I have a 60 year old confession to make. I loved the X-3 so much that I tore the page out of the library book I found it in. It is by far the most beautiful aircraft ever made.
Johnny Martin was from Willows, California north of Sacramento about 60 miles, where he passed away in mid 1970's. I never met the man but have listened to various stories about him and his exploits. At his funeral, Douglas sent an A-4 Skyhawk and DC-9 to overfly the funeral in salute. A side note, as a kid, I spent more than a few minutes looking at the 558 on display at Antelope Valley Junior College in Lancaster, CA. I could never figure out how to scale up the podium to get on it! Keep up the great work, Mike!
The X-3 always looked like it was doing Mach 3 just sitting on the tarmac, vestigial little flying surfaces and all. Built the ancient Aurora kit eons ago. Just a stunning looking airplane.
8:45 In this context "jet" refers to a high speed stream of fluid (air, or gas) not a turbine engine. JATO actually predates the introduction of turbine engines.
TY. Came to say similar, and see you beat me to it. The term predates the adoption of turbine engines, and the convention of "jet" for air-breathers, and "rockets" for those that BYO Oxidizer. "Jet," at the time, merely meant "high-velocity stream of reaction thrust."
Thankfully, there are gobs of good Lindberg and Revell X-3 kits on eBay right now. For me, it was the hefty Lindberg model that really captured the aura of that airplane. Good luck!
I grew up in the 1950s fascinated by all these early experimental jets and building models of them. Back in the mid 70s I was wandering through a huge scrap yard in PA when I saw a white fin sticking up behind a big pile of scrap metal. i walked around and found a complete Douglas D558-2 Skyrocket sitting forlornly on it's landing gear. This was on a Sunday and there were no employees of the yard around to question about it. When I came back a week or so later it was gone. Nobody working at the yard seemed to know anything about it. I was pretty sure that I knew the locations of all 3 of the planes, so I couldn't account for this one. Many years later on the internet I discovered that a 4th airframe had been built as an engineering mockup and had been hauled around the country for PR purposes. Evidently it never had engines or complete systems installed, and the outer wing sections were removable for transport. It had sat outside at a local elementary school for years until being towed away for scrap when the school was expanded, and was bought by a guy who now had (has?) it in his barn in Connecticut. But it was quite a thrill to me at the time to find a Douglas Skyrocket in a local junkyard.
@@b.griffin317 Well, it took quite a bit of searching but I found it. But now I can't seem to find the old "history of Levittown, PA" site that had pics of the Skyrocket at the Walt Disney Elementary School and a linked article with pictures of the plane in the barn of the new owner, a doctor in Connecticut. I remember him saying that he was puzzled by the 100s of pounds of sand that he removed from the fuselage, until he found out it had been on a school playground for decades. But that was about 20 years ago and apparently it's now at the Space Age Museum, a rather tacky looking place that divulges only that they are in "Northwestern Connecticut" and only open to people who want to donate exhibits (or money). Check out the glitchy website Spaceagemuseum.com, click on "exhibits" and then click on the first pic of some weird movie prop rocket to advance to the other exhibits. The Skyrocket is there, minus it's wings and looking very sad. But at least these people are saving it from the scrap yard.
It was in the late 60s when I came across a book an excerpt and translated into Japanese language,of Bill Bridgeman`s "The Lonely Sky" in which I got know the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket very well. From the book I learned what about the airplane test flights conducted at the Edwards AFB and the dry lake somewhere in America. Then I was a mere fifth grader. Years later perhaps in 1984 when I visited to the Planes of Fame Museum at KCNO and I find myself sitting alongside the Bill Bridgeman`s very Douglas Sky Rocket (#01). She`s so a small and cute airplane, and as my memory serves me correctly I climbed up on her wing and then on the forward fuselage gazing into the small windshield, to find the set of four toggle switches for the rocket motor, presumably Bill Bridgeman had operated with his initial trepidation.
I loved 'The Lonely Sky', when I was growing up! One of the great books about this era. Great stories like one where Bridgeman was in the Skyrocket with the canopy iced over and Yeager flying chase talking him in to land.
Edwards AFB was originally named Muroc AAFB, the site is on the Muroc Dry Lake. It was a bomber base, but in 1943 it was used to test secret jet aircraft. In 1948 it Became Muroc AFB, and in 1949 was re-named Edwards AFB, it had become the test center for experimental aircraft. The Dry Lakes flat terrain was thought ideal for aircraft testing and emergency landings. I am lucky enough to have visited Edwards twice on open days and got to look around their air museum.
@@b.griffin317 Edwards has a website and open days are usually posted, its usually when they have an air show. But its not very often. I believe you can request to see the museum, but never done that
I have some great color pictures of my brother and I next to the X-3 taken in 1966 when it was at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB. It was and has always been a huge mmeory for me. Thanks for bringing it back a little.
Wonderfull video ! I am a fan of the 50's and all those prototypes ... What a magnifisant period , many planes from all countries !!! I'm French , and a witness of US air force bases in France and Europe with century fighters and others ... Today ? sometime a Mirage 2000 , Eurofighter , F16 , etc... but a empty sky !!! I want MORE videos like this one .....!!!!
Excellent documentary and photos! I’m a big fan of the X-3 and, like you, was surprised to learn it had 33 supersonic flights - I had read long ago it reached supersonic flight only once in a dive. Glad you publicized this! Also, in the 1970’s I used to walk past the dome of the Douglas plant in Santa Monica every day and have many photos of it. Lastly, in the 1960’s, in Southern California, we could hear the sonic booms from the X-15.
Great presentation as a kid in England I found the American high speed aircraft very exciting, especially as model kits were available. I built both Skyrocket and Stiletto in the early 1960s along with the X-15 "Space Plane". Later I went on to build the superb 1/48 scale Monogram Fighter Jets F-102, F-8 Crusader, F-101 Voodoo etc. Later I married a lady whos Dad worked at Convair, visiting aviation museums in So-Cal I got to see many of the planes I idolized as a boy.
You really need to visit every few years, because they're constantly expanding the museum. I've visited around five times over the past 46 years and it's been like a new museum every time.
Excellent video. The J-46 failure adversely affected many promising early jet aircraft. The substitute jet engines didn't always provide proper thrust.
Thanks Mike. As I've said in a pevious video the D-558 was a huge favorite of mine back in the 1950s. I always thought that and the X-2 were the best looking of all the X-planes. But the fact that the Douglas bird never got an 'X' number has always left me scratching my head. It couldn't be for the fact it was a Navy project! ?. The NACA experimental aircraft branch was for all services combined I thought.
The 50's and early 60's was an exciting time for young aviation enthusiasts, the Skyrocket and Stiletto being the most exotic and sought after model kits in my neighborhood. Thanks for the video of these unique research aircraft.
Oh that X3: if only it could have flown on looks. I understand that it contributed to the understanding of roll coupling due to the unusual weight distribution.
Don't forget that the skyrocket was used in the 50's TV show, Captain Midnight/ Jet Jackson,. The name change was because the original sponsor, Ovalteen, owned the character, and did not sponsor the syndicated re-release, so they had to change the character's name. That must have produced some "interesting" editing problems. 'Axe
A lovely selection of really beautiful photos of fabulous airplanes! Yes like many guys I always loved the X-3 and my mother bought me a model of the x-3 I think it was the Aurora, and for days I was "flying" my kite with my imagination! Douglas company played a very important part for American aviation, thank you for this lovely video 👍👍
"The Crimson Test Tube." I love it! Thank you, Mike, for these great videos. I learn more about these great planes from you in twenty-minutes, than I have from many books. BTW: The D-558-2 is the epitome of 1940's sci-fi.
Great video Mike. Love the Skyrocket and Stiletto. Saw both up close at Antelope Valley College and the USAF Museum respectively. Nice touch with the Revell model box art matching up with the photos of the real thing. Wonderful period of time in aviation history and model building.
At the 1:10 minute mark in upper right, is the Air Force B-66 Destroyer. The Navy had it's own version and called it the A-3 Skywarrior. The B-66 had ejection seats and the A-3 did not. I was in a Navy squadron from 71-75, was enlisted and became what the Navy calls a Plane Captain, similar to the Air Force Crew Chief. We had four A-3's and since all of them were full of electronic warfare gear, the plane designation became ERA-3B. I loved helping take care of and launching/recovering them. Each one had it's own personality and it's own peculiarities and I developed a strong attachment to them. They became "my" planes...!!
I think there were conversion kits for the B-29, B-50, and B-52 in 1:72, and Monogram/Revell combined their X-15 and B-52. But that s as much as I can recall. Come over to Max's Models and quiz the experts -- Max usually dies a hosted kive-stream on Saturdays.
Another Machat masterpiece! I truly love your videos. And your artwork, which you sometimes include. Yes, the late 40s and early 50s were a golden era for aircraft design. Douglas was one of the best, with many military and commercial designs to it's credit. As always Mr Machat your presentation is superb. Their experimental aircraft, especially the X3, my favorite, were amazing. As always God bless you and yours and thanks again for everything you do! Take care always Sir! 👍😊🇺🇸
Back in the 1960s I had a book titled *Skyrocketing Into the Unknown*. It featured all these aircraft. It's final photo was a prototype of the F4 Phantom. I suppose that was about the Douglas and McDonnel became McDonnel Douglas.
Another great video. I really appreciate the Douglas videos, my maternal grandmother worked at the long Beach plant during WW2. Also really liked your photos of the weights and balancing rigs. My dad worked on the DC-8 stretch 62 as a weights and balancing engineer. Thanks for video. I'll try and find the pictures my dad had of the team for the DC-8. If I do I'll text or email them to you.
Another great video of some exotic aircraft, and the model covers are great bings back modeling memories. And as always the artwork is superb. And if my memory is right I have quite few hours in the X-3. Humor.
Living in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago at age 13 to 16, I had 3 obsessions. Art; sci fi paperbacks and plastic model kits. Everything hinged on how much cash I could scrounge. A good Sci Fi paperback was$.35 ( I could get 3 for $1.05 with no tax on books) Revell kits for $1.98 but I had to buy glue and paint. The other was trips to Downtown Chi to the Art Institute, the Natural History and the Science museums. Yeah; I had to do HS football, wrestling and chess but it all worked.
Thanks Mike. I love the original photos you have, the detail about people, and the accuracy of your descriptions. Your channel is such a great resource.
Fascinating to learn more about such famous aircraft. I remember the X3 well as it was one of the earliest model kits I built back in the early 60s and always thought it was a stunning aircraft.
Amazing ! I always wanted to find out more details about this experimental aircrafts since I first saw the D- 558 flown by Scott Crossfield over Edward's in the movie The Right Stuff. Thanx a lot.
The model box you showed of the X3 STILETTO is the same one I built (a few years back.) Funny how the LA area was once to "center of the universe" for American aviation R&D and manufacture and now it's just a shadow of itself. Thanks to Mike Machat for this fine watch.....
2 things happened that destroyed California's place in aviation. 1) the federal government drastically reduced expenditures in aerospace after the end of the Cold War; and 2) California priced itself out of business! Sure, they still have HQ's of companies there and do flight testing for military equipment at Edwards but almost everything is built outside of California because it's cheaper!
@@AvengerII Skunk Works is still in business. The B-2 was built in CA by Northrop. The follow-n B-21 is also being built there. But mostly it has been due to the consolidation and shrinkage of the industry. As for the X03 Stiletto model, I still have one, in the box, unbuilt. One of these days . . . .
@@AvengerII Yes I did read what you wrote. Obviously you didn't read what I wrote. I talked about manufacturing, not HQ's. As for HQ's, Lockheed Martin's is in MD. Boeing's is in Chicago but moving to Virginia, Northrop Grumman's HQ is in Virginia, Raytheon's is in Massachusetts. You are even wrong about HQ's. So calm down and read more carefully and try doing a little research. (Since this article was about aerospace, those are the only companies I considered. And for the record, Tesla has built 4 factories in CA since 2010, including a new one this year. And then there's Apple, and Google and on and on.)
@@AvengerII no, the people of California devour the best and brightest members of their society and feed them to the lowest in society. Anyone who just doesn't do better for themselves is granted a moral claim on everyone else.
Amazing company float planes, cargo , fighters , bombers , passenger, long range nuclear strike from carrier deck(skywarrior) and this lot , anything with wings
Amazing video, as usual Mike! I have had my close and personal encounter both with Skystreak and Skyrocket in visits to museus in US. Greetings from Brasil! 🇧🇷
Well there was also Martin in Baltimore, and the much bigger Lockheed facility in Marrietta GA. Their facility in GA was so much bigger than the puny factory in Burbank, it made it look like not much more than a grease spot. Similar to the much smaller factory Douglas had in Santa Monica compared to the much bigger factory in Long beach.
Excellent presentation, Mike. Just a small aside. A model of the Skyrocket was used in the old Captain Midnight/Jet Jackson TV series. That was his personal transport. In the TV series they made it look like a side-by-side 2 seater, so he could have conversations with his sidekick, Ichabod Mudd, while they were flying off to some adventure.
I was glad they mentioned the similarities in the Douglas X-3 and the F-104 Starfighter in design. It looks to me like they use some of the design elements in one craft to create the other. This goes to show you that every aircraft design builds onto previous designs nothing is really discarded or thrown away 🧐
I'm a bit of an aviation video junkie, to be honest. Some channels wow you with zippy music and fast-cut footage with generic information. There is a lot of hyped stuff out there too. What I really like, though, is good information. I think your channel has a really informative and contextual tone. What I'm really interested in is what the designers and pilots thought of these vehicles. I could be wrong, but I get a sense that you have some inside-track information on these programs, and that this informs your videos. Very enjoyable, and well done.
I haven’t seen anyone mention it, but at 14:16 the X-3 looks remarkably like the F-4 Phantom II. The large sides that slope down towards the engines, with the ridge between them down the “backbone” to a tail that hangs over the exhaust. I wonder if they referenced this for the design of the F-4? I remember reading that in the prototype stage they discovered the horizontal stabs should be angled down on the F-4, maybe because they started with the design of the X-3?
Ok, three mile take off roll, how long were the landings? The slit by the intakes on the X3, was that some kind of boundary layer control?. Really great video, loved the box art inserts. Thanks!
That must have been an exciting era to work at Douglas (or any of those aircraft companies, really). In the shot showing the Douglas research aircraft, I notice the F4D Skyray in the background. Was it used for research, or just included in the photo because it also looks incredibly futuristic? Thanks for the great videos!
(Reference 9:00 into the film) The term JATO came from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The lab was formed to develop rockets, but in the 30s and early 40s anyone working on rockets was considered a crackpot. So they named the company Jet Propulsion Lab rather than Rocket Propulsion Lab. One of their first products were rockets ('jets') to help airplanes take off. And that is where the term JATO came from. JPL was spun out of Cal Tech. Theodore von Karman and Frank Molina were two of the key founding members of JPL.
All engines used in the D558-II program were early experimental versions of the X24C series (J34). Originally planned to use the X24C-2 with oil mist total loss lubrication, it was changed to the the slightly longer X24C-4A with its longer compressor section and then to the X24C-4B with solid oil lubrication, oil mist having been abandoned. Late versions of the X24C-4B were very close to the build standard of the first production model of the J34, the J34-WE-22. Thrust was just able to meet the 3,000 lb contract guarantee. Matching a highly experimental aircraft with an unproven rapidly developing new engine turned out to cause many headaches. In the end, Ed Heinemann warned that the accuracy of the performance data of the aircraft was suspect since the engine control system could not maintain the precise contant thrust levels needed for high accuracy. The engine control system however WAS able to meet BuAer standards for a service aircraft.
At 07:41, the negative of the photo is inverted !! ( For convenience to compare with the Revell kit), as I still have, with the box and all the spares inside . The nose wheel door, inges to the right, not to the left, as on the photo.!!! And somebody, deleted the "Navy" lettering in the rear fuselage, after the US star. Not correct.!!!
Thanks for your comment, and yes, you are correct. The narration states that "If you turn the photo around... it's the Revell cover." Correct photo with Navy markings is shown prior to that at 07:25.
The biggest issue with the X-3 besides its engines and inertia coupling was compressibility issues. If the fuselage was tapered more like the T-38 Talon it might have been a better aircraft.
Apologies for the error, and I should have known that. Caption on reference photo was incorrect - it is indeed Mines Field that became LAX. Thanks for the comment.
I'm from the UK... Our Army only operates helicopters all fixed wing aircraft are either RAF or Navy (for carriers etc). I noted you said SAC was part of the USAAF? How does / did this fit in with the USAF? Why does the army have its own airforce? And how did the army end up controlling the air delivered nuclear deterrent? I guess they did all the bombing in WWII?
I gotta note that the Skystreak has some striking similarities in appearance to the A-4 Skyhawk despite the straight wings.. Of course, the Skyhawk was also a Douglas product so it makes sense they'd borrow from the Skystreak.
Thanks Mike …. The primary red on the thumbnail really lured me in .. Fish on the line ..!..
I have a 60 year old confession to make. I loved the X-3 so much that I tore the page out of the library book I found it in. It is by far the most beautiful aircraft ever made.
Neat story!
Johnny Martin was from Willows, California north of Sacramento about 60 miles, where he passed away in mid 1970's. I never met the man but have listened to various stories about him and his exploits. At his funeral, Douglas sent an A-4 Skyhawk and DC-9 to overfly the funeral in salute.
A side note, as a kid, I spent more than a few minutes looking at the 558 on display at Antelope Valley Junior College in Lancaster, CA. I could never figure out how to scale up the podium to get on it!
Keep up the great work, Mike!
The X-3 always looked like it was doing Mach 3 just sitting on the tarmac, vestigial little flying surfaces and all.
Built the ancient Aurora kit eons ago. Just a stunning looking airplane.
If only the X-3 had the engines needed to fulfill its mission. One can only speculate.
I love how sometimes you'll throw in some model box art covers in your Real life aviation videos too. So cool!
8:45 In this context "jet" refers to a high speed stream of fluid (air, or gas) not a turbine engine.
JATO actually predates the introduction of turbine engines.
TY. Came to say similar, and see you beat me to it.
The term predates the adoption of turbine engines, and the convention of "jet" for air-breathers, and "rockets" for those that BYO Oxidizer. "Jet," at the time, merely meant "high-velocity stream of reaction thrust."
Great episode Mike, thanks for the shout out. Yes, I am snooping around for an 'affordable' X-3 to 'enhance'. 😉
Thankfully, there are gobs of good Lindberg and Revell X-3 kits on eBay right now. For me, it was the hefty Lindberg model that really captured the aura of that airplane. Good luck!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Thanks
I grew up in the 1950s fascinated by all these early experimental jets and building models of them. Back in the mid 70s I was wandering through a huge scrap yard in PA when I saw a white fin sticking up behind a big pile of scrap metal. i walked around and found a complete Douglas D558-2 Skyrocket sitting forlornly on it's landing gear. This was on a Sunday and there were no employees of the yard around to question about it. When I came back a week or so later it was gone. Nobody working at the yard seemed to know anything about it. I was pretty sure that I knew the locations of all 3 of the planes, so I couldn't account for this one. Many years later on the internet I discovered that a 4th airframe had been built as an engineering mockup and had been hauled around the country for PR purposes. Evidently it never had engines or complete systems installed, and the outer wing sections were removable for transport. It had sat outside at a local elementary school for years until being towed away for scrap when the school was expanded, and was bought by a guy who now had (has?) it in his barn in Connecticut. But it was quite a thrill to me at the time to find a Douglas Skyrocket in a local junkyard.
Wow. Amazing story. Where exactly in Connecticut, do you know?
@@b.griffin317 Well, it took quite a bit of searching but I found it. But now I can't seem to find the old "history of Levittown, PA" site that had pics of the Skyrocket at the Walt Disney Elementary School and a linked article with pictures of the plane in the barn of the new owner, a doctor in Connecticut. I remember him saying that he was puzzled by the 100s of pounds of sand that he removed from the fuselage, until he found out it had been on a school playground for decades. But that was about 20 years ago and apparently it's now at the Space Age Museum, a rather tacky looking place that divulges only that they are in "Northwestern Connecticut" and only open to people who want to donate exhibits (or money). Check out the glitchy website Spaceagemuseum.com, click on "exhibits" and then click on the first pic of some weird movie prop rocket to advance to the other exhibits. The Skyrocket is there, minus it's wings and looking very sad. But at least these people are saving it from the scrap yard.
@@barryervin8536 Much thanks.
It was in the late 60s when I came across a book an excerpt and translated into Japanese language,of Bill Bridgeman`s "The Lonely Sky" in which I got know the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket very well. From the book I learned what about the airplane test flights conducted at the Edwards AFB and the dry lake somewhere in America. Then I was a mere fifth grader.
Years later perhaps in 1984 when I visited to the Planes of Fame Museum at KCNO and I find myself sitting alongside the Bill Bridgeman`s very Douglas Sky Rocket (#01). She`s so a small and cute airplane, and as my memory serves me correctly I climbed up on her wing and then on the forward fuselage gazing into the small windshield, to find the set of four toggle switches for the rocket motor, presumably Bill Bridgeman had operated with his initial trepidation.
I loved 'The Lonely Sky', when I was growing up! One of the great books about this era. Great stories like one where Bridgeman was in the Skyrocket with the canopy iced over and Yeager flying chase talking him in to land.
Great story, thanks!
Edwards AFB was originally named Muroc AAFB, the site is on the Muroc Dry Lake. It was a bomber base, but in 1943 it was used to test secret jet aircraft. In 1948 it Became Muroc AFB, and in 1949 was re-named Edwards AFB, it had become the test center for experimental aircraft. The Dry Lakes flat terrain was thought ideal for aircraft testing and emergency landings. I am lucky enough to have visited Edwards twice on open days and got to look around their air museum.
@@billballbuster7186 How do you find out about open days? How far in advance do you get advanced notice?
@@b.griffin317 Edwards has a website and open days are usually posted, its usually when they have an air show. But its not very often. I believe you can request to see the museum, but never done that
It is kind of neat - you built models in your youth - you painted them later on. That is a life-long love affair with aviation.
I have some great color pictures of my brother and I next to the X-3 taken in 1966 when it was at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB. It was and has always been a huge mmeory for me. Thanks for bringing it back a little.
Wonderfull video ! I am a fan of the 50's and all those prototypes ... What a magnifisant period , many planes from all countries !!! I'm French , and a witness of US air force bases in France and Europe with century fighters and others ... Today ? sometime a Mirage 2000 , Eurofighter , F16 , etc... but a empty sky !!! I want MORE videos like this one .....!!!!
Pictures and paintings are really good and the stories are even better.
here I am, Toast, coffee and Machat !
Excellent documentary and photos! I’m a big fan of the X-3 and, like you, was surprised to learn it had 33 supersonic flights - I had read long ago it reached supersonic flight only once in a dive. Glad you publicized this! Also, in the 1970’s I used to walk past the dome of the Douglas plant in Santa Monica every day and have many photos of it. Lastly, in the 1960’s, in Southern California, we could hear the sonic booms from the X-15.
Great presentation as a kid in England I found the American high speed aircraft very exciting, especially as model kits were available. I built both Skyrocket and Stiletto in the early 1960s along with the X-15 "Space Plane". Later I went on to build the superb 1/48 scale Monogram Fighter Jets F-102, F-8 Crusader, F-101 Voodoo etc. Later I married a lady whos Dad worked at Convair, visiting aviation museums in So-Cal I got to see many of the planes I idolized as a boy.
Great vid, Michael! I've seen the B-70 and the X-3 (at the Air Force Museum. If you like airplanes, then you've GOT to go to the Museum.
I like the view, with the X3 parked next to the B70.
It's on my bucket list.
@@lancerevell5979
Mine too!
You really need to visit every few years, because they're constantly expanding the museum. I've visited around five times over the past 46 years and it's been like a new museum every time.
I'd love to go there some day, but the expense and time needed have always prevented me from taking the long trans oceanic flight.
My father worked at Langley for NACA on this project in wind tunnel test...rip dad
Excellent video.
The J-46 failure adversely affected many promising early jet aircraft. The substitute jet engines didn't always provide proper thrust.
It didn't use a J46. It used experimental early X24C-2, 4A and 4B engines, 2,400 - 3,000 lbs thrust.
Thanks Mike. As I've said in a pevious video the D-558 was a huge favorite of mine back in the 1950s. I always thought that and the X-2 were the best looking of all the X-planes.
But the fact that the Douglas bird never got an 'X' number has always left me scratching my head. It couldn't be for the fact it was a Navy project! ?. The NACA experimental aircraft branch was for all services combined I thought.
Douglas Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 50's and early 60's was an exciting time for young aviation enthusiasts, the Skyrocket and Stiletto being the most exotic and sought after model kits in my neighborhood. Thanks for the video of these unique research aircraft.
Oh that X3: if only it could have flown on looks. I understand that it contributed to the understanding of roll coupling due to the unusual weight distribution.
Don't forget that the skyrocket was used in the 50's TV show, Captain Midnight/ Jet Jackson,. The name change was because the original sponsor, Ovalteen, owned the character, and did not sponsor the syndicated re-release, so they had to change the character's name. That must have produced some "interesting" editing problems. 'Axe
A lovely selection of really beautiful photos of fabulous airplanes! Yes like many guys I always loved the X-3 and my mother bought me a model of the x-3 I think it was the Aurora, and for days I was "flying" my kite with my imagination! Douglas company played a very important part for American aviation, thank you for this lovely video 👍👍
EXCELLENT X-PLANE'S video....Thanks Mike Machat.......From an Old Flying Shoe family 🇺🇸
Miss Skyrocket was a highpoint for me 😀
"The Crimson Test Tube." I love it! Thank you, Mike, for these great videos. I learn more about these great planes from you in twenty-minutes, than I have from many books. BTW: The D-558-2 is the epitome of 1940's sci-fi.
Great video Mike. Love the Skyrocket and Stiletto. Saw both up close at Antelope Valley College and the USAF Museum respectively. Nice touch with the Revell model box art matching up with the photos of the real thing. Wonderful period of time in aviation history and model building.
Those are some doggone big models on the grass, they look so real.
Another wonderfully informative video. Continue the great work Mike. BTW, the X3 cockpit looks like a Star Wars Storm Trooper helmet.
@2:14 Pres Trumans Douglas VC-118 The Independence. Great info!! Thx!
Really great post. Lots of detail which was fascinating and it never got in the way of an amazing narrative. Thanks.
At the 1:10 minute mark in upper right, is the Air Force B-66 Destroyer. The Navy had it's own version and called it the A-3 Skywarrior. The B-66 had ejection seats and the A-3 did not.
I was in a Navy squadron from 71-75, was enlisted and became what the Navy calls a Plane Captain, similar to the Air Force Crew Chief. We had four A-3's and since all of them were full of electronic warfare gear, the plane designation became ERA-3B. I loved helping take care of and launching/recovering them. Each one had it's own personality and it's own peculiarities and I developed a strong attachment to them. They became "my" planes...!!
Thanks for your service, and for watching!
The Revell Skyrocket was the first model in my collection....
You’re awesome at what you do. Don’t change.
Many thanks!
Was there ever a plastic model kit made of the B-29 mothership with an X-Plane attached underneath? That would have been a great model kit!
I think there were conversion kits for the B-29, B-50, and B-52 in 1:72, and Monogram/Revell combined their X-15 and B-52. But that s as much as I can recall. Come over to Max's Models and quiz the experts -- Max usually dies a hosted kive-stream on Saturdays.
Thanks for making Mondays bearable, Mike. A great presentation !!
What an interesting time for plane development. It seems that almost every paper project went into development.
With the post-war development of aircraft carriers and submarines, the USN experimental aircraft projects were woefully underfunded.
Another Machat masterpiece! I truly love your videos. And your artwork, which you sometimes include. Yes, the late 40s and early 50s were a golden era for aircraft design. Douglas was one of the best, with many military and commercial designs to it's credit. As always Mr Machat your presentation is superb. Their experimental aircraft, especially the X3, my favorite, were amazing. As always God bless you and yours and thanks again for everything you do! Take care always Sir! 👍😊🇺🇸
I have an aluminum wing spar for testing in wind tunnel of d558 aircraft
Back in the 1960s I had a book titled *Skyrocketing Into the Unknown*. It featured all these aircraft. It's final photo was a prototype of the F4 Phantom. I suppose that was about the Douglas and McDonnel became McDonnel Douglas.
Thank you for your excellent presentation.
Thank you. Again a great subject.
Another great video. I really appreciate the Douglas videos, my maternal grandmother worked at the long Beach plant during WW2. Also really liked your photos of the weights and balancing rigs. My dad worked on the DC-8 stretch 62 as a weights and balancing engineer. Thanks for video. I'll try and find the pictures my dad had of the team for the DC-8. If I do I'll text or email them to you.
Hi Mike! As usual, very interesting and informative video. Congrats and best regards from Mexico City!
Another great video of some exotic aircraft, and the model covers are great bings back modeling memories. And as always the artwork is superb. And if my memory is right I have quite few hours in the X-3. Humor.
Love it! Thanks, John.
Another great video.
Living in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago at age 13 to 16, I had 3 obsessions. Art; sci fi paperbacks and plastic model kits. Everything hinged on how much cash I could scrounge. A good Sci Fi paperback was$.35 ( I could get 3 for $1.05 with no tax on books) Revell kits for $1.98 but I had to buy glue and paint. The other was trips to Downtown Chi to the Art Institute, the Natural History and the Science museums. Yeah; I had to do HS football, wrestling and chess but it all worked.
Mike, What color was the underside of the P2B mothership to the D-558? Black or Dark Sea Blue?
Fantastically interesting! Thank you Mike.
Thanks Mike. I love the original photos you have, the detail about people, and the accuracy of your descriptions. Your channel is such a great resource.
With apologies for the belated reply, many thanks for your kind comment and support of the channel!
I believe that the X-3's ejection seat as you called it was, in fact, an elevator of sorts and how the pilot gained access to the cockpit.
Thanks for the still on the Test Flight image.
Great Vid as Always🛫
Stellar work here. I love your narration. Real pictures, loaded with facts. As an engineer don't get no better than that 😎
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
Fascinating to learn more about such famous aircraft. I remember the X3 well as it was one of the earliest model kits I built back in the early 60s and always thought it was a stunning aircraft.
Amazing ! I always wanted to find out more details about this experimental aircrafts since I first saw the D- 558 flown by Scott Crossfield over Edward's in the movie The Right Stuff. Thanx a lot.
Ms. Skyrocket was better looking than the plane she was standing in front of and that is really saying something.
The model box you showed of the X3 STILETTO is the same one I built (a few years back.) Funny how the LA area was once to "center of the universe" for American aviation R&D and manufacture and now it's just a shadow of itself. Thanks to Mike Machat for this fine watch.....
2 things happened that destroyed California's place in aviation.
1) the federal government drastically reduced expenditures in aerospace after the end of the Cold War;
and
2) California priced itself out of business! Sure, they still have HQ's of companies there and do flight testing for military equipment at Edwards but almost everything is built outside of California because it's cheaper!
@@AvengerII Skunk Works is still in business. The B-2 was built in CA by Northrop. The follow-n B-21 is also being built there. But mostly it has been due to the consolidation and shrinkage of the industry. As for the X03 Stiletto model, I still have one, in the box, unbuilt. One of these days . . . .
@@dougball328 Doug,
Did you actually READ what I wrote?
I said the HQ's were STILL in California for the most part.
It's manufacturing that moved out!
@@AvengerII Yes I did read what you wrote. Obviously you didn't read what I wrote. I talked about manufacturing, not HQ's. As for HQ's, Lockheed Martin's is in MD. Boeing's is in Chicago but moving to Virginia, Northrop Grumman's HQ is in Virginia, Raytheon's is in Massachusetts. You are even wrong about HQ's. So calm down and read more carefully and try doing a little research. (Since this article was about aerospace, those are the only companies I considered. And for the record, Tesla has built 4 factories in CA since 2010, including a new one this year. And then there's Apple, and Google and on and on.)
@@AvengerII no, the people of California devour the best and brightest members of their society and feed them to the lowest in society. Anyone who just doesn't do better for themselves is granted a moral claim on everyone else.
Great video Mike. Remember these craft from my youth. Agree Max’s channel is great!
yes thansk
Thanks for these vids and sharing your stories and your love of aviation with us all Mike, greetings from Australia :)
Amazing company float planes, cargo , fighters , bombers , passenger, long range nuclear strike from carrier deck(skywarrior) and this lot , anything with wings
Amazing video, as usual Mike! I have had my close and personal encounter both with Skystreak and Skyrocket in visits to museus in US. Greetings from Brasil! 🇧🇷
Great job, thank you ! I loved those Revell box covers. While in CA years ago I drove past Revell's factory.....the mecca of models
Thanks for this great educational video.
Well there was also Martin in Baltimore, and the much bigger Lockheed facility in Marrietta GA. Their facility in GA was so much bigger than the puny factory in Burbank, it made it look like not much more than a grease spot. Similar to the much smaller factory Douglas had in Santa Monica compared to the much bigger factory in Long beach.
You stuck to facts very well. Thumbs up!!
Many thanks!
Great video! Always loved seeing the X-3 at Wright Pat --- just a really beautiful aircraft and it still looks futuristic!
I see similarities between the X-3 and the F104 Starfighter and F101 Voodoo. Very informative.
Excellent presentation, Mike. Just a small aside. A model of the Skyrocket was used in the old Captain Midnight/Jet Jackson TV series. That was his personal transport. In the TV series they made it look like a side-by-side 2 seater, so he could have conversations with his sidekick, Ichabod Mudd, while they were flying off to some adventure.
Mike, what is that fabulous color on the Skystreak?
09:28 those Douglas fuel tanks are still in use on Harriers and Skyhawks
The Mk 80 series bombs, still in widespread use, came from this same research
Love this. Subscribed. This is fantastic. Thanks for using your own voice!
Appreciate the comment, thanks, and great to have you aboard!
Very intersting!Thanks and Hi from France!
Thanks for watching!
Great video, Mike...👍
I was glad they mentioned the similarities in the Douglas X-3 and the F-104 Starfighter in design. It looks to me like they use some of the design elements in one craft to create the other. This goes to show you that every aircraft design builds onto previous designs nothing is really discarded or thrown away 🧐
I'm a bit of an aviation video junkie, to be honest. Some channels wow you with zippy music and fast-cut footage with generic information. There is a lot of hyped stuff out there too. What I really like, though, is good information. I think your channel has a really informative and contextual tone.
What I'm really interested in is what the designers and pilots thought of these vehicles. I could be wrong, but I get a sense that you have some inside-track information on these programs, and that this informs your videos. Very enjoyable, and well done.
I haven’t seen anyone mention it, but at 14:16 the X-3 looks remarkably like the F-4 Phantom II. The large sides that slope down towards the engines, with the ridge between them down the “backbone” to a tail that hangs over the exhaust. I wonder if they referenced this for the design of the F-4? I remember reading that in the prototype stage they discovered the horizontal stabs should be angled down on the F-4, maybe because they started with the design of the X-3?
Ok, three mile take off roll, how long were the landings? The slit by the intakes on the X3, was that some kind of boundary layer control?. Really great video, loved the box art inserts. Thanks!
(00:15) I know, I know!
They´re all _red._
El Segundo represent! (1960-1963), Central Elementary.
Good stuff.
Nice work.
Thank you! Cheers!
That must have been an exciting era to work at Douglas (or any of those aircraft companies, really). In the shot showing the Douglas research aircraft, I notice the F4D Skyray in the background. Was it used for research, or just included in the photo because it also looks incredibly futuristic? Thanks for the great videos!
I believe it was a prototype XF-4D-1.
I've seen that photo before and I think I remember that as being mentioned.
(Reference 9:00 into the film) The term JATO came from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The lab was formed to develop rockets, but in the 30s and early 40s anyone working on rockets was considered a crackpot. So they named the company Jet Propulsion Lab rather than Rocket Propulsion Lab. One of their first products were rockets ('jets') to help airplanes take off. And that is where the term JATO came from. JPL was spun out of Cal Tech. Theodore von Karman and Frank Molina were two of the key founding members of JPL.
Is it just me or is there elements of the Mig-15 ( the nose of the phase 1, the swept tail with mid mounted elevator on the phase 2).
All engines used in the D558-II program were early experimental versions of the X24C series (J34). Originally planned to use the X24C-2 with oil mist total loss lubrication, it was changed to the the slightly longer X24C-4A with its longer compressor section and then to the X24C-4B with solid oil lubrication, oil mist having been abandoned. Late versions of the X24C-4B were very close to the build standard of the first production model of the J34, the J34-WE-22. Thrust was just able to meet the 3,000 lb contract guarantee. Matching a highly experimental aircraft with an unproven rapidly developing new engine turned out to cause many headaches. In the end, Ed Heinemann warned that the accuracy of the performance data of the aircraft was suspect since the engine control system could not maintain the precise contant thrust levels needed for high accuracy. The engine control system however WAS able to meet BuAer standards for a service aircraft.
I had the understanding that the example at/in Chino was a mock-up, not the actual aircraft. Mistaken?
Actually, after a rethink, the mock-up at Chino was of the X-2 not the Skyrocket.
Is it true that data collected on trapezoid low aspect ratio wings from the stiletto were used for developing the starfighter?
At 07:41, the negative of the photo is inverted !!
( For convenience to compare with the Revell kit), as I still have, with the box and all the spares inside .
The nose wheel door, inges to the right, not to the left, as on the photo.!!!
And somebody, deleted the "Navy" lettering in the rear fuselage, after the US star.
Not correct.!!!
Thanks for your comment, and yes, you are correct. The narration states that "If you turn the photo around... it's the Revell cover." Correct photo with Navy markings is shown prior to that at 07:25.
The biggest issue with the X-3 besides its engines and inertia coupling was compressibility issues. If the fuselage was tapered more like the T-38 Talon it might have been a better aircraft.
There's also a Minter Field in Shafter, Calif. I wonder if both were around the same time
I believe he meant "Mines Field", not Minter.
Apologies for the error, and I should have known that. Caption on reference photo was incorrect - it is indeed Mines Field that became LAX. Thanks for the comment.
@@davidduganne5939 Yes, that is correct, thanks.
I'm from the UK... Our Army only operates helicopters all fixed wing aircraft are either RAF or Navy (for carriers etc). I noted you said SAC was part of the USAAF? How does / did this fit in with the USAF? Why does the army have its own airforce? And how did the army end up controlling the air delivered nuclear deterrent? I guess they did all the bombing in WWII?
I gotta note that the Skystreak has some striking similarities in appearance to the A-4 Skyhawk despite the straight wings.. Of course, the Skyhawk was also a Douglas product so it makes sense they'd borrow from the Skystreak.
Heinemann's hot rods.
What could the X-3 have done with some J57s?
5:54 Tires are very narrow. Was this to save weight?
As always. They pumped them to ridiculous pressures to deal with hot roll-outs.
Trivia bit: NACA is pronounced by its letters but NASA is na-sah. No idea why.
Everyone pronounces it "nacka duct".
Great job, Mike!! What is the email address where I can write to you directly about the Bell X-22A?
15:10 i see why its bottom ejecting!
How cow the intake is right behind the canopy, ouch! 💢