alb5350659

DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY. Douglas D-558-2, ca. 1950s. Creator: Douglas Aircraft Company.

DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY. White, US Navy, single-seat, rocket-powered supersonic aircraft. Piloted by A. Scott Crossfield, on November 20, 1953, the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket became the first aircraft to fly faster than Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Air-launched from a U.S. Navy Boeing P2B-1S (B-29) the swept-wing, rocket-powered D-558-2 reached Mach 2.005 in a shallow dive at 18,898 meters (62,000 feet). The D-558 series of aircraft was developed by Douglas under the direction of Edward H. Heinemann for the U.S. Navy to explore transonic and supersonic flight. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the predecessor to NASA), used this Skyrocket, the second one built, to explore the flight characteristics of swept-wing aircraft. It set several other speed and altitude records before the program ended in 1956.

Share
Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook
Copy link
Email

Add to another lightbox

Do you already have an account? Sign in

You do not have an account? Register

Buy this image. Select the use:

Author: DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY

Title: Douglas D-558-2, ca. 1950s. Creator: Douglas Aircraft Company.

Caption: White, US Navy, single-seat, rocket-powered supersonic aircraft. Piloted by A. Scott Crossfield, on November 20, 1953, the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket became the first aircraft to fly faster than Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Air-launched from a U.S. Navy Boeing P2B-1S (B-29) the swept-wing, rocket-powered D-558-2 reached Mach 2.005 in a shallow dive at 18,898 meters (62,000 feet). The D-558 series of aircraft was developed by Douglas under the direction of Edward H. Heinemann for the U.S. Navy to explore transonic and supersonic flight. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the predecessor to NASA), used this Skyrocket, the second one built, to explore the flight characteristics of swept-wing aircraft. It set several other speed and altitude records before the program ended in 1956.

Personalities: SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Credit: Album / Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Releases: ? Model Release: Not required - ? Property Release: Not required
Rights questions?

Image size: 8688 × 5792 px | 144.0 MB

Print size: 73.6 × 49.0 cm | 3420.5 × 2280.3 in (300 dpi)

Keywords: 1950S • 20TH CENTURY • 50S • AEROPLANE • AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM • AIR TRANSPORT • AIRCRAFT • AIRPLANE • AMERICA • AMERICAN • CENTURY • COLOR • COLOUR • COUNTRY • CRAFT-AIRCRAFT • DECADE • DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY • DOUGLAS D-558-2 • EDUCATION • EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION • FIFTIES • FIFTIES, THE • FLUSH • LOCATION • NASM • NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM • OBJECT • OBJECTS • OVERALL: ALUMINUM • PLANE • ROCKET-POWERED • SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION • SKYROCKET • SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION • SUPERSONIC • TECHNOLOGY • TRANSPORT • TRANSPORTATION • UMBRELLA • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA • UNITED STATES • USA