Mach 3 Supersonic Tragedy - Bell X-2

The story of the Bell-X2 Starbuster is one of equal success and tragedy.
Pilots made history aboard this experimental aircraft, reaching altitudes and speeds that had never been recorded before.
However, these accomplishments came at a great price.
The Starbuster was part of the X-series, experimental aircraft meant to aid in researching flight characteristics after reaching Mach 2 and 3 speed.
Because of its cutting-edge and boundary-pushing performance, it was one of the most difficult planes to fly at the time. Once the X-2 rockets kicked in and sent the aircraft racing through the sky, its supersonic shock wave could be seen from the ground.
Only the most exceptional pilots got to reach unprecedented speeds with the Starbuster. Captain Mel Apt was one of the best known of such pilots.
This father of two was recognized as a hero after extracting a colleague from a burning plane. An experienced and courageous pilot, he made history in 1956 after reaching a Mach 3 speed on the X-2.
Minutes after achieving this record, however, he was lost in a tragic accident.
Apt's life helped widen the knowledge of aeronautical technology. Still, his story is a harsh reminder that historical achievements, at times, require a great sacrifice.
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@prsearls]

I grew up during that period; it was very exciting and remember those test pilots. Those X-planes really "pushed the envelope" and not without high cost. This was done with slide rules and guts. Exploring the unknown can be very hazardous but these men and those supporting them, were up to the task.

[@InvestmentJoy]

Always hard for me to comprehend that these guys making history all grew up with horses and buggies, no electric at home, and led lives not much different than they did a dozen generations prior.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

There's a line in _Band of Brothers_ where a US soldier yells at the Germans, lamenting about the fact the Germans were still using horses. Although by the 60's cars were standard place, there were people old enough to remember electric cars came out when steam was still being used. And getting things like indoor plumbing for the first time. I was just thinking about what I did before having a TV in my hands was common place. When you could actually slam the phone to hang up, emphasizing your disdain. Remembering I could devour a 600 page book in a few days. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

[@channelsixtysix066]

Captain Apt, drove his Ford Model A to the test facility. Sadly he never got to drive it home again.

[@tgmccoy1556]

My Pop was a working cowboy. He contracted to the US Calvary to round up wild horses. 1938 was the last year of the Contract.

[@zanenobbs352]

Indeed! My grandfather didn't get his first tractor, a John Deere A, until 1947.

[@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts]

Human ingenuity far outpaced technology until very recently. We were just as smart as human beings now as we were in the days of the Egyptian and Roman periods. We weren't dumb, we just hadn't figured a lot out yet.

[@seanmckenna228]

"There she goes." Chilling last words.

[@martinskoog1777]

but cool

[@jimdavis8391]

Yeah? Reassuring I think, a man who had already established his position in things. Had made peace with his maker and accepted whatever fate might await him. Very brave but also very spiritual.

[@martinskoog1777]

@@jimdavis8391 very cool yes.

[@clearcreek69]

I think the pilot would've survived had he cut the throttle before making any turns. Its hard to tell though

[@massachusettsmeloman1629]

@@martinskoog1777 yes cool

[@77gravity]

The bar scene in The Right Stuff, a young pilot asks "What do you have to do to get your picture on the wall?" "You have to die, son". Dangerous job.

[@alexandertheissl808]

I remember a stupid Bit... h asks that ..!

[@rickwilliamson9248]

Wasn't it Dennis Quaid (Gordo Cooper)?

[@TheStimpy60]

@@rickwilliamson9248 no, it was a girl at the bar who flirts with Yeager

[@rickwilliamson9248]

I thought I remembered Gordo saying something about getting his picture on the wall and Pancho Barnes telling him he'd have to be killed in a crash.

[@TheStimpy60]

@@rickwilliamson9248 - Pancho Barnes: What are you two rookies gonna have? Gordon Cooper: Rookies? Now hold on, sis. You are looking at a whole new ballgame here now. In fact, in a couple of years, I bet you're even gonna immortalize us by putting our pictures up there on your wall. Gordon Cooper: What? I say somethin' wrong here? Pancho Barnes: I tell you, we got two categories of pilots around here. We got your prime pilots that get all the hot planes, and we got your pud-knockers who dream about getting the hot planes. Now what are you two pud-knockers gonna have? Huh?

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

When you start talking about what the Captain ate for breakfast you know it's not going to end well.

[@dbmail545]

And when it said that he had two kids, you knew he was toast

[@dannydaw59]

"He drove his model A to work." I was thinking why would he say that boring detail.

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

@@dannydaw59 to show where america was technologically when they did this amazing feat. You have to understand no fighter goes mach 3 even today

[@planegaper]

Diet is surely a thing for test pilots, as Diarrhea is not exactly convenient at 50,000 feet at 6 g..hehe.. SR71 pilots had a strict diet that meshed with their flight program, think they had a piss tube, and maybe a depends just in case.. either way it's nuts and raisins for a bit while your on flight status.. the crews pressured each other not to cheat , as both the rio and the pilot's careers suffered in case of avoidable health issues..

[@eljensen671]

StarBUSTER you keep calling it the Starburster.

[@randomuser5443]

Maybe the guy is dyslexic. I know I’ve made nuttier mistakes

[@Un_Pour_Tous]

cry

[@boldcarry2458]

I noticed that too

[@keeganpenney169]

Best easter egg of KZbin now I want starburst

[@paulwoodman5131]

Star Burster seems to make more sense. But. The Bell X-2 was called the Starbuster.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Given the comments here, a discussion on the B-50 and the other post-war superfortress variants might be worth it.

[@Bryan_Kay]

Stratofortress

[@jonnyjackson6050]

@@Bryan_Kay Superfortress. It was an advancement on the B29

[@Justanotherconsumer]

@@jonnyjackson6050 calling it a different plane is generous. While it had clearly different parts (one estimate is 25% parts commonality), visually the only obvious thing is the intakes below the B50 engines compared to the “chin” on the B29 engines. The Russian postwar variants are far more interesting, as the Tu-4 was a copy and it has a direct link to the Tu-95 (a very different aircraft!) with some interesting intermediates in the Tu-80 and Tu-85.

[@musewolfman]

@@Justanotherconsumer it was different enough for them to give it a different designation.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

@@musewolfman after the F/A-18’s lack of a new designation and the lack of surprise, I discovered that a new designation (or not) is more about marketing and politics than it is about engineering.

[@bigal1863]

Mel Apt, a great pilot and human being. RIP sir.

[@DrFrankensteam]

“Hold on and do your best” kinda sounds like driving on any Chicago expressway!

[@thedungeondelver]

I am a Florida native, but I have been to the midwest perhaps a dozen times, and I must say...the Ryan is _terrifying_

[@motrhead69]

Oh yeah I'm from Detroit and we have a expressway known for the indy 500,but recently I had to go to a training seminar "before covid" and have to say this expressway south of the city has got Detroits beat.

[@goldgeologist5320]

And you forgot the random shooting events! Driving the Dan Ryan requires the reflexes of a fighter pilot and incredible situational awareness.

[@bradbutcher3984]

I'm more amazed that he drove a Ford model A to go and break the speed record.

[@TheMattc999]

🤣

[@dbmail545]

Test pilots love hot rods. I think it may be in the job description. Bet that was a honking 'A' ;)

[@donaldewing7405]

There was a Model A club at Edward's. In the 60's there were many vehicle running without current state registration. They never left the base.

[@djay6651]

I live about an hour away from Buffalo, Kansas. It's a podunk little town. I've never seen anything there to say Apt was born there.

[@PaulRudd1941]

*HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY OF THE HOD ROD RACE WHERE THE FORDS AND THE LINCOLNS WERE SETTIN' THE PACE?*

[@georgemallory797]

I'm always amazed at the calm last words recorded on CVR's and other devices. I once worked with an easy going guy like that. He worked on radio towers and other telecommunications towers and antennas back in the 1980's and early 90's before widespread cell towers existed. One day he lost his footing after climbing to the top and doing some work. He was able to hold on with his hands and ride it all the way to the ground, suffering back injury and multiple broken bones in his lower extremities. All he said during his fall was, "Comin' down." He was a legend after that. We talked about him and that story long after he moved on to other things and always laughed about that story.

[@robbieburns8174]

I love when I go onto KZbin and I see dark docs or dark skies it makes my day

[@JRomanMD]

This has to be one of the best videos yet. Thanks!!

[@Dachs475]

I can’t believe how fast you can produce your awesome viedeos

[@Dachs475]

He just dropped another one. 🤯

[@motoman22atgmail]

You think he is human? I heard he is an artificial intelligence project with access to secure data gone rogue... (Seriously tho, you are fast man!)

[@JoeOvercoat]

“Starburtser”.

[@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts]

Some time could be spent on more fact checking and spell checking. He gets dates wrong more frequently than he should. Like ww2 still going on in 1947.

[@crawdadlando4053]

@@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts in japan it did. Numerous islands never got the stand down armstice orders.

[@dbmail545]

I was fortunate to see the original X-1 in the Smithsonian Air&Space museum and was struck by how tiny it was. Without wings or wheels it was the size of an F-1 racing car. Just big enough for a person to squeeze into.

[@cahg3871]

These pilots had the ‘right stuff’-calm and cool under pressure.

[@channelsixtysix066]

Extraordinary individuals. The best of the best.

[@Coinbro]

I love how the fonts of the 40s 50s 60s "X-2" looks sick! Man the excitement of blasting thru barriers back then!

[@hertzair1186]

It was never historically or officially known as “the Starburster” or “Starbuster”...it was just the Bell X-2.

[@ianwalton284]

I was never historically or officially known as "the a$$hole", but that's what everybody calls me.

[@ScootrRichards]

www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-079-DFRC.html StarBUSTER. So says NASA.

[@Treblaine]

@@ScootrRichards Yet throught the video the narrator clearly calls it the "star BURST-er"

[@charliebankston636]

Makes me want candy hearing starburster

[@oopswrongplanet7309]

@@ScootrRichards Thanks for this link, lots of very interesting stuff to checkout. Yes, Starbuster...!

[@leopardd3744]

I love these type of videos man. I'm a total geek when it comes to this. Thank you for making this.

[@AlaskanBallistics]

Another great video. I think you do these pilots and planes justice

[@dejablueguitar]

This guy is one of the FASTEST SPEAKING content creators on KZbin!! 5-dolla bidder now 10 now 10?! AWESOME JOB!! Keep them coming!!

[@scotyarnell1157]

The local school in Buffalo, Kansas is Altoona Midway and their mascot is the “JETS” because of Milburn Apt. He is known of in the area and this video provides more information on his flights and success. Thank you for making this video. I grew up there and heard many stories but this makes it more real!

[@fooman2108]

here is an idea do a show on the mother ships for the X-planes, the B-29/B-50/B-52 that carried them up?

[@ultranitro437]

Best background music so far! Awesome Video!

[@tedsmith6137]

The explosion mentioned at 3:20 was caused by the use of Ulmers Leather as a gasket, a material totally unsuitable for contact with liquid oxygen. Several X-1 issues were also due to Ulmers Leather.

[@kittypryde943]

I’ve always loved the X2. My grandfather was a technician on board the B-50 and was badly burned. He was a wonderful man.

[@Red_5_Standing_By]

My all-time favorite aircraft. It just looked menacing.

[@brentfu1119]

I absolutely love this series.

[@rodgerhecht3623]

I have seen that slap they were test running the X-2 on . What is amazing is the hook holding it in the concrete was just a 3/4" loop of rebar. That test stand is still at south base . There is a small booth next to it with like 3" thick glass windows in it. It all built into one of the old earth revitments.

[@AlphaChimpEnergy]

It’s a good time to drop this content given Chuck Yeager just passed away.

[@jappletonhowe9649]

Very well done presentation, thanks!

[@matthewbratz7868]

The picture of the X 1 was incorrect. The X 1 was smaller and painted orange. The X-1 A was larger but similar shape

[@RickyJr46]

These guys knew that sometimes, having The Right Stuff would not be enough.

[@ouroboris]

Excellent presentation DS.

[@kronosouranos9979]

Love your documentaries. To the point, all facts, and when there is commentary it’s from a position of realism at the time of the events and not whataboutisms. Keep it up, love hear about stuff I never knew about before.

[@richardcharay7788]

Excellent job, thanks!

[@californiadreaming9216]

Around 1992 I test drove a Suzuki GS 1100 I was considering buying. It was the first triple-digit hp bike I had ever rode, and far more powerful than anything I had ever rode before. When I reached a long quiet side street, I launched her. This bike had low miles, high compression, was in a good state of tune and had fresh, high-octane fuel. In 3rd gear I hit 60 mph and quickly backed her down to a sane speed. I distinctly remember realizing, very quickly, that this was a machine that must be respected and handled with care because as cool as it was, it was also dangerously powerful and fast. I believe that day I experienced a tiny little piece of what these brave test pilots experienced flying these awesome machines. And I am sure they also had nothing but pure respect and, let's face it, a little fear towards these magnificent aircraft.

[@robertstack2144]

I saw the X-2 at the Bell Niagara Falls plant mounted under the HB- 50 in the 50's

[@WAYSTOGOFORWARD]

Bless those pilots and their loved ones for their sacrifice. Thank you for the research that has led to advancements in trans, space exploration, etc.

[@nicholasmazzarella2720]

Dark Fantastic video. Super narration as always. Keep up the great work.

[@archerpiperii2690]

You know you're going fast when an X-1 is your chase plane.

[@billpassman6875]

The X1 was never a chase plane.

[@mattkelly7413]

It says buster and he says burster I’m already mind blown 🤯

[@themoo908]

He’s saying starburster but, the title says star buster...... I can’t finish this, burster just hurts.

[@fppenque]

"Starburster"...c'mon, is he serious? Really, how does one put together a series of mini-clips on these historic aircraft and not even get the name right? Also, it's "Thermal Thicket".... not "Thermal Ticket".

[@richardmountz3865]

Hey, thanks for the ride....

[@rickbrooks1608]

Love the music as much as the content!

[@terrallputnam7979]

Amazing guts it must have taken to fly this crazy plane.

[@Mercury-Wells]

They're also a delicious candy

[@JoeOvercoat]

Yoplait nails the flavors in their yogurt versions of the candies.

[@joeshmoe9978]

That, they are! 😋

[@jalan8171]

With great reward comes great risk. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it. There's a reason that only a few have the right stuff. Free platitudes, free wisdom for all.

[@paulfrantizek102]

Story I read is that Apt's flight profile was so good that he ended up far past his projected range and had to bank harder than anticipated to make it back to the landing zone. Also the X2 didn't just spin, it was a more extreme phenomena called 'roll decoupling'.

[@billpassman6875]

I think the problem was that: he thought he was far past his projected range and had to bank sooner than expected.

[@paulfrantizek102]

@@billpassman6875 Yeah, that was the thing; He lost far less speed than they anticipated through control inputs that he overshot his projected turn point.

[@stewpacalypse7104]

How about that, two of the fastest test pilots ever were from West Virginia.

[@Bellthorian]

Would would be fast too trying to escape from WV.

[@tomcline5631]

Studied all this stuff,Xplanes etc. Never heard this planecalled the starbuster!

[@thetreblerebel]

Mach 2 is do mundane now a days, people forget how dangerous it was chasing that Mach number

[@Andrew-13579]

We only travel at Mach 0.76 to 0.84 in jetliners. I wouldn't call it mundane. But the military combat jets, which are built pretty darned strong and engineered to handle it well, do make it seem mundane. The danger is still there. When I ride in a jetliner at 500 mph over the ground at 37,000 feet, I don't forget that the outside environment up there is lethal. 40 to 60 below zero and insufficient Oxygen. Might as well be in a spacecraft. The key is to keep the aircraft comfortably within its flight parameters. And that's what pilots do. And it has an amazing safety record.

[@sixstringedthing]

Ask any fast jet pilot if they think Mach 2+ is "mundane" and see what they say. :) With the exception of crewed spaceflight which is certainly not what you'd call common, the vast majority of human time in the air is at subsonic to high-subsonic speeds. Breaking the sound barrier in designated zones during military training flights might be fairly routine; doubling it certainly isn't, due to the astronomical rate of fuel burn and the reduction in airframe lifespan due to increased stresses and vibration under such conditions.

[@thetreblerebel]

@@sixstringedthing supersonic flights aren't as common anymore, I know, your right, to get a F15 or F16 to Mach is to light the burners, equals fuel usage at a faster rate. Definitely something pilots are trained for. But the days of the X Planes,speed was like exploring space, dangerous and unpredictable

[@frostyvr9805]

Early Mach speed testing reminds me of Star Trek when they were showing the warp 1 and 2 tests

[@martentrudeau6948]

Captain Milburn G. Apt he found the limits of the X-2, R.I.P.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

I smoke a pipe today. A greater selection of tobaccos instead of just full flavor to light, menthol or regular. Some smoke like a nice cigar. Others not so much. And it is inexpensive. I spent a fraction of what I used to. Five to ten dollars a week compared to that much in a day.

[@RealStuntPanda]

The first person to purposefully break the sound barrier was *NOT* Chuck Yeager, it was a CIA civilian pilot (ex-military) and the project was highly classified so that accomplishment wasn't publicized. Although there were several pilots that unintentionally broke the sound barrier before that in WWII when doing dives but their planes disintegrated: that's why people thought you couldn't break the sound barrier.

[@allangibson8494]

No propeller aircraft is capable of exceeding the speed of sound. Those who claimed they did were misled by the gross errors in the aircraft airspeed measurement system caused by shockwaves around the aircraft. A Spitfire reached Mach 0.95 after losing its propeller in a dive. All American WW2 aircraft except the P-51 Mustang became uncontrollable above Mach 0.70, German aircraft were good to Mach 0.75. The laminar flow wing on the Mustang stretched this to Mach 0.8 which was similar to the thin elliptical wing of the Spitfire. Both the Spitfire and Mustang had high critical and combat Mach numbers by pure accident. (Combat Mach number is the maximum speed at which full control authority is available). The CIA barely existed when Mach 1 was reached. (CIA was founded in September 1947 - the X-1 reached Mach 1 in October 1947).

[@neilcheng4429]

Cool documentary and narration thanks i love the dark channels work and all its uploads What is the backing music

[@bullnukeoldman3794]

The X-2 lost during oxygen systems testing exploded due to the use of Ulmer leather treated with glycerol gasketing in the oxygen piping. It was found that these gaskets would decompose when in contact with the liquid oxygen and become susceptible to detonation with any minor impact. The X-2 was rocking and banging in its mount in the B-50 which caused a gasket detonation and loss of the aircraft and pilot. This same gasket detonation issue also destroyed two other X-planes.

[@jukeboxhero1649]

Chopsticks and draw a line with a grease pencil...that's how we do it at Bell Aircrapht!

[@hukedonfonix1671]

Its tragic that pilots so talented and brave literally climb into their potential coffins everytime they test one of those aircraft, and everytime something goes wrong they're the only 1 who can tell the engineers how the aircraft handled and what they experienced before it crashed, these pilots are so disciplined and smart it's a true hit to the program every time 1 was lost, they put their lives on the line for their countries to further the advancement of aviation for both civilian and military applications all in the name of bettering our aviation technology used to further travel safety and faster flight times as well as bettering military aircraft to better protect our carriers guided missile ships and very importantly our troops on the ground, much like the A-10 pilots. A-10 pilots are revered in the armed forces for saving countless lives and taking lives that were planning on suckerpunching our convoys with roadside IEDS. Massive respect for our aviators and aviators in training and massive respect to the men and women who have served,are serving and will serve in the armed forces protecting our freedoms

[@texleeger8973]

Pipe. Grease pencil. Slide rule. Mach 3. Piece of cake.

[@lagersparadice8739]

So you're telling me Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier without a parachute? ballsy.

[@philipstreechon4523]

grate video as always

[@Ya-average-11B]

That thing cost 1 million dollars per test flight in the 50's?? Holy goodness!

[@bronzebackwrangler]

Do a video on the b50 its a really cool plame

[@boogerCPT]

The only thing faster than this plane is this dudes speed talking

[@Eagcreate]

It’s sped up - I think!?

[@TimelessSideTrails]

😂 I know I had it to slow down on the KZbin app by .50%

[@nelsonglover3963]

Really interesting, but would you mind slowing down just a tad? I find it hard to follow you at times and my hearings pretty good

[@craigwall9536]

You have an options panel where you can control the playback speed. Most people like you prefer the 1.5 speed playback.

[@nelsonglover3963]

@@craigwall9536 that would make it even faster :) 0.75 is about perfect though

[@VVX-247]

F111A Aardvark was awesome as well. they should do a video.

[@finbarwhite9989]

Would like see you do a video on the harrier jump jet and if the technology is used today

[@clanrobertson7200]

My father had been a Navy NOCOMO Gunner/Copilot on an SBD DUGLAS Dive Bomber after WWII was stationed at 29 Palms, California just before being shipped back east for discharge processing near Norfolk, Virginia where he had enlisted. We had moved to central Florida in 1958 where he ran a Gulf Oil franchise Service Station for a while with his brother which he ended up selling his half to in the spring of 1963 and for a few months that spring, he commuted across the state and worked as an electrician at Cape Canaveral in the astronaut Recreation Facility Complex, which was a part of the Cape that was in full bore development to give the US the upper hand on the Russians in the space race that we could all see on a clear night crossing the sky, I believe from southwest to the northeast. And we watched with pride at every announced launch 🚀 . After, my father completed his work at the cape, we headed cross country to visit two of my mother’s brothers who lived in the Las Angels metro area, and it was still the great American Cross Country Adventure. Of course we were seeing the land change and the Southern swamps and upland hardwood forest soon transitioned to the Texas catal

[@clanrobertson7200]

Take Two I was trying to correct cattle when it posted and I could not get back in to finish. Well I don’t need to write a road story on a trip across the Southern US in 1963 before the Interstate System was built and as a 13 year old. It would have been full of the thousands of empty miles land with some interesting events on the way, especially in El Paso as I waited for my dad to return from a restroom break and I encountered my first prostitute who was drilling down to find out how much cash I had and I was stupidly telling her as I admired her black leather tight zippered skirt and matching Jacket and about to show her my $20 bill when my dad came out and snatched me back to the car. But, seeing America cities and motels at that time in history was a blessing and yet we saw the start of the interstate systems and as we came to the largest cities we saw the future through McDonald’s and Hardee’s and KFC. But it was passing one of the Golden Arches on the east side of the LA Metro are sat the X-15 on a flatbed trailer on display I suppose. Of course I had only seen it in photographs up until then and I was still only seeing it from the backseat of our 1955 Chrysler New Yorker at a stoplight about a hundred feet away. It was still a high light in my life! The old professor Live free or die! Death to ALL TYRANTS! The truth will stand when the world falls! No Shit.

[@grummanf14tomcat40]

Can we expect some videos about the a3d skywarrior?

[@adamossowicz2611]

"There she goes..." those are the words of a man who did not fear what happened, as he had seen it as almost inevitable.

[@dasfsadg]

My late Grandfather served as Mel Apt’s crew chief during WWII. That was the first time I’d ever heard about him.

[@artblakey4159]

"Crashed into lake Ontario" what was it doing there? I thought they tested at Muroc/Edwards?

[@717rocket]

Fast plane.

[@bradbutcher3984]

You've never watched the sr-71 speed story obviously. At speed miles are like seconds on a clock.

[@Andrew-13579]

I think we're missing some of the story. Wikipedia says that plane was on a captive flight. I think that means it never was dropped from the B-50 (I assume it was a B-50). It was a test flight testing the liquid oxygen system. I'd assume that was the liquid oxygen system for the rocket engine, not breathing oxygen. I believe the X-2 was built at the Bell Aircraft factory in Buffalo, NY. So that test flight might have originated from there, or maybe from the Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. That would explain its nearness to the Great Lakes. There was an explosion that killed the X-2 pilot and a B-50 crewmember. Apparently, the B-50 was able to land.

[@SeekerHead]

@@Andrew-13579 At these speeds, you can cross the US in about an hour or less

[@robertmaybeth3434]

And only a couple decades later in 1976, the Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected to the US by landing his Mig-25 Foxbat in Japan. This conversation occurred: US: "What is the maximum speed of the Mig-25?" Belenko: "We were forbidden to exceed mach 2.8." US: "But we have clocked the Mig-25 (over Egypt) at mach 3.2." B: "Yes I know it could fly that fast but every time it did, the plane landed with both its engines wrecked and the pilot was lucky to land in one piece."

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Thanks

[@rcmania5018]

These pilots had BALLS

[@cobrajet8866]

Thanks for the Video - Thanks to the ones who paid that ultimate price for this country. I thought planes disappeared when they hit the ground.

[@ruffmansavageveteran1345]

I think there is one flown by Chuck Yeager some where in a museum in Oklahoma.

[@foracal5608]

mach 3 in space is meh mach 3 with in the atmosphere hold on to everything and forget the beer!

[@simonm1447]

You can't fly mach 3 in an orbit around the earth, you need 27000 km/h (around mach 22) to get a stable orbit. Launchers are also faster than mach 3 when they reach the karman line.

[@briancooper2112]

R.I.P.

[@byronbailey9229]

Thermal barrier. Ram air temperature rise at M.84 is 32 degrees Celsius. At Mach 2 ( been there ) rise is 125 degrees Celsius

[@TheStimpy60]

He lost me at 1:50 talking about Chuck Yeager flying the Bell X-1 and breaking the sound barrier all the while showing footage of Yeager standing in the cockpit of the Bell X-1A ( which he also flew into a flat spin and barely recovered)

[@woodychadick5905]

You gotta like this guy. Right?

[@couchfighter]

yes!

[@auro1986]

mach 3? did mechanical analog dials show correct readings or needles would move just for show?

[@OnPointFirearms]

"There she goes." That's sad.

[@visiblehiggs130]

do a yak 38 VTOL jet.

[@vrevzz]

RIP chuck Yeager :(

[@sixstringedthing]

We stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@sarcasmo57]

Who first broke the Mach 3 razor?

[@wbertie2604]

Why would you do a push over (putting the stick forward) if you were too LOW?

[@RalphEllis]

They ‘borrowed’ the all-flying stabiliser idea from the Miles Aircraft Co. Designed in 1946. But never credited Miles for their discovery. R

[@Istandby666]

You can't show the Bell X-1A while talking about the Bell X-1 and Yeager reaching over Mach 1. They're two different aircraft.

[@realnutteruk1]

Seems to be a growing trend for wikipedia reading.... has no real understanding of the subject, so gets details wrong....

[@PaulRudd1941]

Yeah there's very few channels that actually do their own research. Dark 5's and this guy are good examples of it. However that said, there are channels that put huge amounts of effort into their work. To those people I have nothing but respect for.

[@rodgersericv]

Wikipedia is wrong a lot of the time. That is because it's articles are written by contributions from the general public. These articles are full of propaganda and outright lies sometimes, depending on the subject. The article on the Proud Boys even says that it is a white supremacist organization even though it is led by a black Cuban. I guess they thought most people wouldn't recognize a Hispanic name and do further research.

[@beachcomber2008]

@@rodgersericv EVERYBODY is wrong MOST of the time, including you. Wikipedia is indeed open access, but is subject to immediate peer review, and the 'peers' are typically experts in the field. The Proud Boys ARE a white supremacist organisation, and quite obviously so, since their recent insurrection. There is nothing preventing them from heading it with a Cuban simply to arm FASCIST morons like yourself with your ridiculous argument.

[@JustAPairofLegs]

How do u make these so quick that and u have like 3 other channels that u upload to regularly?

[@barryrudge1576]

I believe, but not certain, the basic design came from a small aircraft company in Southampton and was given to the US as part of WW2 lead lend repayments

[@MaxKrumholz]

heroes

[@subvet657]

so, was it the "star-burster" as mentioned in the narration, or the "star-buster" as written above?

[@Istandby666]

I was lucky enough that for part of my life I grew up in the Mojave desert around Edwards Air Force Base. My biological father worked at Edwards and Griom Lake aka Area 51.