Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket – Foto's &Video

De Douglas D-558-2 Torenhoog (of D-558-II) was een raket- en straalaangedreven supersonisch onderzoeksvliegtuig gebouwd door de Douglas Aircraft Company voor de Amerikaanse marine. Op 20 november 1953, kort voor de 50e verjaardag van de gemotoriseerde vlucht, bestuurde Scott Crossfield de Skyrocket naar Mach 2, of meer dan 1.290 mph (2076 km / h), de eerste keer dat een vliegtuig twee keer de snelheid van het geluid had overschreden.

Bron: Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket op Wikipedia

De Douglas D-558-2 Torenhoog was a supersonic research aircraft that achieved several milestones in aviation history. It was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as part of a three-phase program to explore the effects of high-speed flight. The Skyrocket had a sleek design with swept wings and a combination of jet and rocket engines.
It could take off under its own power or be launched from a modified B-29 bomber. On November 20, 1953, it became the first aircraft to fly faster than twice the speed of sound, reaching Mach 2.005 with pilot Scott Crossfield at the controls. The Vuurpijl also contributed to the development of future supersonic and hypersonic aircraft, such as the X-15 and the Space Shuttle.