Ziegler, Jean 'Skip'

1951 July 24

• X-1D Flight 1 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1D flight 1. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1D. Bell flight 1. Glide flight for familiarization. Nose landing gear broken on landing. Following repairs, plane turned over to the Air Force..

1953 February 14

• X-1A Flight 2 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 2. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 2. Planned as powered flight, but completed as glide flight following propellant-system difficulties..

1953 February 14

• X-1A Flight 1 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 1. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 1. Pilot familiarization. Fuel jettison test. Glide flight only..

1953 February 21

• X-1A Flight 3 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 3. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 3. First powered flight. False fire warning..

1953 March 26

• X-1A Flight 4 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 4. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 4. Plane demonstrated successful 4-cylinder engine operation..

1953 April 10

• X-1A Flight 5 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 5. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 5. Pilot noted low-frequency elevator buzz at mach 0.93, did not proceed above this speed, pending buzz investigation..

1953 April 25

• X-1A Flight 6 - . Crew: Ziegler. Payload: X-1A flight 6. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-1A. Bell flight 6. Buzz again noted at mach 0.93. Turbopump overspeeding caused pilot to terminate power and jettison remaining fuel..

1953 May 12

• Death of Jean 'Skip' Ziegler. Killed in explosion of X-2 during captive-carry flight. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. American test pilot. Flew the X-1A and X-1D. X-1A and X-1D test pilot. Killed in the explosion of an X-2 during a captive-carry flight..

1953 May 12

• X-2 explodes in air - . Crew: Ziegler. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ziegler. Class: Manned. Type: Manned rocketplane. Spacecraft Bus: XS-1. Spacecraft: X-2 .

  During a Bell captive-carry flight test over Lake Ontario, X-2 number 46-675 suddenly exploded, killing Bell test pilot Jean Ziegler and observer Frank Wolko. The EB-50A mothership managed to land, although damaged. Only after several other mysterious X-plane losses was the cause found to be a rocket engine gasket made of Ulmer leather, which decomposed and became explosively unstable after sustained exposure to liquid oxygen.