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
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