Saturday, April 27, 2013

"X" is for X Planes

The "X Planes" (X for experimental) are the series of research aircraft flown mostly by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and its predecessor NACA, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, sometimes in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force.  They've served various purposes over the decades, but the flights that most captured the public's imagination are the ones that set speed and altitude records.  The first and most famous of the X planes was the Bell X-1 in which the great Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947, reaching the pinnacle of the test pilot hierarchy and becoming an american hero and legend.  The literal summit of the X Plane flights came courtesy of the North American X-15, the first spaceplane, in which, between 1961 and 1968, pilots like Neil Armstrong reached the edges of outer space and helped blaze the trail to the moon.


However, like so many of my blog posts about "things," this one isn't so much about the thing itself, but what the thing represents.  The X planes represent many things; the can-do attitude exemplified by President Kennedy's speech challenging America to reach the moon by the close of the 1960s, explosive innovation and exploration, and a time when almost all of the countries of the world looked at America with admiration for our audacity and technical leadership.  They also are part of an all but bygone era predating modern computer-aided design, when advancements in flight required men with the "right stuff" to strap on rockets, stare death in the face and laugh, and go blasting off into the stratosphere.


20 comments:

  1. Great topic! One more example of how this challenge has introduced me to other people's creativity. I confess it, I love getting inside other people's heads. Thank you for letting me into yours. Mary at Mary A to Z

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    1. Thanks, Mary. I love sharing my interests and learning about other people's interests. I'm glad you stopped by, because now I can explore some fascinating places.

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  2. This is a great metaphor for a 'can do' attitude Jer, thank you. As ell as for those who stared death in the face. Have you read Roald Dahl's autobiography, 'Flying Solo'?
    Using x for experimental is perfect!
    Susan Scott's Soul Stuff

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    1. Hi, Susan. I admit to being a HUGE fan of Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff." I've never read Dahl's book, and I'm surprised, as I knew he was a pilot in WWII. That will be going to the top of my list. Thanks!

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    2. By the way, your deep and insightful blog posts make mine seem positively pedestrian, so I'm gratified that you enjoy them.

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  4. Just rereading your X post. I was told that when the engineers were working on the X15 they called it the Flying Dorito. PS thanks for visiting. Mary at Mary A to Z

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    1. Hi, Mary. Interestingly, the pilots who flew the X-15 were engineers, too, some with PhDs. Chuck Yeager was one of the last of the high school educated test pilots, though he obviously picked up a lot of engineering knowledge on the job.

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  5. I'm always fascinated by anything flying or space related. Back in 2007 I was invited to attend the "60 Years of Flight Research" celebration at Dryden with a friend of mine who had worked for NASA. He introduced me to former astronauts and other amazing people who worked on different phases of the Space Shuttle and other projects. It was so much fun.

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    1. Hey, Joan. I've loved the Dryden center since visiting there in 1978 as a Cub Scout. It is an amazing place.

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  6. Jer, thanks for the refresher on flight during our time. I know little more than the names of some pilots and planes and note that it is one of the black holes i have not yet visited. Have a good week. Terry

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    1. Hey, Terry. We all have those black holes. I've been filling some in the A to Z challenge and hope to fill more with the WOK challenge. You have a good week, too.

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  7. As with all of your posts, Jerry, I'm enjoying while learning. I love your ending thought: "...required men with the "right stuff" to strap on rockets, stare death in the face and laugh, and go blasting off into the stratosphere." Thank you. xoA

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    1. Thanks, Annis. I have to say how heavily indebted I am to Tom Wolfe in this. It's been awhile since I've read "The Right Stuff, so I'm pretty sure I didn't actually plagiarize him, but I may have come uncomfortably close! "The Right Stuff" isn't only my favorite movie, it's a fabulous book that anyone the least bit interested in the jet age or space program, or even mid-20th Century America should read, always fascinating and most always hilarious. I can't imagine anyone outside the test pilot fraternity getting inside their heads and figuring them out as well as he did.

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  8. Lol...I thought that the pinnacle of the test pilot hierarchy was to survive. But you're right. We need a little more of that daredevil attitude in some things these days, don't we?

    Stopping by from A to Z. Enjoyed it!

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    1. Survival would be a definite bonus, wouldn't it? The mortality rate among test pilots in the '50s and '60s was truly horrifying. But yes, Tom Wolfe described the hierarchy as a "ziggurat" ("pyramid" in the movie), and Yeager was unquestionably at the top. Wolfe also does a very convincing job of explaining the man on top of a rocket as a modern-day incarnation of Single Combat, whereby a single chosen warrior would act as a proxy for an entire army. All of a sudden, I'm in the mood to read The Right Stuff again! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I love the last line of your post. Flying sounds like quite the thrill.

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  10. Thanks, Mandy. I know that the moment you leave the ground in something as relatively pedestrian as a Piper Cherokee is magical and transformative, so I can only assume that taking off in a fire-breathing rocket propelled contrivance must be the thrill of a lifetime, one, alas, I'll never experience.

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  11. Was expecting some cool X-Men means of transportation. This was way better. Have been enjoying the posts this month so I have nominated you for an award at my site.

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  12. I was a huge X-Men fan when I was a kid, but the X planes won out. Thanks for the kind words and for the nomination! Most kind of you.

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