X-1B Credit - NASA

The X-1A, B, and D were essentially identical rocketplanes intended to reach speeds above Mach 2. The X-1A and X-1D were destroyed in in-flight explosions; the X-1B survived, training future moon lander Neil Armstrong on its last flights in 1958.

Main Engine: XLR-11. Main Engine Propellants: Lox/Alcohol.

• 1954 August 29 - X-1B Flight 1 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 2. Cabin-pressure regulator malfunction causes inner canopy to crack; only low-speed, low-altitude maneuvers made.

• 1954 December 2 - X-1B Flight 11 - Crew: Everest.

  AF flight 10. Mach 2.3 at 19825 m.

• 1954 November 26 - X-1B Flight 9 - Crew: Holtoner.

  AF flight 8.

• 1954 November 30 - X-1B Flight 10 - Crew: Everest.

  AF flight 9.

• 1954 November 4 - X-1B Flight 8 - Crew: Harer.

  AF flight 7.

• 1954 October 13 - X-1B Flight 5 - Crew: Stephens.

  AF flight 4.

• 1954 October 19 - X-1B Flight 6 - Crew: Childs.

  AF flight 5.

• 1954 October 26 - X-1B Flight 7 - Crew: Hanes.

  AF flight 6.

• 1954 October 6 - X-1B Flight 3 - Crew: Ridley.

  AF flight 2. Glide flight, aborted power flight because of evidence of high lox-tank pressure.

• 1954 October 8 - X-1B Flight 4 - Crew: Murray.

  AF flight 3. First powered flight.

• 1954 September 24 - X-1B Flight 2 - Crew: Ridley.

  AF flight 1. Glide flight, because of turbopump over-speeding.

• 1956 August 14 - X-1B Flight 12 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 1. Pilot check; nose landing gear failed on landing, minor damage.

• 1956 September 18 - X-1B Flight 14 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 4. Glide flight, due to erratic engine start.

• 1956 September 28 - X-1B Flight 15 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 5. Three-chamber engine run to 18300 m to obtain heating data.

• 1956 September 7 - X-1B Flight 13 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 3. Speed run to 17080 m and mach 1.8. Limited heating data gathered.

• 1957 August 15 - X-1B Flight 24 - Crew: Armstrong.

  NACA flight 14. Pilot check. Nose landing gear failed on landing, minor damage.

• 1957 August 8 - X-1B Flight 23 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 13. Stability and control investigation. Mach 1.5 at 18300 m, accelerated maneuvers, control pulses, and pull-ups.

• 1957 January 3 - X-1B Flight 16 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 6. Mach 1.94 aerodynamic heating investigation (end of heating program).

• 1957 July 11 - X-1B Flight 20 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 10. Aborted after launch, indication of open landing-gear door. Propellants jettisoned, completed as a glide flight.

• 1957 July 19 - X-1B Flight 21 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 11. Mach 1.65 at 18,300 m. Control pulses, sideslips, and 2 g wind-up turn.

• 1957 July 29 - X-1B Flight 22 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 12. Enlarged wing tips installed to simulate wing tips to be used with reaction controls. Mach 1.55 at 18,300 m.

• 1957 June 24 - X-1B Flight 19 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 9. Supersonic maneuvers to mach 1.5 at 18300 m to determine the dynamic and static stability and control characteristics.

• 1957 June 7 - X-1B Flight 18 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 8. Supersonic maneuvers to mach 1.5 at 18300 m to determine the dynamic and static stability and control characteristics.

• 1957 May 22 - X-1B Flight 17 - Crew: McKay.

  NACA flight 7. Control pulses at mach 1.45 at 18300 m. Flight for instrumentation check.

• 1957 November 27 - X-1B Flight 25 - Crew: Armstrong.

  NACA flight 15. First reaction-control flight.

• 1958 January 16 - X-1B Flight 26 - Crew: Armstrong.

  NACA flight 16. Low-altitude, low-mach reaction-control investigation.

• 1958 January 23 - X-1B Flight 27 - Crew: Armstrong.

  NACA flight 17. Reaction-control investigation. Mach 1.5 at 16775 m. Last NACA flight.

• NASA Report, The hydrogen-peroxide rocket reaction-control system for the X-1B research airplane, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19890068222_1989068222.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• Zhelyez x-plane book, .

• Miller, Ron, The Dream Machines, Krieger, Malabar, Florida, 1993. ISBN: 0894640399. Sensational chronological roundup of text, photos, and sketches of virtually every spacecraft and launch vehicle design every conceived but never built. A gold mine for space-struck baby boomers. More at amazon.com...