1

      I read somewhere that the X-15 tail fin has about as much aerodynamic drag as an entire F-104.

    • @bbigjohnson069
      @bbigjohnson069 2 года назад +1

      F-104 keeping up with the SR-71. I don't think so.

    • @robertzeurunkl8401
      @robertzeurunkl8401 2 года назад

      @@bbigjohnson069 Not at TOP speed. At Chase speed. ;-) And I mean at that time. The F-106 would have made a good chase plane, too.

    • @jimmyhamm6041
      @jimmyhamm6041 2 года назад

      This would pass an SR-71 like the rabbit against the turtle.

  • @edvardgjertsen3939
    @edvardgjertsen3939 4 года назад +6

    The X-15 is not A “Jet”. It’s actually a rocket plane. And Neil Armstrong didn’t train for his Apollo mission, whilst flying the X-15, as he had been an astronaut since the Gemini program.

  • @johndouglas1891
    @johndouglas1891 4 года назад +207

    I’m gonna name my son after this plane.

  • @matthewdunstone4431
    @matthewdunstone4431 4 года назад +43

    What a cool legacy for Major Knight. Fastest man ever in an aircraft.

    • @wilsoncrocker
      @wilsoncrocker 4 года назад

      *atmospheric aircraft... the space station orbits at just under 5mi/sec

    • @louf7178
      @louf7178 4 года назад +4

      @@wilsoncrocker Different category; doesn't count 😁

  • @dgriffin6074
    @dgriffin6074 4 года назад +8

    I was in high school in the late '60s and loved reading about the X-15. What Courageous men they were!

    • @78bollox
      @78bollox 2 года назад

      Massive testicles

  • @thetreblerebel
    @thetreblerebel 4 года назад +13

    The X15 is one of greatest aircraft ever made, so dangerous, and amazing

  • @Kreege
    @Kreege 4 года назад +40

    3:05 Such a shame how forgotten the Korean war is. The men of that war were every bit as heroic as the men of wwII and deserve to be remembered, not glossed over like this.

    • @MichaelClark-uw7ex
      @MichaelClark-uw7ex 4 года назад +2

      Indeed, the only thing most people know about the Korean war is what they see on old MASH reruns.

    • @markusbroadwater8361
      @markusbroadwater8361 3 года назад +1

      The fact that they made that big of a mistake of forgetting about the Korean War, makes me doubt everything on this Channel. How can you not acknowledge the Korean War. I am done with this channel forever.

    • @klausbrinck2137
      @klausbrinck2137 3 года назад +1

      The Korean war was just another attemped genocide by the usa, in a series of attempted and even some successful genocides... don´t lie to yourselves!

    • @Kreege
      @Kreege 3 года назад +4

      @@klausbrinck2137 every war is an attempted genocide if done properly.

    • @klausbrinck2137
      @klausbrinck2137 3 года назад

      @@Kreege what is true, is true, u´re correct...

  • @egorvongorr5209
    @egorvongorr5209 4 года назад +247

    The X15 was not a jet - it was rocket powered. That's an important distinction.

    • @BigBrainBrian
      @BigBrainBrian 4 года назад +16

      Back then they were a little fuzzy on that distinction, thus we have the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

    • @PabloGonzalez-hv3td
      @PabloGonzalez-hv3td 4 года назад +23

      Every rocket is technically also a jet engine but not every jet engine is a rocket
      Jet simply refers to the concentrated stream of fluid it can be any fluid including liquids

    • @tomcline5631
      @tomcline5631 4 года назад +20

      Jet propelled includes rockets. They are technically propelled by a "jet flow" ie equal and opposite reaction. Like Brian Roy's,above mentioned,all rockets are jets,but not all jets are rockets. We have come to accept jet means air breathing,but technically it doesn't. Pedantic,I know,but there you are.
      Oh yeah,by the way,the narrator said Armstrong flew the x15 to train for his Apollo 11flight. Pure nonsense. The Mercury guys were Barely flying yet. Apollo wasn't even a von Braun wet dream yet.

    • @jeffbayne15
      @jeffbayne15 4 года назад +5

      @@tomcline5631 Some of these later flights were in October 1968. Apollo 8 orbited the moon and returned safely to Earth December 1968... Certainly more than a "Wet Dream" . Many of these programs were running concurrently.

    • @tomcline5631
      @tomcline5631 4 года назад +5

      @@jeffbayne15 Yeah I know,but Armstrong flew it in the early 60's! Had nothing to do with training for Apallo flights!

  • @j.s.connolly8579
    @j.s.connolly8579 4 года назад +6

    Not ONE MENTION of SCOTT CROSSFIELD who played a VERY SIGNIFICANT PART In the X-15 Project!
    He was a MAJOR Engineer AND PILOT of the X-15!

  • @flashgordon3715
    @flashgordon3715 4 года назад +30

    I was motorcycle riding through the desert and came across the major Adams monument in the desert. I didn't even know about it before that.

    • @x15galmichelleevans
      @x15galmichelleevans 4 года назад +5

      Glad that you found the Mike Adams memorial. That was first constructed by Eagle Scout John Bodylski and dedicated in May 2004. Over the years the site has been greatly expanded, primarily by Rob Enriquez of the BLM. I wrote and did the layout of the informational panels at the site, which were produced and mounted by Bob Kline. We have held several ceremonies at the site over the years in honor of Adams, the most recent being in November 2017 to honor the 50th anniversary of the accident which cost his life. I also do talks on Mike ("In the Line of Duty: Michael Adams and the X-15"), as well as in general on the X-15 program ("The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying the First Wings into Space") all across the country. These are both based on my book on the X-15.

  • @johntomasik1555
    @johntomasik1555 4 года назад +10

    McKay smashed his back and head after bailing out, recovered, and flew the X-15 22 more times after that. Some guys have all the fun.....

    • @bradleydavies4781
      @bradleydavies4781 4 года назад

      Balls of steel.

    • @johntomasik1555
      @johntomasik1555 4 года назад

      @@bradleydavies4781 Where'd they get the room to put those things in the X-15?

    • @johntomasik1555
      @johntomasik1555 3 года назад

      @@markonw6661 LOL And I thought it was pathetic when I went through chair force basic. But, in all honesty, many troops in that branch don't rely on physical capabilities. I will say even so we shouldn't have pillsbury dough boys in the service, regardless of branch. Oh, and the Air Force should put a bit more emphasis on using guns. In a real war, pretty much anyone might have to do that.

  • @southernpilot
    @southernpilot 4 года назад +41

    I worked with Bill Dana’s daughter at Southwestern Energy Company. I’m the only one that knew who her rock star Dad was.

    • @stevek8829
      @stevek8829 4 года назад +1

      I guess that's why the comedian Bill Dana did an astronaut skit. Scott Crossfield was my kid hero-still is.

  • @shanemonsees4798
    @shanemonsees4798 3 года назад +5

    Correction, the X-15 flew exclusively out of Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave,CA. All of the footage you show in your video of was shot at the NASA flight research center at Edwards.

  • @Thx1138sober
    @Thx1138sober 4 года назад +7

    I remember seeing a picture of the white X-15 and reading about it going over Mach 6 in Weekly Reader (newspaper for school children) when I was in third grade in 1967.

  • @bobkilla430
    @bobkilla430 4 года назад +6

    Watching First Man felt like I was as close as I'll ever come to experiencing the thrill, danger, ultimate adrenaline and fear in testing the x planes. Highly recommend film afaik didn't stray far from reality.

  • @imperialmodelworks8473
    @imperialmodelworks8473 4 года назад +107

    You should do a video on the XB-70 Valkyrie bomber program, and maybe the American heavy tank program from 1940 to the 1950s

    • @jerryperttula9167
      @jerryperttula9167 4 года назад

      So ironic: the Mach 5 (?) XB-70 ended when the two prototypes were flying simultaneously and crashed into each other during a "photo-op" for publicity. Pilot dismembered. So the program ended. Or did it?

    • @billboyd4051
      @billboyd4051 4 года назад +4

      @@jerryperttula9167 Only one was flying with the photo op group, the other is sitting at Wright Patterson in Ohio on display.

    • @jerryperttula9167
      @jerryperttula9167 4 года назад +2

      @@billboyd4051 Yes, I plan, one day, to see the remaining XB-70. I also see (upon reviewing web accounts of the June 1966 tragedy) that "the number-2 prototype" craft was destroyed in June 1966. Not, as I had read, "two prototypes were destroyed." I marvel at the fortified expectations and the bold "direction of thinking" that was going on behind the scenes. Room for much fertile speculation about "what came next" in the Pentagon's Cold-War-hypersonic wish list. TR-3? Aurora? Black Knight? I think Science Fiction exists in the Popular Culture to expose portions of what the Pentagon was building 20 years ago.

    • @billboyd4051
      @billboyd4051 4 года назад

      @@jerryperttula9167 It use to sit outside and you could walk under it, BIG PLANE, not too stealthy but Big. I heard it was moved inside. there are youtube videos of the accident, check them out.

    • @supersonic1246
      @supersonic1246 4 года назад

      @@jerryperttula9167 ... Mach 3 ... :)

  • @CrazyBear65
    @CrazyBear65 4 года назад +113

    _"I can't hold her! She's breaking up! She's breaking up!"_ ...Astronaut, Steve Austin, a man barely alive. We can rebuild him. Make him better than he was...

    • @wilsoncrocker
      @wilsoncrocker 4 года назад +3

      nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh

    • @armadillotoe
      @armadillotoe 4 года назад +4

      Knowing that footage was of a real lifting body test made that show more interesting.

    • @kellyweingart3692
      @kellyweingart3692 4 года назад +3

      “Steve Austin...astronaut...a man barely alive”

    • @kellyweingart3692
      @kellyweingart3692 4 года назад +3

      “Gentlemen, we can rebuild him...”

    • @jeffcanyafixiy
      @jeffcanyafixiy 4 года назад +6

      @@wilsoncrocker when I pick up something heavy at work I occasionally make that sound.
      There young guys have never even heard of the show. 😂🤣👍

  • @francisebbecke2727
    @francisebbecke2727 4 года назад +9

    X-15 was a favorite read of mine in elementary school in the 1960s. For me it promoted reading behavior.

  • @Alan-in-Bama
    @Alan-in-Bama 4 года назад +1

    I’m lucky enough to have an autographed picture from 3 of the X-15 Pilots !
    Pete Knight (The Fastest), Scott Crossfield (the First) and Bill Dana (the Last).
    Also - I recently met and got an autographed picture from Ed Yeilding....the last & Fastest pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird !
    He set that final record while flying to it’s retirement at the Smithsonian Air & Space museum.
    ALL of these men and every test pilot are absolute Heroes !

    • @williamheher6590
      @williamheher6590 Год назад

      You are a fortunate and no doubt passionate man when it comes to extreme aircraft! I'd give a kidney for that signed X-15 photo!

  • @Strype13
    @Strype13 4 года назад +4

    What an awesome record to hold. That man is a certified badass for eternity.

  • @erikawarren171
    @erikawarren171 3 года назад +2

    "We paid for the whole speedometer, we're going to use the whole speedometer goddammit!"

  • @haraldpettersen3649
    @haraldpettersen3649 4 года назад +15

    I have searched many times online over the years on "Who has flown fastest in the world", the X-15 has never been the answer, only the SR-71 Blackbird. That is, since the X-15 did not "climb" into the air itself and was rocket-propelled, and had to get help from a larger aircraft. But I mean, it flew anyway. A fairly long distance too, and was no spacecraft (only almost). It must be top of luck for a test driver, to sit in the pilot's seat of the fastest aircraft produced, and to reach the edge of space. Personally, I think the X-15 has a fantastic look, the Drag Racer of the air, a good informative video. Thanks and best regards.

    • @LetsTalkAboutPrepping
      @LetsTalkAboutPrepping 4 года назад +3

      It's because the x15, not a plane; rockets dont technically "fly" like a plane does, but act ballistically. It's a small difference but enough for some

    • @haraldpettersen3649
      @haraldpettersen3649 4 года назад +1

      @@LetsTalkAboutPrepping - Of course I understand that, but to say that the beautiful aircraft is not flying is to stretch the rubber band far, too far for me :)

    • @MagnumX2000
      @MagnumX2000 4 года назад +3

      Becasue it was rocket powered and dropped from a support vehicle the X-15 holds the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a manned, powered aircraft while the Blackbird gets the honors of holding the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft.

    • @tscottme
      @tscottme 4 года назад +2

      Most aircraft speed records reference air-breathing engines. The X-15 is the fastest manned AIRCRAFT. The SR-71 was the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft. X-15 flew over Mach 6, SR-71 flew over Mach 3. X-15, on some flights exceeded the arbitrary line between atmosphere and space (Kaman Line). Those pilots got astronaut wings from Air Force/Navy, depending which service they belonged to.

    • @haraldpettersen3649
      @haraldpettersen3649 4 года назад

      @@tscottme - Thanks I know :)

  • @sbains560
    @sbains560 4 года назад +26

    I saw this plane at the us Air Force museum in Ohio
    It’s absolutely gorgeous in person

    • @dsmyify
      @dsmyify 4 года назад +1

      In or near Dayton?

    • @wadewatson2751
      @wadewatson2751 4 года назад

      Would love to see it.

    • @TheDiameter
      @TheDiameter 3 года назад

      @@dsmyify It’s “in” Dayton. Really it’s just outside of Dayton proper in a suburb to the NE of the city.

  • @imperialmodelworks8473
    @imperialmodelworks8473 4 года назад +67

    This channel just keeps getting better and better. Keep up the great work Dark Docs.

  • @blackbirdpie217
    @blackbirdpie217 4 года назад +2

    Major Jack McKay may not have flown to the moon to become one of the most famous people in the world but can you imagine, ejecting from the X-15 at low altitude, it smashes into Mud Lake, he hurts his back and head on impact, went on to fly it another 22 times..These guys were tough as NAILS

  • @pinstripingbybear.
    @pinstripingbybear. 4 года назад +38

    6:15 Edwards AFB is in CA about a 1 hour from the ocean on roads and he crashed in NV mud lake thats 337 miles away by car .. good lord he was moving .. God Bless America

    • @sean_connors
      @sean_connors 4 года назад +4

      Roughly a mile per second in a little tin can.

    • @DevonS2
      @DevonS2 4 года назад +7

      @@sean_connors if you do the math, (4520mph/60min)/60sec = 1.2555 miles per second at its top speed. And that was back in the late 60's!

    • @sean_connors
      @sean_connors 4 года назад

      Devon - And not since in a piloted aircraft!

    • @rsvp9146
      @rsvp9146 4 года назад +1

      Edwards is more like two hours to the Ocean.

    • @allangibson8494
      @allangibson8494 4 года назад

      @@rsvp9146 California traffic....

  • @freddymarcel-marcum6831
    @freddymarcel-marcum6831 3 года назад +16

    Keep in mind this was 64 years after the first heavier than air powered aircraft ever. That's a blink of an eye.

  • @kristianodegaard6682
    @kristianodegaard6682 4 года назад +34

    Easily my favorite channel, every video is so well made and teaches me about a new obscure topic each time. Keep it up!

    • @9HighFlyer9
      @9HighFlyer9 4 года назад +1

      Sometimes he even gets the details correct.

    • @Francois_Dupont
      @Francois_Dupont 4 года назад

      his video are always full of propaganda and missinformation. i liked him better when he made video about pokemon creepy storys.

  • @conifergreen2
    @conifergreen2 3 года назад +2

    When I was a youngster my neighbour friend told me that his relative designed the tail for the X-15 . I was impressed.

  • @jcramond73
    @jcramond73 4 года назад +63

    Thanks also for putting specs into Metric measurements.

    • @Geckobane
      @Geckobane 4 года назад +2

      Came here to give my appreciation for the conversions, also.

    • @billydarley6925
      @billydarley6925 4 года назад +6

      whats the matter, imperial too tough for you?

    • @Geckobane
      @Geckobane 4 года назад +3

      I grew up with Imperial and I use it every day but it's stupid.

    • @jcramond73
      @jcramond73 4 года назад +12

      @@billydarley6925 No not really, I have just been waiting for the U.S to catch up with the rest of us.

    • @adambaker4745
      @adambaker4745 4 года назад +1

      Fuck the metric system

  • @mdnealy4097
    @mdnealy4097 4 года назад +1

    as a young boy I was fascinated by the X 15. I read everything I could find on it in the newspaper. My dad bought me a model kit for it as well. I was disappointed when they cancelled the project and loved CHuck Yeager's comments about the space program. The Air Force and Chuck trained the astronauts in the early years.

  • @r0N1n_SD
    @r0N1n_SD 4 года назад +32

    When your ability was limited by your imagination

  • @odemata87
    @odemata87 4 года назад +14

    Can't even imagine what fun and limits pushed they're doing now with their funding

  • @EO-jr7li
    @EO-jr7li 4 года назад +9

    3:11 4 million dead in the Korean War don’t necessarily agree with your conclusion of “25 years of peace.”

    • @TheDiameter
      @TheDiameter 3 года назад

      I mean we managed to kill 1 million of those in a month long bombing campaign without much loss on our side so it was relatively peaceful for us, right?

  • @toddmartin6572
    @toddmartin6572 4 года назад +2

    Pete knight is the man.... god rest his soul for him being such a brave warrior in my eyes..

  • @AquaticPro-xu5lx
    @AquaticPro-xu5lx 4 года назад +16

    Love the constant vidz lately, my dude. Keep em' coming!!! Great work

  • @jeanladoire4141
    @jeanladoire4141 4 года назад +1

    You take a missile, empty out the explosives and replace it with a seat, and you've got yourself a brand new X15 plane lol

  • @PaulojnPereira
    @PaulojnPereira 4 года назад +8

    Great as always, i´m hoping one day to see a documentary on the Ahnenerbe. Would really love it.

    • @jaybee9269
      @jaybee9269 4 года назад +1

      PJN P >> The what?

  • @tomcooper6108
    @tomcooper6108 3 месяца назад

    On 16 October 1963 a B-58 from the 305th Bomb Wing, Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, set an official world speed record in flying 8,028 miles from Tokyo to London in an elapsed time of eight hours, 35 minutes, and 20.4 seconds, averaging about 938 mph. Longest supersonic flight ever. They really knew how to build aircraft back then.

  • @nicolashalseth2591
    @nicolashalseth2591 4 года назад +10

    6:36 - Jack McCay did NOT jump from the X-15. Nobody ever bailed out of the X-15.
    He received injuries when the airplane rolled upside down.

    • @OnlyPenguian
      @OnlyPenguian 4 года назад

      www.thisdayinaviation.com/9-november-1962/

  • @christopherknight1851
    @christopherknight1851 3 года назад

    it took balls of steel to test like that, thanks to the men and woman that did these test we have the great tech to keep us all safe so for that i say thank you to these people and the family"s that went weeks, months, years not knowing if loved ones would come home.

  • @dalesfailssagaofasuslord783
    @dalesfailssagaofasuslord783 4 года назад +5

    When discussing the power plant you showed the interim rocket motor used while they waited for the xlr99. It was two xlr11 motors stacked on top of each other. That’s the same power plant used in the x1 that first went supersonic with Yeager at the controls. Also powered the d558-2 that Scott crossfield got out to Mach 2 for the first time.

  • @swedlink420
    @swedlink420 3 года назад +1

    I am trying to imagine the force the pilot felt when the thrusters began to push... Must have been nearly turned inside out! :\ I just simply can't imagine... Mind-boggled...

  • @mikefreeman3772
    @mikefreeman3772 4 года назад +9

    Incredible video content. Also keep in mind that all engineering calculations were accomplished using a tool, such as the "DECI-LON 10 ... it's a slide rule. My Uncle David gave me his, he used it as a P.E. in submarine & NASA engineering. Folks, it was slide rule use (in engineering) that put brave men on the Moon.

  • @MaxCruise73
    @MaxCruise73 4 года назад +1

    I have seen two of the remaining X-15s and one of the two B-52A's that carried the X-15s.
    The B-52A (serial #52-0003) is at the Pima Air and Space Museum east of Tucson Arizona.

  • @AphexTwinII
    @AphexTwinII 4 года назад +4

    Everything you need to know is in the first minute. Bravo.

  • @definitelyjustcj4148
    @definitelyjustcj4148 2 года назад +1

    12:27 also not to mention back in the day we were in a race against the Soviets. Today we have no use in speeding up the process of this stuff and potentially not notice errors. Also put simple, astronauts and pilots are too valuable to lose. Back then they were still horrible and unfortunate losses but the program had to keep going to beat one another

  • @jenniferharrell7818
    @jenniferharrell7818 4 года назад +8

    This channel is doing outstanding work!! Appreciate it Sir !

  • @waynep343
    @waynep343 4 года назад +1

    In the 60s my family lived in lockwood valley ca. West of Gorman about 25 miles. Or west of Edward's about 70 miles. The X15 flights would come in from the west and sonic booms would echo thru the valley.

  • @thecraigster8888
    @thecraigster8888 4 года назад +8

    Too bad he used stock footage of a F-100 doing a “Sabre Dance” at the 8:20 mark.

    • @phmwu7368
      @phmwu7368 3 года назад +2

      6:40 isn't a pilot getting out, but the large lower tail fin being dropped before landing !

  • @joshw9037
    @joshw9037 3 года назад +1

    Imagine breaking your back and hurting yourself like that and then not being able to explain to anyone what happened 😂

  • @michaelstefanosky2413
    @michaelstefanosky2413 4 года назад +5

    He sounds like he’s in a rush to be somewhere but has to get this video out.

  • @helenprimo1121
    @helenprimo1121 Год назад

    I love dark doc don't ever stop making them we get the perfect mix of History and accuracy

  • @tscottme
    @tscottme 4 года назад +6

    Several times the narrator mentions landings or activity of the X-15 in Nevada. It never landed in Nevada. All X-15 flights originated at/near Edwards Air Force Base/Rogers Dry Lake not far from Mojave, California.
    The X-15 has no connection to Area 51, Groom Lake in Nevada.

    • @williamborges3914
      @williamborges3914 4 года назад +1

      Further, Nevada is never pronounced " Ne-vah-da".

    • @stevek8829
      @stevek8829 4 года назад

      @@williamborges3914 so how is it pronounced Nah-vee-dah?

    • @larrycooper9487
      @larrycooper9487 4 года назад

      Steve K Nuh-vadd-uh

  • @bjenkins803
    @bjenkins803 3 года назад +1

    I used to live next to one of the engineers that helped develop the x15. He also helped develop the lunar space module that landed on the moon. He was very nice and he passed a few years ago at 90. He said back in "those days" the pilots a huge part of the design process. Neil Armstrong even worked with my neighbor on designing these aircraft. It was all trial and error he said.

  • @pinstripingbybear.
    @pinstripingbybear. 4 года назад +6

    Thank you for the amazing work on your channel...

  • @richarddrum9970
    @richarddrum9970 4 года назад +1

    Seeing that X-15 hanging from the ceiling at the Air and Space Museum is a thrill when considering how fast that rocket aircraft flew and the heights that it attained. Great aircraft.

    • @jackhammer5468
      @jackhammer5468 4 года назад

      everyone should spend an entire 8 hour say at the Smithsonian Air and space. Everyone that remembers this time should make a pilgrimage to DC and see all the flight museums. The wright pat museum in Dayton Ohio is another must-see.

    • @richarddrum9970
      @richarddrum9970 4 года назад +1

      Jack Hammer....agreed. I took my son to the Air and Space when he was 10 and he still remembers that day. Recently he took my two grandsons there as well. I haven't been to the Wright Pat museum yet but have been to the Dayton Air shows several times.........awesome displays and flying skills.

    • @jackhammer5468
      @jackhammer5468 4 года назад

      @@richarddrum9970 they've both changed a lot since i was there.

    • @richarddrum9970
      @richarddrum9970 4 года назад

      Jack Hammer....I’d like to go back sometime and see the Air and Space annex as well. Love aircraft.

  • @krisninoorpatrianti8262
    @krisninoorpatrianti8262 4 года назад +5

    Kid:Mom i want a blackbird!
    Mom:no we have blackbird at home
    Blackbird at home:

  • @factormars4339
    @factormars4339 3 года назад +1

    What a masterpiece. This plane is amazing, good job usa. From France

  • @shanephelan75
    @shanephelan75 4 года назад +3

    They go way faster for over 50 years with their secret alien technology.

  • @nornog
    @nornog 4 года назад +1

    I just discovered this channel and I am addicted, it's by far one of the most interesting and informative channels on youtube.

  • @Benny_From_NY
    @Benny_From_NY 4 года назад +5

    This popped up on my feed after I watched first man

  • @tedmich
    @tedmich 4 года назад +1

    13:40 its not a jet, its a rocket joyrider. Fun fact: the tail fin was 3 feet wide !

  • @hunterhalo2
    @hunterhalo2 4 года назад +21

    Waayyy off on "That's more than three times the thrust of a standard Boeing 737" This is not even close to true, at all. The 737 is powered by two CFM56s, each producing around 27,000lbs of thrust depending on variant. Only about 54k total, so they're about the same. You had quite a few errors in this video, sorta wrecks your credibility. Crosscheck your data man!

    • @proscreens2137
      @proscreens2137 4 года назад +6

      he was talking about a single 737 engine and there are many versions of that engine he could have been referring to

    • @klikushka
      @klikushka 4 года назад

      the x43 was technically even faster as well but was unmanned

    • @allanbrogdon5317
      @allanbrogdon5317 4 года назад

      I caught that too 737 avionics

    • @justaskmeiknow5584
      @justaskmeiknow5584 3 года назад +2

      His dramatic speaking style sucks too...phony

  • @mikewest5529
    @mikewest5529 4 года назад +1

    Must be special suits to fit those EXTRA big balls!! 👏👏👏 Thanks

  • @3800TURBO
    @3800TURBO 4 года назад +8

    At the end the speaker calls it a "Jet" is it a Jet or Rocket? Id have thought the SR71 was a jet. Pretty sure this was a Rocket.

    • @jamesross160
      @jamesross160 4 года назад

      Look up the definition of jet engines, and you see rockets are included.

    • @PabloGonzalez-hv3td
      @PabloGonzalez-hv3td 4 года назад

      We tend to equate the word jet with turbine engines but the word jet simply refers to the concentrated stream of fluid it can be any fluid including liquids

  • @patmason7276
    @patmason7276 3 года назад

    Hats off to these guys never knew if this mission was your last. Discovered swept wing design during these trials. Chuck Yeager did alot of early testing. Godspeed

  • @KillingDeadThings
    @KillingDeadThings 4 года назад +5

    With any luck, we'll see the land speed record broken soon by the Bloodhound LSR team.

    • @tomcline5631
      @tomcline5631 4 года назад

      Sweet baby Jesus! I hope you are joking!!!! That blood blister pos won't do a damn thing . That was the biggest scam I've ever heard of!!! Uncounted amount of money "spent on the car" and it's never gone over 200 miles an hour,and has never travelled under rocket power. It's just a joke!

    • @KillingDeadThings
      @KillingDeadThings 4 года назад

      @@tomcline5631 and you're delusional. Its already broken 600mph, try and keep up.

    • @PeteCourtier
      @PeteCourtier 4 года назад

      tom cline I’m not surprised it hasn’t run under rocket power.
      It’s jet powered.

  • @timbarnett3898
    @timbarnett3898 4 года назад

    I had uncle an cousin drilling holes, building X-15. One hole for one drill bit, so when they visited us, they gave us hand full of these one time used drill bits! I have some to this day! They are brittle against side pressure!

  • @nathankaye1577
    @nathankaye1577 4 года назад +4

    The person who makes these video must be a professional, great voice over and well made videos.

  • @markfrench8892
    @markfrench8892 4 года назад +2

    The X-15 was tested at Edwards AFB, California, not Nevada.

  • @ltkreg
    @ltkreg 4 года назад +4

    He's been busy pumping out excellent video's.

  • @drumaniac91
    @drumaniac91 4 года назад +1

    The first engine the X-15 had was two sets of engines from the X-1 which were okay. But when it got its single engine it was one of the first (if not the first) rocket with an adjustable throttle.

  • @stanleysiewierski
    @stanleysiewierski 4 года назад +27

    The service on that plane was no good!!! No beverages or snacks were ever served!!!

    • @adambaker4745
      @adambaker4745 4 года назад +1

      It was a research plan not a commercial aircraft.

    • @copheart
      @copheart 4 года назад +1

      Yeah, and their bathrooms are tiny.Also, why no window seats?

    • @tomcline5631
      @tomcline5631 4 года назад

      No lines for the shitter though,you just let go!

    • @buahsalak82
      @buahsalak82 4 года назад

      Even no place to put my ball of steels..

  • @MtnLiner
    @MtnLiner 4 года назад

    My grandfathers job was to install gages in the control panel. Wiring and piping and stuff like that. He had the painted wood models of the X-15 and other North American aircraft. He had a hole in his sock and his big toe would stick through. He would wiggle his toe and I would grab it.2:38 that’s his handy work.

  • @lebensraummetal
    @lebensraummetal 4 года назад +25

    FYI there is an old movie called X-15 starring Charles Bronson himself.

    • @lawrencegenereux8567
      @lawrencegenereux8567 4 года назад +2

      That was a great movie. It played on two levels; the flight tests themselves, and the family lives of the pilots, wives and their children. The family factor of the movie really put the stresses and losses of the families into perspective. It is a great movie for everyone to see, not just flight buffs.

    • @emmekii8868
      @emmekii8868 4 года назад

      The hell you say"

  • @IanR1205
    @IanR1205 3 года назад

    This narrator is excellent. He brings an intensity to the video that holds your attention. Not over the top either like a lot of modern documentaries.

  • @zachthomas7810
    @zachthomas7810 4 года назад +5

    Neil Armstrong didn’t train for his Apollo 11 flight by flying the X-15.

    • @jimblake3574
      @jimblake3574 4 года назад

      Not really training of any individual, but the program did get a lot of information about flight controls, compression-heating, and materials that could be used during re-entry. Useful for all space programs and for other supersonic flight.

  • @rusher80
    @rusher80 4 года назад +1

    X-15 can drop me at school gate on time

  • @noahtramposh3350
    @noahtramposh3350 4 года назад +13

    25 years of peace? korean war anyone? bueller?

    • @jalenad11
      @jalenad11 4 года назад +1

      I don't think we've had more than 4 consecutive years since the beginning of our country lol

    • @algrayson8965
      @algrayson8965 4 года назад

      Oh, those weren't wars. They were “police actions.” Important distinction, doncha know?

    • @liquidleopard4495
      @liquidleopard4495 4 года назад

      Yeah, American soldiers were shooting and dying pretty vigorously from 1950-1953. Call it a "police action" if you will, it sure as heck wasn't peace.

    • @hoen2009
      @hoen2009 4 года назад

      @@algrayson8965 yeah................. mig alley was a fun place to be for american pilots.

  • @FatBlackGamerCat
    @FatBlackGamerCat 3 года назад

    I really appreciate your proper use of hiphens, something I wish more people did.

  • @nicolasg.9068
    @nicolasg.9068 4 года назад +9

    This is where Elon Musk got the name for his son

    • @spencerhaabs
      @spencerhaabs Год назад +1

      No.
      The “A-12 “ in his name, refers to the A12 archangel. It was the predecessor of the SR 71.
      ………x 15 would be a great name though

  • @shadowjack8
    @shadowjack8 3 года назад

    Those daring young men and their flying machines. Cahones of steel.