Tag: Flight Test Files

The “Flight Test Files” series of articles explores the aircraft used by the Dryden Flight Research Center over the years in its pursuit of aeronautical advancements.

Flight Test Files: The T-34C Mentor – The Rugged Bridge to the Jet Age

NASA’s T-34C Mentor helped test detect-and-avoid systems for drones, supporting safe integration of unmanned aircraft…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: The X-2 Starbuster – A Pioneer of Aerodynamic Heating

The Bell X-2 Starbuster pushed flight beyond Mach 3 and 126,000 feet, advancing research on…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: F-4 Phantom II – Exploring the Limits of Aerodynamics and Sonic Boom

How NASA used the F-4 Phantom II for unusual research, from biomedical monitoring flights and…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: MD-11 – Pioneering Safe Landings with Propulsion Controlled Aircraft

How NASA tested Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) on an F-15 and MD-11, proving an airplane…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: Lockheed YF-12 – The Mach 3 Interceptor That Almost Was

How the YF-12 set Mach 3 records and powered NASA research that shaped the SR-71…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files F-15B TN 837 – Testing the Future of Thrust Vectoring

How NASA’s F-15 ACTIVE program tested thrust vectoring and adaptive controls to improve performance of…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files Northrop T-38 Talon – The Chase Plane That Saw It All

How the T-38 Talon became America’s first supersonic trainer, shaping USAF pilot training and NASA…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: Douglas X-3 Stiletto – Taming the Inertia of the Needle Jet

The Douglas X-3 Stiletto fell short of Mach 2 but revealed roll coupling risks and…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: Northrop HL-10 – Solving the Aerodynamics of Reentry

How NASA’s HL-10 lifting body proved wingless reentry and runway landings were possible, shaping future…

Kapil Kajal

Flight Test Files: Schweizer SGS 1-36 Sailplane – Evaluating the Leap to T-Tail Aerodynamics

How NASA used a modified Schweizer SGS 1-36 sailplane in the 1980s to study deep-stall…

Kapil Kajal