The Fastest X-Plane - Mach 7 North American X-15

Describes how the X-15 Aircraft was designed and built by North American Aviation. Engineered to be the worlds fastest aircraft, the North American X-15 was a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the USAF and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the X-plane experimental aerospace projects. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data later used in aircraft design. As of September 2015, the X-15 holds the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a manned, powered aircraft. It would ultimately reach a top speed of 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h), or Mach 6.72.

[@dsmith1888]

The X-15 still holds the record from 1967 for the highest recorded speed from a manned aircraft in history. The test pilots were absolutely fearless. Everytime trying to achieve what had never been done before. They put their lives at risk each time, even when they had everything to lose, a wife, kids, family etc. But they still chose to do it. That is something I doubt we'll ever see again.

[@trob0914]

William " Pete" Knight, Colonel, USAF, achieved Mach 6.7 on October 3, 1967!🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@nedkelly9688]

Nope Many countries are building scramjet engines for commercial flight Australia is a leader in it with worlds fastest first 3D printed scramjet and will have a drone built by next year to demonstrate it. Wants reusable satelite delivery scramjet drone and eventually a passenger jet.

[@wileyeyefloaty665]

@@nedkelly9688 really? Would you mind elaborating on the comm air I was curious if you were able to break down the conversation as I thought the scramjet is A much less efficient platform in terms of fuel consumption and B much more costly to manufacture. Has something been revolutionized in the propulsion dynamics to perform more well rounded than turbojet comparison

[@berty1422]

Utter crap. The Chinese or Russians will have gone beyond that. You just do not hear about it. Jeez, you Muricans believe anything you hear.

[@dsmith1888]

@@berty1422 - Thanks for your service.

[@stevefowler2112]

The X-15 played a pivotal role in my life's journey...my late Father was a Radar Guidance Engineer out at Cape Canaveral from '57 thru '76 and as a young boy I had the X-15 hanging in my room from the ceiling by fishing line...it cemented my interest in Aerospace and motivated me to put forth the energy in my academics to earn both an undergrad and grad degrees in Engineering. I just retired from Lockheed Martin in 2016, with most of the last 15 years on the job being spent working on the F22 and then F35 programs.

[@MRYZ94]

That’s badass

[@Trez1238]

how much did lockheed pay for a job like that?

[@Resistculturaldecline]

Growing up, I didn't have sports heros or tv celebrity worship. Other than my elders, my heroes were those in the design and operation of the aeronautical industry. I grew up near a SAC AF base, and cannot remember back to a time I wasn't obsessed with flight and craft. Getting close to 50 yrs old, and it hasnt waned one bit. 🫡

[@ironsandhammers359]

Great story, and i hope that by 2112 the pilots of the solar federation remember the feat

[@suun9845]

Thank you for contributing to such legendary feats of humanity.

[@wannabetowasabe]

My dad was a design engineer on this project. His first project after he graduated from college was the P-38. He also worked on the B-70 and Apollo while he was with North American. Nearly everything else he worked on was secret and he could not tell us anything about it. He understood physics so very well and I had a hard time with it. In that case the apple fell far from the tree!

[@achach5055]

I bet he had some great stories to tell

[@SantaCruzLocal]

Awesome.. he probably worked with my grandfather.. Raymond Rice .. VP and GM of NAA prior to being Cheif engineer of the P-51.

[@dallasyap3064]

Your dad is a goddamn genius

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

Newton watched an apple fall far from the tree. So you are not so far removed from genius.

[@wannabetowasabe]

@@militaryandemergencyservic3286 I became a forester, then worked for a large land management agency. I worked 4 years in fire management and the rest in recreation and lands (special uses, land exchanges/purchases), law enforcement and as an on call accident and personnel misconduct investigator. I'm far from a genius, but above average in intelligence. I think my dad was more intelligent, but he also had a lot of faults in his personal life that I managed to avoid.

[@Irwhodunit]

Metalhead commented about 100 mph to Mach 7 in 50 years. Think about this: These engineers did virtually all of their math with slide-rules. Frigging Amazing!

[@jumperstartful]

slip sticks

[@ramairgto72]

Go's beyond that, think about WWII Aircraft carriers, B17 and yea the SR71. It's sad we have come to depend so much on "not knowing" how to do it. Maybe I seen too many Star Trek shows, but it seems we are heading down a dead end.

[@dannygjk]

+ramairgto72 I don't get the point you are making with your comment. What do you mean by dead end?

[@DixieDiarist]

Most engineers today couldn't use a slide rule. It's not even taught anymore. They'd be lost without a calculator that weighs more than their lunch.

[@dcbeards]

Robert Blake! Frigging Amazing! You sure have that right!

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

*This* is what we should be getting from the History Channel.

[@GruntUltra]

Yup, but instead we get one show that says aliens invented everything, and two scripted shows about buying and selling random stuff. I'm ready to dump cable and just watch Netflix & youtube.

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

I hear you. I miss things like the Discovery channel's Wings, not to mention History's Modern Marvels, The Real West, The Civil War, History Undercover, Dead Man's Secrets, History vs. Hollywood... Also, A&E's Biography. In vowing to the Almighty Dollar, these channel have forsaken their audiences.

[@fjoa123]

cable TV is for the feeble minded. All you get now is shows about dumb people making money.

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

Not all of it, but most steers towards the lowest common denominator: that is, the present-day equivalent bread and circus in classical Rome.

[@blameusa7082]

yeh and discovery channel, i gave up with them about 5 years ago, they started to just do retarded libtard filming. all drama and no science

[@krr1260]

"Grampa, what did you do in the Air Force?" Now try to imagine the smile and glint in those pilots' eyes. Thank You gentlemen for your service.

[@killdaire7589]

"I dropped the bombs on Hiroshima"

[@ahpinge2777]

@@killdaire7589 More like *_''I ended WWII''_* .

[@thomasleclair7418]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,wow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,awesome ...................

[@petetimbrell3527]

The term "Steely Eyed Missile-Man" leaps to mind. Awesome.

[@KutWrite]

What about the glint in the eye of those who piloted craft they can never talk about?

[@Mark-oj8wj]

These old documentaries show clearly that we made all our advances in the 50s and 60s. After that we've just tinkered with the same formula!

[@thisis_shon]

Hello, you stupid fool. Do you remember your grandparents telling you about a glass slab that lets you access virtually anything ever? No. I didn't think so either. They are called Mobile Devices. The whole shit happened in the 2000s. Don't be ignorant to all the things happening now. We've made more advancements in the last 25 years than humanity has in the past millennium.

[@Mark-oj8wj]

@@thisis_shon Yeah, tinkered with computing and came up with mobile devices. If you think that's groundbreaking like say inventing the aeroplane, you are the fool!

[@HRM.H]

Yeah the 60s seem till 90s seem like the biggest jump forward in centruries.

[@sethjansson5652]

@@Mark-oj8wj Ever heard of the internet? Wifi? GPS? Guess this, the magic frequency? You dwell too much in the past and not enough in the future. The boomers only dug a hole that we now need to fix.

[@Mark-oj8wj]

@@sethjansson5652 Well gps was invented in 1973 so good example there genius. The Internet was invented in 1983 and WiFi in 1997 but like I said, they're just products of tinkering with the computer, which was invented between 1833 and 1871! Looks like you're dwelling in the past with me.

[@Daponics89]

Skippin' off the atmosphere and reaching that speed must be amazing... My dad did two deployments with the SR-71 in Okinawa in the 70's when they went off the Buick engine start carts. Edit: went from McClellan AFB and Beale AFB and later to WRAFB where I am now. Cheers!

[@eddieagnich1875]

The X-15 was like all the other amazing things we grew up with. I loved the X-15. I made the Revell X-15 that I built hanging from my ceiling. I was born in 57. A fantastic time to grow up.

[@kvarnerinfoTV]

I was born in 81 and I agree...best time to being born in. My dad's birn in 58. I can imagine how great time for growing, being young adult it was..music, events, society. To be grown up in the midfle of 70s, then 80s..wow..

[@finddeniro]

1957..Sure...I had X- 15 loafers ( shoes ) in the Mid 1960s...I met John Glenn twice..yeah Ohio..My father 40th birthday..1st Moon Landing...

[@williamweir2744]

I'm born in 54 I can remember this

[@ericleesmith708]

Yep, it was an amazing time to grow up - I was born in 1955, and built the same Revell model kit of the X-15! A few years later, I also got interested in the Land Speed Record assault at the Salt Flats in Utah between The Arfons brothers and Craig Breedlove - this led to my building and testing of a series of rocket cars that were basically Estes model rockets that had 3 or 4 wheels and ran along a cable stretched along the ground out on the then new I-74 freeway that ran thru the Quad Cities in the Midwest my test program came to a halt when the freeway was opened! What a wonderous time to grow up!

[@NickAlpha_]

Everything was designed with minimal use of ancient computers and mostly by hand and paper and this makes it an even greater achievement ...

[@ifabforfun]

Computers are overrated, at least the people using them... I'm a welder - fabricator and have been met with "engineers" telling me "it's not possible" to draw this cut on the computer. WHAT? It can be drawn out by hand in about an hour but not by this guy, who makes more than me, sitting at a computer.

[@roysheaks1261]

Nick Alpha Slide rule technology.

[@philgiglio9656]

Roy Sheaks... I still have mine. Bought May 1967 for $25; lots of money at the time. A log log duciplex with P,Q,R scales for vectors.

[@rogerfournier3284]

ON POINT.

[@ICeyCeR3Al]

Of course greater things can be achieved. Probably not mach 7; that is fantasy talk lol. But no doubt if an aviation company were to invest 10s of billions into a an aircraft....it will be MUCH MUCH MUCH faster and more efficient than even the holy SR-71. Because of the precision of computers, humans can create advanced algorithms. But our insight can only go so far where as computer's can artificially create reality. But yeah....10s of billions? For what? For who? What are businesses gaining? They are probably certain to succeed in creating revolutionary aircraft, but even then....its stupid lol. Next thing you know our airplane tickets are 10x normal price

[@bearguy1090]

Does anyone else fine it depressing that so much advancement was made in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. And now gov funding goes to political crap that advances nothing?

[@wildboar7473]

Dont worry They have plenty, just not for you to know.

[@bearguy1090]

I hope so.

[@thegreyghost5846]

Bear Guy I find it depressing that the history channel doesn't actually play historical content

[@ifabforfun]

Wartime = Innovation

[@brianbiernat3662]

Trillions are spent....believe it, it's all paying for something. Something we don't need to know about.

[@richardhead8264]

*_16:39_**_ ELVIS!!!_*

[@yavuzabdioglu2642]

Havent laughed so hard in so long!! Thank you;

[@aubreywhaley7729]

He was in the AF though

[@ladypilliwick8179]

my father was a pilot with the X 15 project...don't know if he ever got to fly it but do know he flew the U2. . over Russian and cuba... the shuttle was the X 20. ... all the Mercury pilots used to visit the house for a cup of coffee great childhood

[@TheYavy]

Lady pilliwick u are 40 yrs old now?

[@intrepidexplorator8618]

Wow that's Trippy Cool

[@AmericanTestConstitution]

That's awesome!

[@robertarnold9815]

Pretty easy to check the names of X-15 pilots since its not classified. The X-20 or Dyna-Soar was to use "skip-glide" not orbital insertion so really not like the Space Shuttle. But cool he flew U2s, etc.

[@RuminatingWizard]

So you must be in your mid 60s

[@1twilight9]

It's a rocket with windows on the top that flies Horizontally

[@MyGeorg13]

yep

[@scorpio1154]

1twilight9 right

[@nickvledder]

And does some serious environmental damage.

[@Tom_Hadler]

1twilight9 It's thunderbird 1

[@justgonnastay]

Nick Vledder "And does some serious environmental damage." Can you explain this please?

[@henrymillar6130]

I worked at North American as a machinist on X-15 after getting out of the navy it was a big deal then and when it finished we taken out to seethe finished product.

[@hlcepeda]

Did you stick around for the Rockwell Intl' and Boeing days?

[@SantaCruzLocal]

You must haven’t worked with my grand father then at the time. Raymond H Rice , NAA Vice President and general manager , prior to being Design Engineer during the ww2 P-51 years.

[@JIMJAMSC]

When one of the automobiles of the era or fire truck get into the scene the contrast with the aircraft still amazes me. The SR-71 for example still looks as radical as it did then but park a 60s family car next to it.

[@FPV-wi8fw]

ya its crazy how advanced some of these aircraft looked

[@almorris171]

I dreamed of a Mach II SS Chevelle back in the day. The closest thing was a fricking Mustang. ;)

[@jbolton4973]

It's the aliens

[@FNHaole]

An aircraft configured to fly that fast must’ve been comically.difficult to land unpowered. BIG respect to the pilots! Also, with the main gear positioned so far behind the center of gravity, the cockpit seemed to be the head of a striking hammer upon touchdown. The X-15 pilots’ back pain must’ve been excruciating.

[@williamdolyniuk7804]

Yes .yes yes and trial and error thats the great. L.O.L

[@74tgf]

Por eso el vídeo y la historia es falsa!!!

[@PeaceMastah]

@@74tgf nope

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

@@74tgf Negativo.

[@juana1483]

They snapped these in half while landing them!! Pilot killed

[@thedarkside13]

4:37 Woow, cameraman very brave to hang on like that!!...

[@agentskylark9212]

@@ivefallenandicantgetup7950 No, the cameraman ... is the plane *dun dun dun*

[@llounfox9290]

@@agentskylark9212 I never did this so I will whoosh u

[@agentskylark9212]

@@llounfox9290 well if you looked at who I was replying to u would see they deleted their comment so no, it was a continuation of a joke

[@llounfox9290]

@@agentskylark9212 I knew it was a joke so I made a better joke

[@agentskylark9212]

@@llounfox9290 guess I cant argue with that, my joke from a month ago doesnt make sense anymore

[@somebooooooody]

I bet the people back in the days "Sh@t! when we can make this thing go THIS fast, imagine how fast the people in the year 2020 can achieve" People in 2020 - Still watching the documentary made on 1959...

[@blight2638]

The sight of the b52 carrying the smaller plane is so cool!

[@macwizer]

I was there as a young Airman to see it fly in 1965-66 at Edwards Flight Test Center. It was an Amazing time in aviation history

[@iogamer5786]

That is really cool. Glad you could have seen this!

[@wilsonthuo9639]

What a great voice of the presenter

[@jacksaintjack2844]

I was into building model planes as a kid. Just had to have an X-15 kit. Got it and it was a thrill just putting it together. What an absolutely beautiful craft.

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

my sons and I are using an old canoe - wrap it in black tape and stick a cone on the front - add some wings and the tailplane and you have VERY passable x15.

[@user-ud2ze9is5h]

❤ankh uthi

[@user-ud2ze9is5h]

​@@militaryandemergencyservic3286 yes old one old 🏫 designed

[@tanukicyber]

I love the F-104 Straighter chase planes, too!

[@paulshaffer9674]

104 starfighter

[@YoooooWhassup]

To think this aircraft was developed so long ago and how much they learnt from it. It's unimaginable to think what they have developed lately that we won't find out about. Fascinating

[@BryonLape]

50,000 feet traveling Mach 2 and he sounds bored out of his skull. Big brass ones there.

[@joeytroutman9506]

Bryon Lape thinking the same thing

[@EarthWasHere]

He must have flown the sr-71 and said this shit is slow!

[@somethingelse4878]

Same with British lightings going mach 2.2 and up to 88000ft it was nothing to them

[@mercoid]

He’s at work. That’s all.

[@amoryjones-danley7579]

Either a model or a legitimate production of the X-15 (I'm not sure which it's been a while since I've been there) currently sits at the New Mexico Space History Museum in Alamogordo, NM. Anyone interested in the history of aviation and space flight should pay this museum a visit!

[@TechnoGeek209]

Damn, this thing is so fast that it can fly from my country to the USA in a little over an hour, whereas it usually takes 9 and a half hour to do so. I hope that someday we'll see passenger planes fly just as fast...

[@SourPatch97]

Very fast but engine power only lasted 2 minutes at most

[@theliberalrepublican5910]

I'm old enough to remember these flights. We used to cut up the wings on our balsa gliders to be little stubby wings and called our planes X-15s.

[@screamingnighthog7155]

Way back in the late 60's when I was in elementary school the Air Force brought a trailer with an X-15 on it to our school for the kids to see. It was the coolest thing in life I had ever seen up to that point.

[@mrnobody8540]

had NASA and even a field trip to a airport flight Tower control center 😋. got to talk a aircraft that it needed to relocate to a lower/higher area of space... boy we had it good 👍

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

What a wonderful time in History! Late 1950's Sputnik, Explorer, X-15, leading to, Mercury program! And 1st Nuclear Submarine, the Nautilus, USA! What a Time!

[@SweetDrummerNrOne]

Yeah really and the Vietnam War! ...

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

Oh get over that? You GO?

[@TheBigMamao]

Do you really believe that? I KNOW I would like to believe that, but I can't. I was there. I wasn't in a classroom, thinking about it...... I was up to my knees in rice patty's with my m-16, going up against Charlie, sluggin' it out with him, while pussies, like you, were back here partying, putting headbands on, doing drugs and listening to their godamn Beatles albums!!!!!!!! UHHH!!!! UHHH!!!! UHHH!!!!

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

Yea right! 10 year old 1965! 1976 US Navy, 1985 Carrier! Persian Gulf , Lebanon, "Cleaning up for you're "LOST WAR"

[@TheBigMamao]

Charlton, my comment was in response to SweetDrummerNrOne.

[@ifabforfun]

saw some X-Planes at the Wright-Patt museum in Ohio... was pretty awesome to see them up close, considering how insanely fast those vehicles moved at some point.

[@ramairgto72]

It's like looking at Dolly Parton's TiTs.

[@fredgenge7404]

Scotty had a bunch of stories about those flights. I think the best one was about the flight where the back got broke when the engine caught fire. I miss a good friend. See you down range Scotty with Mary and the rest. Rest! Fred

[@wrightflyer7855]

Probably about that. As an example, the SR-71 has been credited with Mach 3.5 and an altitude of 80,000 feet. The Mach number is close, but it's more likely around Mach 3.2 continuous with possibly a short dash speed above that. The claim of 80,000 feet is probably conservative. Source: my Air Force experience from '68 to '72'.

[@terrywbreedlove]

I sat in a SR71 at the Boeing flight museum. Even at my old age it was super fun to actually sit in that baby. Such a large plane but a small cockpit.

[@cirocosta8006]

The Viewer formerly known as Prince - Q Q Q Q Q QQ

[@Sai-iz3ep]

The reason why so much development happened in the 20th century than the 21st is because advancement usually progresses faster during wartime

[@ottolachenauer4969]

Weve been in a war since 911

[@lucastekkan]

@@ottolachenauer4969 it's not a war that motivates development

[@francescofissore161]

Great filming, so nostalgic 'retrò' and full of fascinating details... thanx so much. p.s. We collectors of military flight helmets (and related accessories) get goosebumps all over, every time we see Scott Crossfield wearing that hyper-ultra-rare MC-3 helmet - originally made by Bill Jack Scentific Instruments, and custom-modified by the famed D. Clark Company. Of course we know only too well it will stay a dream forever, so we think back at how many and wich quality the pieces are in our collections (mine counted in past years some fifty helmets + oxygen fittings, from worldwide) but granted.. I know personally of certain guys who perhaps, would get seriously tempted trading their younger daughter for some top rare helmet of the high-altitude category... .. I would have done that, maybe, by using 'only' my sweetheart ah ah... supposedly being less hard-to-find than certain helmets !! Greetings from Italy.

[@FlyingRagilein]

Look at the oscillations at 14:03. I have read Scott's great book "Always Another Dawn" but seeing those in original film material is awesome.

[@robertmayfield8746]

Usually I don't like old doucmentaries due to bad voiceover. But I appreciate this one. It was really good.

[@yahatinda]

X-15 was a technical marvel

[@alexbloom4879]

It still impresses me that even at this speed it would take you years to fly around a colossal red supergiant.

[@paulsimmons5726]

All the pilots in this program and the moon shot missions were simply heroes! Great stuff for what we Americans should stand for, sadly today's news reports don't seem to have time for bravery. God bless these ol' school pilots for their dedication and the sacrifices they made along the way!

[@FangsOfTheNidhogg]

Nobody wants to pay for these kind of projects anymore. All this stuff got done in the 50's because taxes were at an insane level coming out of world war 2. But anyways, I do agree, this era of aviation is incredibly fascinating. A lot of this technology seems to have been shoved into a filing cabinet and striped of funding as Rocket technology improved vastly in the 60's.

[@HardCoreCesare]

holy words!

[@HB-ps6rn]

Taxes were that high so they could recover from the great depression. This new era of aviation was sparked by the cold war and the race for technology that followed

[@P4ul0C354r]

Indeed sir. Wise words.

[@user-ww2lc1yo9c]

America did not stand for invading other countries on pack of lies and supporting opressive regimes like the Saudi Arabia at that time.

[@igostupidfast3]

I think I saw this video multiple times when I was a kid. Good memories

[@teamtoken]

Back when America was really pushing the technological barrier. Great time to be an Engineer

[@RealityIsTheNow]

They still are. From Intel to Google to SpaceX, to landing nuclear vehicles on other worlds. There's a lot happening.

[@joefarrar472]

Yes, godfather.

[@ratbatnufftime2861]

They had no choice. The USSR was blowing smoke up their ass.

[@foodcrumbs9136]

@@RealityIsTheNow those are private companies though. Back then it was all government funded.

[@RealityIsTheNow]

Food Crumbs Actually, SpaceX built the Falcon 9 using government money and a lot of technology and engineering talent from NASA. So far, through the COTS program, NASA has pumped about $400 million into SpaceX for the Falcon 9, Dragon, and the test launches. And this doesn't include the ongoing costs of hiring SpaceX to run cargo to the ISS. Thats running into the billions. And back in the day it was private companies as well. Grumman Aircraft designed and built the lunar lander. Rocketdyne designed and built the F-1 engines for the Saturn V, and the Saturn V itself was mostly built by Boeing and Douglas and North American Aviation.

[@aldofranco6764]

Neil Armostrong was one of the pilot of X-15, the bomber and the jet that is next to the X-15 in the moment of landing

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

That jet next to the X-15 when it lands would be a chase plane. They play a vital role in such flights.

[@peppermintcatsass3141]

I miss hearing multiple sonic BOOM when I lived near the base as a child in the 60s...good times🖤

[@paulshaffer9674]

I lived most of my life under the flight pattern of Davis Monthon.

[@peppermintcatsass3141]

@@paulshaffer9674 ...now that would be intense.

[@brendaproffitt1011]

This is incredible documentary film...Awesome job....great information on this video too...very interesting to me too...and I do greatly appreciate it too...Thank you so much for your videos too...

[@adamjhuber]

0:36 both Al White and Joe Walker lost their lives on 8 June 1966, when XB-70A No. 2 crashed. RIP. They don’t make them like that anymore. 🇺🇸

[@obadiahkilgore2964]

Always loved these good, dense documentaries. I was excited to see Modern Marvels back on History, until I watched it. It's like it's made for children.

[@jonhare392]

My uncle Hiagh Kalustian was the principle of the Edwards Air Force base elementary School during the early sixties. My brother and sister and I got to meet Scott Crossfield when I was 5 years old. I sort of remember but was a little too young for details. My brother was 12 and my sister was 10.

[@SantaCruzLocal]

My Grandfather was Raymond H Rice . Vice President and general manager of NAA during that time of the X-15.

[@williamduff5265]

@@SantaCruzLocal My dad worked on the x-15 project at North Amerian. Scott Crossfield lived 7 streets to the East of us and I went to school with his son Paul.

[@KutWrite]

In 1960 I saw Crossfield's photo in a book I sent for about the X-15. I kept that book for decades.

[@sidibaaa]

@@KutWrite you should save thats books forever

[@ImGoingSupersonic]

Strange watching an aircraft this fast and it wasn't recorded in 8k. Television was way behind lol.

[@judithrivers-moore4851]

My hat is off to the many brave men I saw climb into the X-15's and move off the ramp under the wing of the B-52. Flite Line in 62,63 and 64. Amazing men who created all the telementry, the skins, photography and fuels. They were all flying by the seat of their pants to get the space program into actions. All done without computers at that time!!!

[@MrTommySullivan]

I saw the X-15 at the Aeronautic Museum in Washington, D.C. - what a bad ass looking plane!

[@bafa000]

Nice museum. I am glad I live like 5 mins away from those - Did you check the Udvar Hazy close to Dulles?

[@vegardpig8634]

i wish we had that in norway, all we have is oil and some stupid fjords

[@piski82]

This is not a plane. It is a rocket with small wings. It can`t even to takeoff itself. They just seat a pilot on a rocket. Peace of crap, exectly... but it gave alot of expiriens.

[@serigraph73]

The other surviving one is at WPAFB in Dayton, Ohio. My home town. Such a great museum there

[@Davidpetty87]

PO G my grandfather moved it around edwards a lot of the time all over edwards afb

[@danapeck5382]

Crossfield was also a great guy to hang out with during his staff days with House Science Committee circa late 1970's.

[@nickashton3584]

always loved the x15 grew up during the space race loved the space race very exciting time

[@cacador235]

Em 1986 os radares da força aérea brasileira registraram um objeto voador não identificado (ovni) que alcançou 15.000 km/h! Uma velocidade absurda naquela época, e hj também!

[@jeanlopes1389]

VDD EU ERA O OVNI

[@cacador235]

@@jeanlopes1389 compreensível tenha um bom dia!

[@jeanlopes1389]

@@cacador235 vai responder num comentário de 2 anos atrás kkk tu é o cara kkk

[@cacador235]

@@jeanlopes1389 você também kkk

[@paxwallacejazz]

F-104 Starfighter the ultimate classic chase plane

[@djizzah]

widowmaker..highly unstable

[@Ryan-9000]

Great upload thanks :)

[@haroldmclean3755]

Those were some Very Brave and Skillful Test Pilots 👍

[@josefranciscoghignattiwart1754]

This X-15 rocket is resting at White Paterson Base Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Good to see it!

[@BoudewijnvanHouten]

It's sad that 60 years later Richard Branson is struggling to do the same with his Virgin Galactic space-project.

[@cyberneticinterfacemodular3996]

Because Branson remains a dumbass.

[@juana1483]

They designed these using slide rules. For those who know what this is??? Lol

[@stedebassett1523]

Yes...no internet, no Google. You had to be smart then.

[@chuckbrasch4575]

Very interesting video.. I worked on this project from 1962 - 1964. My job was to maintain the microwave network on the Edwards High Range system. I got a chance to see many launches while I was out in the field, pretty impressive to say the least. Some of my stations had the ability to monitor the voice communication, which was really neat to listen to!.......Good Job!!

[@vrdengineering5204]

The wild west of aeronautical engineering. Wish it was still this exciting.

[@thehouso]

the pilots of all the aircraft used are brave souls. Just think of how far space exploration would be today if all humans on earth worked together for the advancement of of our species. The goal is the same so why not work together. Think of all the money that would be saved by working together.

[@bmay81]

thehouso instead people just want to get rich selling shit made in China.

[@justicewarrior9187]

In the freaking 60's??? Imagine what they have now!!!

[@gaittr]

Justice Warrior sadly enough what Americans think is their most recent Triumph is the right to use the other genders bathroom. I am an American

[@tviikj555]

Nothing remotely like that.

[@TheSSDrift]

America's most proud invention of the last 15 years is Facebook. Gotta love innovation. /sarcasm

[@hallowrdean7409]

Actually f-15 still holds the fastest record mach 7

[@BionicBurke]

@@hallowrdean7409 no.... just no... where the hell did you get this bit of absolutely false information?

[@Herman47]

I regard the Blackbird as a plane; I regard the X-15 as a rocket.

[@msb3235]

1960s is the most awesome time of engineering marvel!

[@MyGeorg13]

if you would have knowledge of engineering, you would say that today is the most awsome time of engineering as technology progresses exponentially accelerating development by development

[@mrhoffame]

Very true. It always makes me think that so much technology we have today, in the public eye, carries a lot of it's orgins frm 60s technology. I can only imagine what they are working on today in secret that will be the technology our kids finally see in 2060.

[@Tempusverum]

German tech mostly contributed to the Apollo rocket prog. The X plane was an American design, built by Reaction Motors.

[@philgiglio9656]

We dared to dream BIG. Not anymore.

[@philgiglio9656]

Most of it courtesy NASA.

[@rohnkd4hct260]

X-15 was an amazing craft.

[@joey0077d]

This all lead up too the SR 71. Now from the SR 71 to now there close to light speed. They have to be. Tech work is twenty years ahead of anything we see now I’m guessing. Some awesome stuff !!

[@jimparsons6803]

Cool. One of my in-laws few in the B-52 during the earl 60s.

[@florianwolf9380]

Scott Crossfield, Brian Shula and Neil Armstrong are the heroes of my youth - oh, how I wanted to be like them. Today - much older, but not necessarily wiser 😋 - I still relish in their achievements. Remember, this is "crude" 60ies technology, so even more admirable from today's perspective. The height & speed records of the X-15 and SR-71 still stand today, and probably will until the end of time. No-one flew higher and faster than these guys !

[@andgate2000]

Florian Wolf I think the sr71 flew a lot faster than we’re told.

[@dallasyap3064]

Another similar experimental aircraft, X-43 flew way faster than the X-15. The X-43 flew up to mach 9.6 if not mistaken, but this was an unmanned aircraft compared to the X-15 which was manned.

[@juana1483]

Don Shula is mine. And John Madden.

[@outofbluepills]

To me, the X-15 will always be, first and foremost, the Estes rocket I accidentally shot into the ceiling of my room, when I was a kid. My parents agree!

[@fraupitzler9385]

I had one too... was it not powered by H2O2? Peroxide? You have to load it with a white powder!

[@alanmagnuson8336]

I converted the Revell X-15 plastic model into an Estes rocket by putting an engine tube into the fuselage. It landed on the roof of my grandma's farmhouse -- good times.

[@williamdolyniuk7804]

Good one good one. Broke the antique light fix ture with my swing finally sold those clubs a few years ago. L.O.L.

[@honigson8776]

Mad respect for dat landing

[@FloppyHat]

I saw the entire video waiting to see Mach 7 but it ended up and Mach 2.3 . Silly me...

[@adamg9079]

I love how he says "very powerful rudders on this baby" like he's never flown it before. He just hops in and goes mach 2. I sir. Worship your balls.

[@jrdnwhtny1]

You didn’t say no homo

[@domenicodenaro194]

Caccia bombardieri

[@rwatson2609]

Amazing aircraft, but it really had limited uses since it had such a short flight time. Either way, it did fly twice the speed of the next fastest aircraft and about three times higher as well. Heck, it could even just touch the edge of space at 330,000 ft, try doing that in your Cessna 172.

[@dallasyap3064]

It actually did flew to space, twice if not mistaken.

[@rwatson2609]

@@dallasyap3064 I unfortunately watched this video 3 years ago so the information in my head is really rusty. But yes twice is easily believable. I believe there were a few of these experimental aircraft, maybe three?

[@dallasyap3064]

@@rwatson2609 technically, twice by international standard, but by US standard, it happened multiple times. The US and the international standard for the karman line are different; the US designates it at 50 miles, the international designated karman line is 100km. Many of the X-15 flights surpassed US 50 mile line, which led to those pilots being eligible for and awarded the military astronaut/space badges. But only 2 of the X-15 flights actually surpassed the international 100km line.

[@rwatson2609]

@@dallasyap3064 Very interesting. Thanks for the info.

[@trob0914]

William " Pete" Knight, RIP SIR, October 3, 1967= MACH 6.7! That top speed still stands in 2022!!👍🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@TheBeteljuice]

The suit provides comfort and mobility? You bet! I know I wear mine around the house when I really want to relax!

[@turbo2ltr]

This video does not show any plane going Mach 7. Or even Mach 3. I would hardly consider it a "full documentary".

[@HB-ps6rn]

It never says it shows any plane going Mach 7, just states the plane is capable of that theoretically. It's truly only done around 4500 mph though.

[@mogwaigremlin7188]

Pah, I go faster than that having sex. I go at Mach 27.

[@mickeyprime4375]

Mogwai Gremlin B

[@phmwu7368]

It's about a single mission out of the 199 X-15 flights flown between June 1959 and October 1968... 50 years ago !

[@fredd9340]

@@phmwu7368 this version of the x-15 doesn't have the reaction motors engine so this was only capable of Mach 3

[@paxwallacejazz]

Not really a plane not exactly a spacecraft but when I was in kindergarden watching the Gemini space walks I knew it's name and wished I could fly it .

[@BESTMOAD]

Bible? You never did wishes get SMAAASHED LIKE A COTROACH UNDER MY HEELS

[@UniteWorldPeace]

My smartphone has more computing power than those engineers, and all I can build is an A4 paper airplane.

[@SingingPostman27]

Thank you for sharing.

[@shanemichaels3083]

imagine flying one of these things, would be unreal

[@MDDeGrande1994]

Especially at top speed.

[@digranni128]

I love u docs ✌

[@MisteriosGloriosos922]

*wonderful!!. Love this video!!!*

[@AAthlete34]

It's basically a rocket being dropped and trying to go as fast as possible!!!

[@randalltaylor3700]

Scott Crossfield an acomplished engineer and pilot in his own right. Scotty's eyesight was made sensitive to bright light after he experienced the engine explosion accident, hence he had to wear dark sunglasses afterward

[@x15galmichelleevans]

Kelly Johnson had zero to do with the X-15 program.

[@allgood6760]

Cool vid... thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿

[@rmorton3186]

I am sure us Kiwis are all happy to be USA allies,much appreciation from me too

[@jameshowland7393]

All of these pilots were HUGE in the history of supersonic flight!

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

From rag wing biplanes to this, in such a short time.

[@user-zm1vt3rf9b]

Once science and discovery started there was no stopping it. That was when people had bigger plans ahead of them and were willing to try for them.

[@braddywarbucks]

Really it was the discovery on how to utilize the oceans of free energy that was sitting and waiting beneath our feet. Once we did that, the development of modern engines began allowing calorie intensive projects to exist. Every major project was possible because of the utilization of petroleum.

[@dLoLe]

stealing german scientists works wonders :)

[@b.t.9531]

if by stealing you mean allowing them to continue work instead of being imprisoned after losing the war. also, the USA developed the nuke, their own jet engine, internal combustion engine and a myriad of other inventions before the end of WW2. Some of the scientists fled Germany before the war, this is true, but if you look down the list, they are from everywhere... which is exactly what America is:The melting pot and land of opportunity. Stealing scientists is fake history. They are lucky they weren't executed.

[@fuzzywzhe]

Why is this so surprising? I went through a calculator taking 2 seconds to do a calculation, to being able to watch a video on the Internet. I can literally do nuclear bomb simulation on the desktop to my right, it's a super computer in terms of the 1990s. Cost $700 to build. Pity that it seems the next revolution is in the fierceness of the police state though. Sorry about that, when we made the Internet, this wasn't our intention, but you're all asleep so... **shrug**

[@knightfox1461]

Back then they really did men's job more than they do now.

[@slome815]

Note that all this footage shows the original X-15 with it's dual underpowered XLR-11 engines. The later record breaking versions would have a single, much more powerfull XLR-99 engine (something like three times the thrust compared to the two XLR-11's).

[@davidwayne9982]

I had physics class in high school. OUR project for class was to a a rocket-- which we would launch all on a particular day. I made mine after the X-15 and was told by the instructor that is was "unstable design- would NOT fly and I'd be lucky to ever see it after launching it" Everyone was to put an egg in their rockets to see who would get theirs back. MINE flew HIGHER- straighter- and CAME DOWN within 5 ft. of the launch pad-- EGG INTACT... the ONLY one that did.. That instructor never mentioned it to me again-- embarrassed I guess..

[@BhagyanagarRE]

I want to thank USA and West for all modern technology and thank my Chinese brothers for making them available at cheap affordable prices - frm India

[@seansteel3326]

I love it how back in the day when a failure occurred, a fix was found, a new plane was made and a new test ready in a matter of couple months. Now....

[@bruce92106]

I'm 61, from San Diego .CA, Point Loma. As a small kid I can remember when my Mom or my neighboring pal's mom's would take us kids to the SD Zoo driving along Harbor Dr. There was an old brown hanger along Harbor Dr that I swear had a X-15 that was kept inside it. And It was like a contest to see if one, or both, of the big double hanger doors might be open to get a glimpse of it sitting in there and who'd call it out first. Does ANYONE know of this story, or why an X-15 would have been kept in a hanger in San Diego, circa 62-64? If I recall, I think it was a General Dynamics hanger? On the south-west side of Harbor Dr across from Ryan Aeronautics. All are gone now. I know, it makes little sense, but I swear it happened. ??

[@michaelperkins5369]

You Know, I am proud to have been Involved with various Companies in the Bay Area while my Father and Mother-In-Law also worked for some 30 years.

[@no_name4796]

Imagine doing an emergency landing with such plane and such speed

[@rangerjoe3711]

That "safe landing" at 14:15 was just BARELY. He "porpoised" the aircraft several times on final and then slammed the nose mount down hard on touchdown. I was expecting him to either collapse the nose mount or break it off entirely. Aero brake the aircraft and let the nose fall through naturally.

[@cardboardboxification]

Ranger Joe you do realize he is trying to land a rocket ..... I'm positive he knows how to flair a airplane with wings that have lift....

[@andyharman3022]

Yes, that was pilot induced oscillation that occurred on the landing of the first flight. It weakened the structure of the aircraft, and contributed to it breaking on the third flight when it had to land heavy with propellants. The PIO problem was solved before the second flight by adjusting the sensitivity of the flight controls. This is all discussed in Crossfield's autobiography "Always Another Dawn".

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

think "flying rocket" not airplane

[@BrianSmith-yn2zg]

It also had skids on the back not wheels so the the drag would send the nose down pretty quickly.

[@michaelasberry3953]

The airframe had skids in the rear instead of wheels so no matter how soft you land the nose will always slam down in that fashion

[@gregorymceaddy8884]

You had to have a set of brasswonds back then...mission,safety ,then you go for it..Amazing

[@theprophetez1357]

I liked the X-15 as a child and even had a model of it.

[@GooseFlerken]

Im still waiting for the mach 7 moment

[@michaelledford4751]

The X-15 hit Mach 7 50 years ago my friend.

[@erikliljeberg1796]

It's technically more or less a spacecraft since the fastest actuall plane is the Sr-71

[@almorris171]

The SR-71 was conventionally powered. The X-15 was rocket powered. Big difference.

[@Galaxius2117]

SR-71 can do Mach 3 X-15 can do Mach 6 SR-71 is the second fastest plane X-15 is the fastest plane