Major Michael Adams and the X-15
Even by modern day standards, the X-15 was a remarkably safe aircraft given the goals it was designed to achieve. Be it skill, experience, or just plain luck, the engineer’s design stood up to everything thrown at it right up until Michael Adams launched on flight...Sonic to Hypersonic – The X-15
The facts, fiction, and body of knowledge the X-15 generated is enormous. School kids should be taught about it as one of the great things the US should be proud of. In fact, I do bring it up with them, but (contrary to what you may have heard) I do have some sympathy...Gee Whiz, Murphy – It’s John Stapp
Colonel John Stapp died in 1999 at the age of 89. An amazingly old age given what he put his body through in those 89 years. John Stapp joined the USAF and studied the biophysical effects of flight. Not just the cruising back and forth stuff, the violent...Chuck Yeager: Fame, Danger And Janet Leigh, But No Fortune
Piloting the X-1 beyond the speed of sound was an accomplishment of skill, bravery and dedication. And when Chuck Yeager pushed passed Mach 1 the newly formed Air Force pushed just as hard to pick up every opportunity for publicity it could. Thing is, the Air Force...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.