Piloted by A. Scott Crossfield, on November 20, 1953, the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket became the first aircraft to fly faster than Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Air-launched from a U.S. Navy Boeing P2B-1S (B-29) the swept-wing, rocket-powered D-558-2 reached Mach 2.005 in a shallow dive at 18,898 meters (62,000 feet). Highlighted in this images is the exhaust nozzle of the Douglas D-558-2. Created by Eric Long Date Created 11/03/2016 Source Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Keywords Aircraft; Aviation; Aviators; People; Records & Firsts Rights and Restrictions CC0
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.