This book signals a radical departure from Ginter Books' Naval Fighter Series. Previously, Army/Air Force planes were only covered when the aircraft was also in service with the Navy (Naval Fighters #5 North American T-28 Trojan, NF# 8 Lockheed C-121 Constellation, NF #11 Grumman HU-16 Albatross, and NF #14 Convair T-29/C-131 series). Although hookless, there were many unusual post-war/early fifties Air Force developmental airplanes.

Martin XB-51

History

Libis, Scott

Military

Steve Ginter

"Comic book stuff" was the typical response on one would draw in 1938 when the subject of rocket propulsion came up. To most, the subject of rocket power conjured up images of Buck Rogers and the Saturday afternoon matinee. Rocketry was the flight of fantasy science fiction writers used to transport their audiences to new worlds. But it was also during this time that visionaries like Dr. Robert Goddard and Dr. Theodor Von Karman worked developing their theories of rocket science.The D-558 program was a Douglas Aircraft Company contract with the U.S. Navy and NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), intended to produce an aircraft for the purpose of exploring transonic and supersonic flight.

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (Naval Fighters, 57)

With a rocket in the tail and reaction control nozzles in the nose and wings, the NF-104A could reach altitudes over 120,000 feet.

Lockhead NF-104 A Aerospace Trainer

Gas turbine technology gave birth to the turbojet engine during the 1940s, ushering in the jet age. Paralleling turbojet development, the fledgling rocket engine was ready to make a grandiose debut. But aeronautical advances weren't limited to propulsion technology - the time was also right for incorporating a swept wing into a full-scale aircraft. The Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak, D-558-2 Skyrocket, and X-3 Stiletto were among the first aircraft to blend airframe to powerplant in ways that would set the standard for many modern-day aircraft designs. These aircraft were at the forefront of a renaissance in aeronautical discovery, the likes of which have not been seen since. Aeronautical history was made with these aircraft as they explored transonic and supersonic flight. One of the D-558-2 Skyrockets even became the first manned aircraft to exceed Mach 2. In this quest for knowledge, records were broken, mysteries solved, and a life was lost.

Skystreak, Skyrocket, & Stiletto: Douglas High-Speed X-Planes

Specialty Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Libis, Scott. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Libis, Scott

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Libis, Scott. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Martin XB-51

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (Naval Fighters, 57)

Lockhead NF-104 A Aerospace Trainer

Skystreak, Skyrocket, & Stiletto: Douglas High-Speed X-Planes