Douglas Employee Pin USAF X - 3 Stiletto Experimental Aircraft Chuck Yeager 1950 ' S
Item History & Price
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Estate sale find, vintage 1950's Douglas employee X-3 Stiletto program project pin on original card, displays nicely.
The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was a 1950's United States experimental jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered nose, manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Its primary mission was to investigate the design features of an aircr...aft suitable for sustained supersonic speeds, which included the first use of titanium in major airframe components.
The first aircraft was completed and delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 11 September 1952.
With the completion of the contractor test program in December 1953, the X-3 was delivered to the United States Air Force. The poor performance of the X-3 meant only an abbreviated program would be made, to gain experience with low aspect ratio wings. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Everest and Major Chuck Yeager each made three flights. Although flown by Air Force pilots, these were counted as NACA flights. With the last flight by Yeager in July 1954, NACA made plans for a limited series of research flights with the X-3. The initial flights looked at longitudinal stability and control, wing and tail loads, and pressure distribution.
Douglas designed the X-3 with the goal of a maximum speed of approximately 2, 000 m.p.h, but it was, however, seriously under powered for this purpose and could not even exceed Mach 1 in level flight. Although the research aircraft was a disappointment, Lockheed designers used data from the X-3 tests for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter which used a similar trapezoidal wing design in a successful Mach 2 fighter.
The piece overall measures 1/8" wide and .75" long, approximate weight 3 ounces.
PLEASE SEE PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - The piece is in overall Good used condition with signs of wear, slight bend, possibly made that way, fading to card with scuffs, pinholes, scratches, worn finish, dusty, could use a cleaning, please see images.
(JB3-908)
Estate sale find, vintage 1950's Douglas employee X-3 Stiletto program project pin on original card, displays nicely.
The Douglas X-3 Stiletto was a 1950's United States experimental jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered nose, manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Its primary mission was to investigate the design features of an aircr...aft suitable for sustained supersonic speeds, which included the first use of titanium in major airframe components.
The first aircraft was completed and delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 11 September 1952.
With the completion of the contractor test program in December 1953, the X-3 was delivered to the United States Air Force. The poor performance of the X-3 meant only an abbreviated program would be made, to gain experience with low aspect ratio wings. Lieutenant Colonel Frank Everest and Major Chuck Yeager each made three flights. Although flown by Air Force pilots, these were counted as NACA flights. With the last flight by Yeager in July 1954, NACA made plans for a limited series of research flights with the X-3. The initial flights looked at longitudinal stability and control, wing and tail loads, and pressure distribution.
Douglas designed the X-3 with the goal of a maximum speed of approximately 2, 000 m.p.h, but it was, however, seriously under powered for this purpose and could not even exceed Mach 1 in level flight. Although the research aircraft was a disappointment, Lockheed designers used data from the X-3 tests for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter which used a similar trapezoidal wing design in a successful Mach 2 fighter.
The piece overall measures 1/8" wide and .75" long, approximate weight 3 ounces.
PLEASE SEE PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - The piece is in overall Good used condition with signs of wear, slight bend, possibly made that way, fading to card with scuffs, pinholes, scratches, worn finish, dusty, could use a cleaning, please see images.
(JB3-908)
