The D-558 aircraft were part of a transonic research program originated by NACA and the U.S. Navy. The D-558-1 Skystreak turbojet was designed in 1945 and first flew in 1947 at Muroc. It quickly set a new world speed record of over 650 miles per hour. Although it approached Mach 1.0 in level flight, the Skystreak could only break the speed of sound in a dive. The successor aircraft, the D-558-2 Skyrocket, was equipped with a turbojet and the same rocket system as Bell¿s X-1. The jet was used for takeoff and landing, and the rockets allowed the aircraft to travel into the transonic zone. The Skyrocket test program began in 1948. In 1953, Scott Cross- field bested that mark and flew into aviation history when he became the first person to reach Mach 2.0 in the plane. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy, NACA and Douglas, this book contains manuals for both of these amazing aircraft. Originally classified ¿Restricted¿, they have been declassified and are here reprinted in book form.

Two-volume collection of case studies on aspects of NACA-NASA research by noted engineers, airmen, historians, museum curators, journalists, and independent scholars. Explores various aspects of how NACA-NASA research took aeronautics from the subsonic to the hypersonic era.-publisher description.

Experience the thrill of flying some of the world's most important airplanes and spacecraft. Best of the National Air and Space Museum provides unprecedented access to the most popular museum in the world. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum hosts an average of seven million visits every year. The Udvar-Hazy Center—three football fields long and ten stories high—receives more than one million visits annually. Best of the National Air and Space Museum features the best of both museums, from the Challenger space shuttle and the Wright flyer to the Spirit of St. Louis and the stealth bomber. Robert Van der Linden, curator of aeronautics, has selected the most important, popular, and just plain impressive aircraft and spacecraft from the collections of both museums to be showcased in this beautiful book. Each page spread includes intriguing facts of the item's design, use, mission, specifications, and dimensions. A must-have for space and aviation buffs.

The Encyclopedia of Aerodynamics was written for pilots at all levels from private pilot to airline pilot, military pilots and students of aerodynamics as a complete reference manual to aerodynamic terminology. General aerodynamic text books for pilots are relatively limited in their scope while aerodynamic text books for engineering students involve complex calculus. The references in this book, The Encyclopedia of Aerodynamics, are clearly described and only basic algebra is used in a few references but is completely devoid of any calculus - an advantage to many readers. Over 1400 references are included with alternative terms used where appropriate and cross-referenced throughout. The text is illustrated with 178 photographs and 96 diagrams. The Encyclopedia of Aerodynamics is an ideal aerodynamic reference manual for any pilot's bookshelf.

Featuring ninety-three popular aircraft from the collection of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, this revised edition contains eight new additions. Each entry includes several photographs, an article briefly detailing its history, and data on the plane's wingspan, length, height, weight, and engine type.