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Lent by Langley Research Center
This gel coated mahogany model was tested from Mach 1.0 to 1.5 in
1954-1955. The actual Bell X-2 first flew under power in 1955, and was
the first airplane to reach Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound--
over 2,000 miles per hour. This record was achieved on September 27,
1956 at an altitude of 65,500 feet; the pilot was Milburn "Mel" Apt. The
X-2 also set an altitude record of 126,200 feet during a slightly
earlier test flight piloted by Iven C. Kincheloe. Only two X-2's were
built, and both were lost in accidents, reminding us of the tragic ends
met by many of these machines and their test pilots as they strove to
fly higher and faster, bringing us closer to the edge of space.
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