The XF-92A – Delta Wings – Imported and Exported
Between the first and second world wars, aircraft development was moving apace in Europe. One of the many people pushing aircraft technology was Alexander Lippisch, the designer of the rocket powered Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. Lippisch proposed a triangular delta...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...A Booming Controversy
In 1999, Al Blackburn wrote a book, Aces Wild: The Race for Mach 1, and from it an article for the Smithsonian Air and Space magazine. Both are clearly the culmination of a lot of research into a fascinating subject, and I don’t want to steal his work, so what...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.