Experimental Aircraft, X Planes, Model Airplanes.

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A perfect companion to Naval Fighter Series Volume 31 on the Skyrocket, this is a  fully detailed plastic kit of the Navy's early twin-engine fighter testbed.

Book covers the post-WWII Secret Project Number MX-809 - the project created to develop a very high speed, very high altitude daytime interceptor  pursuit airplane capable of "meeting and defeating any strategic bomber aircraft that  any potential adversary might produce." This is a fascinating and close-up look at  the technologies developed to, simply put, defend U.S. air space. 48 pgs., 85 B&W photos, 8"x 11", sfbd.

Flown by Chuck Yeager to be the first plane to break the Sound Barrier.  the Bell X-1 rocket powered plane - the first to break the sound barrier.

When Capt. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on Oct. 14, 1947, his X-1 was dropped from a B-29 "motherplane."

The Douglas X-3 Stiletto, which was built in the 1950s to explore design requirements for sustained supersonic speeds,. This detailed plastic kit includes accurate decals and display stand, and is approximately 5" in length. Assembly required.

The twin-turbojet X-3, the only one built, was designed to test features of an  aircraft suitable for sustained flights at supersonic speeds and high altitudes, as well as to investigate the use of new materials such as titanium and to explore new  construction techniques. Made of Philippine mahogany, this 1/32 scale model  measures 25" in length and has a wingspan of 8". Hand painted and detailed,  model comes ready to display on the included mahogany base.

Made of Philippine mahogany, this 1/48 scale model measures 13" in length and has a  wingspan of 5 ". Hand painted and detailed, model comes ready to display on the  included mahogany base.

Made of Philippine mahogany, this 1/100 scale model measures 6" in length and has a wingspan of 21". Hand painted and detailed, model comes ready to display on the  included mahogany base.

the prototype Convair XFY-1 Pogo experimental vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of the 1950s, which was intended to be a high-performance fighter aircraft capable of operating from small warships, this 1/48 scale, plastic kit features textured surfaces with simulated rivets, a cockpit with a clear canopy, prototypical delta wings and three-bladed contra-rotating propellers, realistic castoring wheels, authentic U.S. Navy markings, a pilot's ladder, and more.  20+ parts, assembly required. Kit  measures approximately 8" in length with a nearly 6" wingspan. Assembly  required.

Detailed plastic kit of this exotic bomber is a large 12" in length with a 7" wingspan.  Assembly required. ]

Webmasters Note:  There were only two of these aircraft ever made.  One is now in the Wright Patterson Air force Base, the other crashed while on a photo shoot.  When an F-104 Starfighter came close to the XB-70, it apparently got caught in a wingtip vortex, Look magazine said it did a cartwheel, then tore the tail off of the XB-70.  The XB-70 lost control and crashed killing all of the crew.  The article appeared in the Look Magazine sometime in the 1960's.  This plane was called the Billion Dollar Baby and so was the title of the article.

Jeff, Stew Stewart here and just wanted to say that photo . and the info on the XB70 was of interest to me as in 1950 I was stationed in El Centro Calif. I in the Navy and Alvin White was at that time Capt. in the Air force in a combined Testing program. He later be came the test pilot for the XB70 and he did survive the crash and I had the pleasure of flying with him many times!! He now resides in Denver at my last contact. Thanks, 
Stew Stewart

Letter from a viewer:  You have a very interesting website, but I believe you are mistaken in your note on the XB-70.  The surviving example is at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH.  I recently saw this aircraft in person and it is even more awesome than I imagined!  I researched the XB-70 at the Smithsonian, and although I found very few references to it, it appears that there is a 6'  wind-test model there.
Thanks for your time.

Steve Freeze
Member Data Services, Inc.
7820 Innovation Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46278

12-26-2001
One other thing should be cleared up concerning the paragraph written 
about the XB-70 . One crewmember was able to engage his clamshell escape pod that comprised the seat that he used in the pilots position. His fellow pilot had difficulty with his pod and did not successfully escape. The surviving pilot sadly resigned from the test program, but noted that the XB-70 was the best aircraft he ever flew. So not all crew members perished as mentioned in your footnote.

Made of Philippine mahogany, this 1/150 scale model measures 15 " in length and  has a wingspan of 8 ". Hand painted and detailed, model comes ready to display on the included mahogany base.

This is one of the latest Russian Jet Fighters very similar to our X-29 forward swept wing fighter.  The forward swept wing allows for incredible reliability however it requires redundant computers which control the warp of the wing, an idea from the Wright Brothers.  If all of the redundant computers quit, the wings will tear off in about one second after computer failure.

The X-33 is a scale advanced technology demonstrator - developed at the  infamous Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works - for VentureStar, the eventual replacement  for the U.S. Space Shuttle.

A detailed review of Soviet experimental aircraft from the early 1900s through to the latest Russian prototypes of today. This is the first book to collect, into one volume, stories of the most important Soviet aircraft. Includes many projects that were built but never flew, and even a few that never got off the drawing board. Approximately 150 aircraft types are described, each with relevant  data and many 3-view drawings. 192 pgs., 360 B&W photos, 8"x 11", hdbd.

While much has been written about post-war U.S. attempts to develop vertical take-off fixed wing aircraft, this book explores Germany's WWII trials  in the field. Covers the Natter and other unusual experimental types. 48 pgs., 70 B&W and color photos and drawings, 8"x 11", sfbd.

Unmanned fighters controlled by "pilots" at computers... Bombers that skip into and out of the atmosphere at incredible speeds... Forward-swept-wing  warplanes capable of hitherto-impossible maneuvers... High-tech airships carrying  4,000 troops and equipment... These are among the fantastic but factual designs  described here in fascinating detail and illustrated superbly with hundreds of photographs, artworks and diagrams. 176 pgs., 8"x 12", hdbd.