The X-15 is the fastest aircraft ever made. After initial test flights in 1959, X-15s became the first aircraft to reach Mach 4, 5, and 6, and to operate well above 30,500 meters (100,000 feet). On October 3, 1967, pilot William J. "Pete" Knight flew the X-15 on its fastest flight reaching 4,519 mph (7,273 km/h).
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