#experimental aviation

[aviatrix-ash]

For no reason other than the fact I love them, here's a few of the many, many biplanes I've met recently :3

[historyofguns]

The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was an experimental aircraft that aimed to test sustained Mach 2 flight, employing titanium structures and a short wingspan design. Part of the "X" series of early jet-powered aircraft, it followed predecessors like the rocket-powered X-1 that broke the sound barrier with USAF Captain Chuck Yeager. Despite high ambitions, the X-3 had limitations due to the use of underpowered Westinghouse J34 engines instead of the planned J46, impacting its speed. After initial tests by Douglas, the USAF, including Chuck Yeager, and NACA took over testing for stability and control, during which the phenomenon of roll inertia coupling was unexpectedly encountered. Although considered underpowered, the X-3 contributed valuable data, influencing the design of future aircraft, such as the SR-71 and F-104 Starfighter, with advancements in materials like titanium. Ultimately, the X-3 transitioned to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, illustrating its contribution to aviation history.

[curatorsday]

Thursday, November 9, 2023

I spent the day working on the text for a new exhibit entitled "Did it Fly?". The photo above shows two members of the Hammondsport Amateur Aero Club in 1909. The group of seven young men (aged 15-19) designed, built, and successfully flew three gliders before turning their attention to powered flight. They built the Babcock Machine biplane - as seen in pieces above - and equipped it with a one cylinder, 7 hp motorcycle engine.

So, Did it Fly? (keep reading to see answer)

YES! It lifted off under its own power and carried 19-year-old William Babcock about 75 feet before landing safely.

[unbfacts]

[dronescapesvideos]

Curtiss XP-55 Ascender, prototype canard fighter aircraft. Circa 1943.

➤VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ChtEyx09ZIY

[nocternalrandomness]

Lockheed XF-104 photographed in 1957 over Rogers Dry lake

[thestonecuttersguild]

Burt Rutan arriving on the Beech Starship. Oshkosh 2024

[usafphantom2]

4 August 1967. The newly unveiled white X-15A-2 next to XB-70 No. 1

@ron_eisele via X

[carbone14]

Chasseur expérimental Kyushu J7W1 Shinden découvert dans une usine à Fukuoka – Japon – 10 octobre 1945

[supreme-leader-stoat]

Tell us about the time you flew!

It was actually a recurring thing, but there's this program called Young Eagles hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association, and what it is is they'll get pilots (often retirees) with their own small planes to volunteer their time and vehicle to take 8-17 year olds up for free and teach them to fly, in the interest of helping the younger generation get into aviation.

Anyway, there was a chapter within driving distance of my hometown. So every few months when they had a meetup my dad would drive my sister and me out, and the pilots would actually go and take us up in their planes, and depending on how many kids there were you'd either get to copilot or you'd be a passenger. And so over the course of my involvement with this program I actually learned all the skills you need to pilot a small plane, from ground checks to takeoffs to landings to actually steering the thing in midair and reading the instruments and whatnot.

If you or any younger family members have any interest in aviation, I really do have to recommend you try to find out if there's an EAA chapter near you. Everyone I met as part of Young Eagles was incredibly cool. I also know at least some chapters also have similar programs for adults, if you're no longer a kid but still want to learn how to fly a plane.

[karagin22]

[aviatrix-ash]

It was a little too hot today to work on the actual N3 Pup so the little plen gets arted instead. This was super fun to do! :3

[enriquemzn262]

Sky Hawk

Iranian project to use the Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile as a long-range BVR missile for the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, in an attempt to compensate for the lack of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, expended during the Iran-Iraq war.

The project proved factible, but the end of the war brought an end to it.

[radarsteddybear]

This is the Northrop “Gee-Whizz” Decelerator Sled. As you can see, it's not an airplane--it is, as its name would suggest, a sled. It was built used in tests after WWII to better understand the injuries sustained during pilots in aircraft accidents. They would launch this thing down a 2,000 ft. long track at up to 200 mph and then abruptly stop it, creating a deceleration of up to 46 Gs, all with a human person inside. The project was run by Dr. Col. John Stapp, who himself made 26 runs on the sled, suffering "concussions, cracked ribs, broken wrists, and retinal hemorrhages," proving that test pilots (and test...sledders?) are truly a different breed. He felt that these injuries were worth the information these tests provided, saying, "I took my risks for information that will always be of benefit. Risks like those are worthwhile."

The upshot is that the results of these tests led the Air Force to call for redesigned cockpits and pilot harnesses.  These tests also led to the Highway Safety Act of 1966, which required seat belts in all new cars sold in the US beginning in 1968.  

[fitzwis]

Hey Everyone!

My latest independent release is available to stream in full over at my YouTube Channel. The Turn (Pitts Special Mix) is a unique auditory journey, merging the ethereal world of electronic music with the raw sound of aviation. Get ready to make the turn …

[dronescapesvideos]

Bachem's Ba 349 Natter (Viper), the world's first manned, vertical-take-off interceptor. ➤VIDEO: https://youtu.be/CmbZ0C2W8yE