The B-21 Raider Speed Brake and What Flying Wing Aerodynamics Forces You to Invent
Test photos of the B-21 Raider reveal a speed brake design that appears decoupled from yaw control - a meaningful departure from the B-2 Spirit's approach.
TowerEdwards Air Force Base
The North American F-hundred Super Sabre and the first production fighter to go supersonic in level flight on May twenty-fifth, nineteen fifty-three
The F-100 Super Sabre became the first production fighter to exceed Mach 1 in level flight on May 25, 1953, changing military aviation forever.
TaildraggerThe XB-70 Valkyrie mid-air collision and the photo shoot that killed two pilots at Mach three's doorstep
The 1968 XB-70 Valkyrie mid-air collision killed two pilots during a routine GE publicity photo shoot over the Mojave Desert.
TaildraggerPancho Barnes and the fastest woman alive who built a desert saloon for test pilots
Pancho Barnes broke speed records, organized Hollywood stunt pilots, and built the legendary bar where test pilots gathered after breaking the sound barrier.
TaildraggerThe five longest US military runways and why they need all that concrete
The five longest US military runways stretch over two miles each, built for space shuttles, nuclear bombers, and experimental aircraft.
TowerChuck Yeager and the broken ribs that almost kept him from breaking the sound barrier
How Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, with two broken ribs and a nine-inch piece of broom handle.
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