X-15: Triumph and Tradgey
The X-15 was designed to smash existing aerospace records. Jets had reached mach 2, manned rocket planes had reached mach 3, and missiles and rockets (X-7 thru 12) had reached into space. The X-15 was designed to double the mach number and reach 250,000ft (space)...The First Supersonic Airliner?
Concorde. It’s iconic. The name, its shape and its abilities are all legendary – 4000 miles at Mach 2, twice a day with a hundred people on board. Its the stuff people in jumbos and 777 yearn for. No matter its cost overruns, over its near 30 year life it...The Bell X-1, Mach 1 or Bust
WW2 demonstrated the importance of air superiority even before the phrase had been invented. Everyone knew that the advantage was gained through speed, so even before the war had ended the US Army Air Force had placed a contract with Bell to build three “Experimental...Nigel Blackwell
Nigel Blackwell was born in rural Oxfordshire in England. He has a love of books, a PhD in Physical Chemistry, and a black belt in pointing out the obvious. As a teenager he toured Europe, and hasn't stopped traveling since. He loves seeing the wonders of the world and meeting the people in it, and hasn't been anywhere that doesn't have the potential for a story. He now lives in Texas with his wife and daughter, where they enjoy the sunshine and listen to the coyotes howl at night.