X-15 rocket plane pilot Bill Dana dies at 83 - The Washington Post

For a certain generation, the X-15 was one of the most exciting experimental aircraft ever built and flown.

The early days of trans sonic flight and those pesky little gremlins.

Oh that Bill Dana. Never mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1MOLzFpqrU

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Was my first reaction too.

great minds....

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I didn't associate the name with the X15. I can only think of Scott Crossfield in that ship.

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2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

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Interesting NASA film on the development of the X-15, courtesy of "Joe Friday".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pU3jdTwP4Q


"Fifty Seven Thousand pounds of thrust with a throttle attached"

"Roger, you got full throttle?"
"Affirmative"
You're running at 30%"
"30%? Where we going ______?"
"..."It looks like Mud Lake" "

They knew what they wanted but didn't know how build it. Build it they did.

From Wiki, a list of X15 pilots. A few well known names,but many labored in obscurity.

X-15 pilots[edit]
Pilot Agency Flights Aircraft
Mike Adams USAF 7 56-6670 (4), 56-6672 (3)
Neil Armstrong NASA 7 56-6670 (3), 56-6672 (4)
Scott Crossfield North American 14 56-6670 (2), 56-6671 (12)
Bill Dana NASA 16 56-6670 (6), 56-6671 (1), 56-6672 (9)
Joseph H. Engle USAF 16 56-6670 (7), 56-6672 (9)
Pete Knight USAF 16 56-6670 (6), 56-6671 (8), 56-6672 (2)
John B. McKay NASA 29 56-6670 (12), 56-6671 (11), 56-6672 (6)
Forrest S. Petersen USN 5 56-6670 (4), 56-6671 (1)
Robert A. Rushworth USAF 34 56-6670 (13), 56-6671 (12), 56-6672 (9)
Milt Thompson NASA 14 56-6670 (5), 56-6672 (9)
Joe Walker NASA 25 56-6670 (13), 56-6671 (3), 56-6672 (9)
Robert White USAF 16 56-6670 (6), 56-6671 (6), 56-6672 (4)


Kind of lost the formatting in transit.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Almost the same time at Groom, the A-12 was off and running with 32,500 pounds thrust out of a turbojet.

Those were the days.