glasscock

How about the Aurora or TR-3A?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Sorry; but neither is correct. This bird was real; and seen by millions. Thanks; Ernie P.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Last clue for tonight. This should show how real this bird was. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

SimonCraig1

BAC TSR-2?

Evil_Merlin

My Feedback: (13)

B-58 Hustler?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far. This was purely a research aircraft; not a prototype. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important and very well known decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Another clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important, and very well known, decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

(4) After a spectacular crash, the airframe was rebuilt and modified. The “new” airplane made many successful test flights.

Ram-bro

My Feedback: (101)

x15

psb667

ya I gotta agree. The only other it could be would be the x1.

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

Sure seems to fit the X-15 to me too

scalebirdman

My Feedback: (6)

X-1 never broke the 1000mph barrier (was x-1a, which was a completely different aircraft), and was never crashed and rebuilt.
X-15 maxed out at mach 6.01/4000+mph so saying it flew "well over 1000mph" would seem to make the x-15 over qualified to me. Also 1 X-15 broke apart in mid-air and was never rebuilt, a second was damaged and rebuilt after a hard landing , but I wouldn't quialify that as a "spectacular crash".

I'm guessing it's neither of these.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far. I'm betting that when the answer becomes known, almost every one will say "Yeah! I remember seeing that." Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important, and very well known, decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

(4) After a spectacular crash, the airframe was rebuilt and modified. The “new” airplane made many successful test flights.

(5) This entire research program began with the stubborn efforts of a single engineer. He built his own test models and demonstrated them successfully.

psb667

are you talking about whatss names spaceplane? The space ship one and white knight?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No; and I'm not sure to what you refer. I'm afraid I have never heard of "space ship one and white knight". Please elaborate; it sounds interesting. Again; this was a real airplane and I describe real events. In the interim, another clue for the evening. Oh... and focus on clue (1). Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important, and very well known, decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

(4) After a spectacular crash, the airframe was rebuilt and modified. The “new” airplane made many successful test flights.

(5) This entire research program began with the stubborn efforts of a single engineer. He built his own test models and demonstrated them successfully.

(6) The crash drew attention from a prominent author; one who had written a number of books about Military aircraft.

psb667

http://www.virgingalactic.com/ This is one of the crazier things that has been done and yes these are real air craft. How about the f22 its a little faster than a thousand mph or the f35 a lot of people think its just a movie plane.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No... but the airplane you referenced could not have been built without the knowledge generated by the airplane to which I refer. Again; focus on Clue (1). Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important, and very well known, decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

(4) After a spectacular crash, the airframe was rebuilt and modified. The “new” airplane made many successful test flights.

(5) This entire research program began with the stubborn efforts of a single engineer. He built his own test models and demonstrated them successfully.

(6) The crash drew attention from a prominent author; one who had written a number of books about Military aircraft.

(7) The aircraft was prominently featured in a fictional book, movie and television show.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

[quote]ORIGINAL: psb667

http://www.virgingalactic.com/ This is one of the crazier things that has been done and yes these are real air craft. How about the f22 its a little faster than a thousand mph or the f35 a lot of people think its just a movie plane.

"any crash you can walk away from is a good crash" Launch pad Mcquack


Oh... one final clue for the morning; one inspired by your tagline. The pilot didn't walk away. In fact, he didn't walk for some time. And although he was able, eventually, to resume his career, he never fully recovered. Thanks; Ernie P.

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

Sounds like maybe you're talking about one of the flying flat iron type lifting bodies that "The Six Million Dollar Man" flew...?

Wasn't it a Northrop product? Can't recall the number right off hand...maybe X-24?

Edit: The X-24 was a Martin product...

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

You're getting warmer. Thanks; Ernie P.

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

Northrup M2-F2, after rebuild the M2-F3, Peterson was the pilot

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

That's the answer, and you are up, Sir. The beginning sequence to "The Six Million Dollar Man" or "Cyborg" if you prefer) was probably one of, if not the, most watched aircraft crashes in history. Although the lifting bodies proved to be unuseable (at least with the technology then available) as re-entry vehicles, they led to the "hybrid" sort of wing used on the shuttles. And they did show the way to the future of space travel. If you think the space shuttles weren't "military related", check the funding. Oh... if no one had gotten the answer (kudos to proptop for figuring out the main clues, btw), the final clue would have been "We can rebuild him. We have the technology". Take it away, tenacious101010. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What experimental aircraft do I describe?

Clues:

(1) For several years, this aircraft was one of the best (and perhaps THE best) known aircraft by the general public. It was viewed by literally millions of people. And yet, almost none of them knew, or really cared, what aircraft it was. They didn’t know its designation or name, or even what it was supposed to do. In fact, a lot of people weren’t even sure it really existed.

(2) It reached speeds of well over 1,000 MPH.

(3) Very important, and very well known, decisions were made, based upon the results of the research carried out, in large part, by this aircraft.

(4) After a spectacular crash, the airframe was rebuilt and modified. The “new” airplane made many successful test flights.

(5) This entire research program began with the stubborn efforts of a single engineer. He built his own test models and demonstrated them successfully.

(6) The crash drew attention from a prominent author; one who had written a number of books about Military aircraft.

(7) The aircraft was prominently featured in a fictional book, movie and television show.

Answer: Northrop M2-F2

For some missions, particularly human spaceflight missions, designers wanted a pilot to be able to control the craft so it would land it at a specific spot. Beginning with the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft programs in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, U.S. aerospace engineers investigated the possibility of providing space capsules with some amount of lift during reentry so their landing could be controlled to some extent. Of course, the most logical method for generating lift is through wings. But wings create a problem for a reentering craft because they have to be very strong to handle the extreme stresses of the wind pushing against them from below at hypersonic speeds (at least five times the speed of sound) during reentry.

In 1962, NASA engineer Dale Reed began urging research on wingless aircraft that could reenter from space and yet still be flown to a landing. He called these wingless airplanes "lifting bodies" because they generated their lift from the body of the aircraft, rather than from wings like in a conventional aircraft. He advocated a design that was essentially a cone cut in half. Many of the people he spoke to were skeptical, so he constructed a model out of balsa wood and threw it off the roof of a building. It proved stable in flight (in other words, it did not tumble uncontrollably but glided through the air) and soon he was towing the model into the air behind a gas-powered model where it was released to glide to a landing. He filmed his experiments and showed them to colleagues at the NASA Flight Research Center (now NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Soon he headed a small development team that had approval to build a lightweight, full-scale manned aircraft designated the M2-F1, "M" signifying a manned vehicle and "F" designating a flight vehicle. Others soon began calling it the "Flying Bathtub."

The M2-F2 made its first glide flight on July 12, 1966. The HL-10 made its first glide flight in the same manner on December 22, 1966. But the HL-10 did not fly again for 15 months because those running the program became concerned about its safety. This was prompted in part by a number of near crashes and temporary losses of control with the other lifting bodies such as the M2-F2.

One of the big problems the lifting bodies had was with what is called "flow separation." The airflow over the fuselage became turbulent and did not flow smoothly. The HL-10 designers fixed this by extending the leading edges of the fins (the edge that heads into the airflow) and cambering, or curving, them.

On May 10 1967, the M2-F2 crashed when its pilot, Bruce Peterson, lowered the landing gear half a second too late. It rolled down the dry lakebed and tumbled, severely injuring its pilot. (Footage of this crash was later used in the opening credits of the 1970s TV show The Six-Million Dollar Man.) The M2-F2 was damaged but later rebuilt as the M2-F3, with an additional vertical fin.

The HL-10 was eventually flown to a speed of Mach 1.86. Several powered landings were also conducted with this aircraft, using rocket engines to provide power as the aircraft set down on its landing gear, but these demonstrated that powered landings were little better than unpowered ones. Another aircraft, the X-24A, was also built and tested. In 1972 it was modified into the dart-shaped X-24B, which was used to explore higher speeds. It eventually reached a speed of Mach 1.75. NASA also experimented with the unmanned Hyper III lifting body. Long, thin, and angular, it could not land without help, so a one-piece pivoting wing was developed that deployed just before landing, generating more lift at lower speeds.


During the 1960s, Northrop built the M2-F2, M2-F3, and HL-10 lifting bodies for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The idea behind these wingless aircraft was that they could be returned from space and guided to a specific landing spot. Used purely for research, they demonstrated the limitations of wingless aircraft and were important for the development of the future Space Shuttle orbiter. As a result of this research, NASA chose to develop an orbiter with wings.

Before powered flights were undertaken, a series of glide flights were conducted. On May 10, 1967, the sixteenth and last glide flight ended in disaster as the vehicle slammed into the lake bed on landing. With test pilot Bruce Peterson at the controls, the M2-F2 suffered a pilot induced oscillation (PIO) as it neared the lake bed. The vehicle rolled from side to side in flight as he tried to bring it under control. Peterson recovered, but then observed a rescue helicopter that seemed to pose a collision threat. Distracted, Peterson drifted in a cross-wind to an unmarked area of the lake bed where it was very difficult to judge the height over the ground because of a lack of guidance (the markers provided on the lake bed runway).

Peterson fired the landing rockets to provide additional lift, but he hit the lake bed before the landing gear was fully down and locked. The M2-F2 rolled over six times, coming to rest upside down. Pulled from the vehicle by Jay King and Joseph Huxman, Peterson was rushed to the base hospital, transferred to March Air Force Base and then the UCLA Hospital. He recovered but lost vision in his right eye due to a staphylococcal infection.

Portions of M2-F2 footage including Peterson's spectacular crash landing were used for the 1973 TV movie The Six Million Dollar Man though some shots during the opening credits of the series showed the later HL-10 model, during release from its carrier plane, a modified B-52.

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

OK, Gonna try this one. I have several pictures from an item from a military aircraft. I will start by just posting the pictures and take it from there. This item is approx 4.25 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. What is this? Good Luck!
Denny

SimonCraig1

a cavity magnetron?

tenacious101010

My Feedback: (97)

Damn close!, well, depending on what a cavity magnetron is.

1. This item was used on more than one aircraft, one of those aircraft was a B-34.

glasscock

Multi-Mode Magnetic Detection System. Anti-submarine device.