Articles
Flight Test Files: The Douglas D-558-I Skystreak
The Skystreak performed an important role in aeronautical research by its being able to fly for extended periods of time at transonic speeds […]
NACA
Articles
Flight Test Files: Martin B-57B Canberra
During the early 1970s, a Martin B-57B Canberra (ex USAF 52-1576) took part in several NASA joint flight test programs at their Flight Research Centre within Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert. […]
Articles
Flight Test Files: B-47A Stratojet
NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station obtained this B-47A Stratojet (labeled NACA 150) to study the characteristics of a large, flexible swept-wing aircraft in 1953. […]
Articles
Flight Test Files: Viper X
On June 14, 2021, the NF-16D Variable In-Flight Simulator Aircraft (VISTA) was officially redesignated as the X-62A. Stephen Chapis shares the story behind this change. […]
Articles
Flight Test Files: A-5A Vigilante
In 1963, a North American Aviation A-5A Vigilante jet was utilized for simulation studies related to a proposed supersonic transport. These flights were based on two flight plans derived from earlier studies at NASA’s Flight Research Center: one for a variable-sweep wing configuration and the other for a delta-wing design. NASA test pilot William H. Dana conducted approximately 21 flights along federal airways leading into Los Angeles. […]
Articles
Flight Test Files: The Other First Man
With “The Other First Man,” we launch a series of articles called Flight Test Files dedicated to the captivating stories of aeronautical advancements pioneered first by NACA and later by NASA over the years. The […]
Articles
X-Plane Files: THE LIFE OF X-1 ZERO SIX THREE
A little while back, we began a series of articles looking at the air-test work which NASA and its forebear, the N.A.C.A., conducted at their facility in the Mojave Desert, located within the massive military […]
Articles
NACA “Century Series” Fleet In Flight
For those of us who love aviation history, there is a special reminiscence associated with the Century Series fighter aircraft, similar to how others reflect on the automobiles of the same era. These supersonic fighters […]
Aviation Museum News
New Aircraft On Display at NASM’s Udvar-Hazy Center
Article by Richard Mallory Allnutt In recent weeks, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has added three new aircraft to its public exhibition space at their Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The first […]
Articles
Memphis Belle – A Wartime Photo Essay from N.A.C.A Lewis Field
While we conducting some research for Monday’s article concerning the imminent completion of the Memphis Belle at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, we came across an intriguing series of images taken […]