Modern Experimental Aircraft

45 accurately rendered illustrations of dynamic flying prototypes: Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet, the Bell X-1 rocketplane, the diminutive McDonnell XF-85 Goblin "parasite," more. Descriptive captions.

Carefully researched, ready-to-color drawings depict 27 American, Russian, and British aircraft, including fighters, bombers, reconnaissance planes, transport and cargo ships, trainers, helicopters, and other high-tech machines. Pertinent facts about the design, role, armament, and distinguishing characteristics of the planes accompany the illustrations.

In 1945 the Allies returned home with much technical information from German research concerning jet engines and swept wings. Though the USAAF had already deployed an early batch of jet fighters, Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars, to Italy in 1945, their centrifugal-flow engines had limited scope for further development compared with the axial-flow engines used by the Germans. Also, it was obvious that a new breed of airframes was needed to take advantage of the huge power increase offered by jet engines: the answer was the swept wing carefully coupled with a blended fuselage. This second volume of Kev Darling's history of American prototype and experimental aircraft tells the full story of these fascinating aircraft, from the primitive jets of the immediate post-war period to the F-22 and F-23 stealth fighters that represent the pinnacle of modern warplane design.

Foreword by Dr. Roger D. Launius, Former NASA Chief Historian For the past 75 years, the U.S. government has invested significant time and money into advanced aerospace research, as evidenced by its many experimental X-plane aircraft and rockets. NASA's X-Planes asks a simple question: What have we gained from it all? To answer this question, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the X-plane’s long history, from the 1946 X-1 to the modern X-60. The chapters describe not just the technological evolution of these models, but also the wider story of politics, federal budgets, and inter-agency rivalries surrounding them. The book is organized into two sections, with the first covering the operational X-planes that symbolized the Cold War struggle between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R, and the second section surveying post-Cold War aircraft and spacecraft. Featuring dozens of original illustrations of X-plane cross-sections, in-flight profiles, close-ups, and more, this book will educate general readers and specialists alike.

What is Aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, in a few cases, direct downward thrust from its engines. Common examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, airships, gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons. How you will benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Aircraft Chapter 2: VTOL Chapter 3: Wing Chapter 4: Unpowered aircraft Chapter 5: Fixed-wing aircraft Chapter 6: Flight Chapter 7: History of aviation Chapter 8: Ducted fan Chapter 9: List of experimental aircraft Chapter 10: Airplane (II) Answering the public top questions about aircraft. Who this book is for Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Aircraft.

The world of experimental and prototype aircraft throws up many interesting and unusual machines, and the aircraft manufacturers of the USA were no exception. Within a few years of the Wright Brother's first flight in 1903, World War I greatly accelerated the development of aircraft as the fighting machines of all sides were pushed to the limits to gain more speed, altitude and firepower. This book, the first of a two-volume history of the USA's 'X' and 'Y' experimental planes from the earliest years of aviation to the present day, covers the period from the Wright Brothers to the end of World War Two. As well as famous names such as Curtiss, Northrop and Boeing, many long-forgotten manufacturers such as Loening and Thomas-Morse appear in these pages. The detailed text, supported by extensive illustrations throughout, gives a fascinating insight into an often-overlooked area of aviation history.

The six Douglas D-558 research aircraft, built as two variants, were produced for a US Navy and NACA collaborative project to investigate flight in the high subsonic and supersonic regimes and to develop means of coping with the dangerous phenomena of compressibility and pitch-up which had caused many accidents to early jets. Wind tunnels could not provide the necessary data so pilots had to risk their safety in experimental aircraft which, for their time, achieved phenomenal performance. Both series of D-558 were well-designed, strong and efficient aircraft which enabled test pilots to tackle the unknown in comparative safety. Though delayed by their innovative but troublesome power-plants, and limited by the cost of their air-launched sorties, they went well beyond their original Mach 1 speed objective and continued to generate information that provided design solutions for a whole generation of supersonic combat aircraft. Although the final stage of the D-55 programme, the USN's 'militarized' D-558-3, never happened, the Navy was able to apply the lessons of the programme to its much more practical combat types such as the F8U Crusader and F3H Demon. Supported by full-colour artwork including three-view plates of the two D-558 models and a technical view of the D-2 cockpit, this authoritative text offers a comprehensive guide to the record-breaking Navy research craft.

This illustrated WWII history reveals the full range of experimental military aircraft that the Third Reich nearly flew into combat. From jet planes and high-altitude aircraft to radar-equipped fighters configured to deliver chemical weapons, numerous secret Luftwaffe planes reached prototype stage during the Second World War. Had these innovative aircraft made it into combat, the course of the war could have gone very differently. Renowned aviation expert Manfred Griehl explores these projects through an informative and fascinating selection of images, including numerous wartime photographs. Despite the Allied authorities' ban on research, countless aircraft were designed and tested by the Luftwaffe and German manufacturers before World War II. The research went ahead at secret evaluation sites in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the USSR. Though this work continued after the outbreak of war, many projects were never completed, often because the developers simply ran out of time. This definitive guide reveals the remarkable range of planes that the Third Reich failed to complete.