A Museum Tour Through Aviation History

Flight Testing (Gallery 109)

Flight Testing has been an important element in the rapid development of aviation from the crude Kitty Hawk Flyer of the Wright Brothers at the opening of the 20th Century to the supersonic marvels that are common in the early 21st Century. A few fine examples of these research aircraft are showcased in this gallery.

Lockheed 5C Vega "Winnie Mae"
(1931)

The Lockheed 5C Vega "Winnie Mae" was a specially modified version of the Vega that was used by Wiley Post to make two around-the-world record flights and a series of high-altitude flights. Post left New York on June 23, 1931 on the first of his around-the-world flights, completing the trip in 8 days, 15 hours, 51 minutes. On July 15, 1933, he again left New York on a world-circling flight, this time making the trip in 7 days, 18 hours, 49 minutes. Using an innovative pressure suit built for him by the B.F. Goodrich Company, on March 15, 1935, Post flew the "Winnie Mae" from Burbank, California to Cleveland, Ohio in a record setting 7 hours, 19 minutes, flying high enough to take advantage of the jet stream. Wiley Post, along with humorist Will Rogers, were killed in a floatplane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska on August 15, 1935.

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket
(1953)

Although Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 are well-known for being the first to break the sound barrier and reach a speed of Mach 1, Scott Crossfield, flying the Navy's Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket were the first to reach Mach 2 on November 20, 1953. Six D-558 were built, but it was aircraft nos. 1 and 2 that made most of a successful series of high altitude, high speed flights over the desert of Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Lockheed F-104A Starfighter
(1954)

The Lockheed F-104A Starfighter was the first operational jet aircraft in the United States to be capable of a speed of Mach 2. The XF-104 first flew in February 1954, and by 1958 the operational version was entering service with the U.S. Air Force. Soon, F-104 pilots were setting new altitude, speed, and climb-to-height records for jet-powered aircraft. F-104s also became staples of the NATO air forces in Europe. Although some F-104s saw service during the Vietnam War, most had been retired by the early 1960s. F-104s were also used extensively by NASA as a test aircraft and also as a chase planes for other experimental aircraft, including the X-15. The F-104 in the Museum's collection was a workhorse with NASA, and was retired in August 1975.

Hawker XV-6A Kestrel
(1960)

The Hawker XV-6A Kestrel was a very unique jet aircraft that directly led to the development of the Hawker Harrier, the world's first operation VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) fighter. Development of the Kestrel started in 1957 and it made its first flight in 1960. The Museum's aircraft is actually made of parts two different Kestrels. It was used by NASA for VTOL research flights from 1968 to 1974. The follow-on Harrier is used extensively by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and by the U.S. Marines.

Since the earliest bays of balloon aviation, a major use of flying machines has been for aerial observation, which is the subject of the next stop on our tour -- the Looking at Earth gallery.

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003