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chase planes. At high altitude, he nosed over, accelerating rapidly. At 19,977 m (65,541 ft), the X-2 reached Mach 3.196, making Apt the first man to fly more than three times the speed of sound. Upon rocket burnout, Apt found himself farther from home than anticipated. The planned flight
314:
reporting on the event, Lieut. Col. Frank K. Everest, an experienced X-2 pilot, had been critical of the relatively new detachable cabin: "Colonel
Everest told reporters in Buffalo that a pilot using the detachable device would be thrown against the instrument panel with terrific force when the
293:
In the run-up to his first rocket-plane flight, Apt had several ground briefings in the simulator. His simulator training had indicated control difficulties in high-speed flight, and possible techniques for handling them. He launched from the B-50, quickly outdistancing the
263:(NACA) for scientific research. The Air Force delayed turning the aircraft over to the NACA in the hope of attaining Mach 3. The service requested and received a two-month extension to qualify another Air Force test pilot, Apt, in the X-2, and attempt to exceed Mach 3.
390:
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Still above Mach 3, he turned back to
Edwards. The X-2 began a series of diverging rolls and tumbled out of control. Apt tried to regain control of the aircraft. Unable to do so, he separated the
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profile called for slowing to Mach 2.4 before turning back to base. The additional time to slow before turning may have put him beyond safe gliding range of his planned runway.
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parachute braked it. He said some safety had been sacrificed in preference to delaying the X-2 flight tests while the escape mechanism was modified."
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opened, but not its larger parachute. Too late, Apt attempted to bail out and was killed when the capsule hit the
Edwards bombing range. According to
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pilots were subsequently shown the on-board film of Apt's fatal crash, taken by a stop-frame camera mounted behind him in the cockpit.
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airplane. Harrer's plane had crashed and was on fire. Apt managed to pull Harrer from the wreckage and for his heroism was awarded the
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335:, which is given to those who have distinguished themselves "by valor, heroism, or extraordinary achievement." Prospective
274:
in
California on its 13th powered flight. Apt piloted it to a record speed of 3,377 km (2,098 mi) per hour, or
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The X-2 at
Edwards Air Force Base, surrounded by the B-50 launch aircraft, chase planes, and support crew.
266:
On
September 27, 1956, Apt made his first and only X-2 flight. The rocket-powered X-2 was launched from a
830:
664:
117:
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magazine reported an incident on
December 22, 1954, in which Apt rescued Capt. Richard J. Harrer from a
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937:
518:, grew up to become a writer. She wrote about the significance of his death in an essay in her book,
199:
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211:
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immediately, was sent to flight school, and was commissioned in
February 1944. He served with the
369:
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in his escape capsule during the record-setting flight that exceeded Mach 3. Shortly afterwards,
99:
882:. The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army
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78:
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Apt was survived by his wife and two daughters—aged two and six. One of Apt's daughters,
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Two pieces of the X-2 at the crash site, five miles from where the escape capsule landed.
259:
The X-2, initially an Air Force program, was scheduled to be transferred to the civilian
203:
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commended Apt, saying he was "flying faster than any human being has been known to fly."
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987:
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757:
756:, Monographs in Aerospace History, vol. 20, NASA History Division, p. 138,
688:
179:
750:
Black Magic and
Gremlins; Analog Flight Simulations at NASA's Flight Research Center
627:"Starbuster: 55 years ago Capt. Mel Apt conquered Mach 3, lost life on fated flight"
307:
279:
30:
1051:
X-15: The World's
Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots Who Ushered in the Space Age
191:
61:
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789:
285:
1158:
Hypersonics Before the Shuttle: A Concise History of the X-15 Research Airplane
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239:
Before piloting the X-2 himself, Apt flew chase planes for other test flights.
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1252:"Letter to My Father [Mel Apt] Concerning the State of the World"
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542:, St. Louis, Missouri: The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, 1942
275:
168:
554:"New Air Mark Seen; X-2 Believed to Have Gone 2,200 M.P.H. Before Crash"
1332:
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
1143:
785:
164:
1219:
Rocketing into the Future: The History and Technology of Rocket Planes
927:
278:
at 19,977 m (65,541 ft). Subsequent loss of control from
172:
959:
540:
WWII Draft Registration Cards for Kansas, 10/16/1940–03/31/1947
194:. He graduated from Buffalo High School in 1942. He joined the
592:. Vol. 106 (Late City ed.). 1956-09-28. p. 1
372:
flank Col. Horace Hanes, AFFTC flight test director (1956).
336:
1014:
Songs of the Fluteplayer: Seasons of Life in the Southwest
492:
The cockpit of the X-2's escape capsule at the crash site.
321:
586:"1,900-M.P.H. Rocket Plane Crashes and Kills Test Pilot"
1357:
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
1092:
Coupling Dynamics in Aircraft: A Historical Perspective
978:"Letter to My Father Concerning the State of the World"
717:
Coupling Dynamics in Aircraft: A Historical Perspective
318:
The rest of the X-2 crashed unmanned five miles away.
1145:
On the Frontier: Flight Research at Dryden, 1946–1981
456:
Crash site in the desert near Edwards Air Force Base.
342:
331:
On March 21, 1957, Apt was posthumously awarded the
1367:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1956
444:The X-2 inflight, with skids deployed for landing.
820:
167:, and the first man to attain speeds faster than
1288:
624:
821:Friedlander, Mark P. Jr.; Gurney, Gene (1973).
665:"NASA Dryden Fact Sheets – Bell X-2 Starbuster"
35:Captain Mel Apt in the cockpit of the Bell X-2
722:(Report). NASA. pp. 8–15. Archived from
254:
408:The X-2 drops from its B-50 launch aircraft.
1164:
901:"Army Regulation 600–8–22: Military Awards"
504:Wreckage from Apt's fatal crash in the X-2.
480:The X-2's escape capsule at the crash site.
261:National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
171:3. He was killed after separating from the
160:(April 9, 1924 – September 27, 1956) was a
1080:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
893:
326:Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
29:
610:"Captain Apt Flew Fastest Before Crash".
1312:Air Force Institute of Technology alumni
1270:"Capt. Mel Apt Memorial, X-2 Crash Site"
1216:
1195:(3rd ed.), Hinckley : Midland Pub,
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320:
284:
1362:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni
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202:until June 1946. In 1951 he received a
1352:United States Army Air Forces officers
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1165:Merlin, Peter W.; Moore, Tony (2008),
1151:, Washington, DC: NASA, pp. 87–98
1115:
289:NACA report of X-2-1 flights 12 and 13
1169:, North Branch, MN: Specialty Press,
1120:, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
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847:
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662:
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220:Experimental Flight Test Pilot School
872:
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625:Merlin, Peter W. (October 5, 2011).
571:
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614:. Troy, NY. 1956-10-10. p. 11.
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234:
13:
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210:as well as a bachelor's degree in
14:
1383:
1342:People from Wilson County, Kansas
1243:
343:Apt and the X-2 he flew (#46-674)
216:Air Force Institute of Technology
1372:Victims of flight test accidents
1347:United States Air Force officers
1317:American aviation record holders
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485:
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425:
413:
401:
389:
377:
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282:led to the plane's fatal crash.
1307:Accidental deaths in California
1016:. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
966:
920:
814:
778:
740:
384:Apt (in cockpit) and Kincheloe.
226:(Class 54B) in September 1954.
190:Apt was born April 9, 1924, in
185:
16:American test pilot (1924–1956)
1337:Military personnel from Kansas
689:"Captain Iven C. Kincheloe Jr"
681:
644:Wallace, Robert (1956-06-18).
618:
532:
1:
1012:Russell, Sharman Apt (1991).
855:"Pilot Gets Posthumous Award"
525:
229:
1142:Hallion, Richard P. (1984),
880:"Distinguished Flying Cross"
831:William Morrow & Company
790:"The Last Flight of the X-2"
663:Gibbs, Yvonne (2015-08-12).
7:
1156:Jenkins, Dennis R. (2000),
908:Army Publishing Directorate
823:Higher, Faster, and Farther
652:. Time Inc. pp. 67–82.
10:
1388:
368:X-2 pilots Capts. Apt and
356:Apt stands beside the X-2.
333:Distinguished Flying Cross
255:Record-breaking X-2 flight
177:Secretary of the Air Force
136:Distinguished Flying Cross
1217:Van Pelt, Michel (2012),
1193:The X-planes: X-1 to X-45
1116:Davies, Peter E. (2017),
938:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
747:Waltman, Gene L. (2000),
200:Caribbean Defense Command
144:
123:
113:
105:
93:
85:
68:
48:
40:
28:
21:
1089:Day, Richard E. (1997),
861:. 1957-03-21. p. 13
715:Day, Richard E. (1997).
520:Songs of the Fluteplayer
218:. He graduated from the
212:Aeronautical Engineering
89:United States of America
1049:Anderson, John (2014),
646:"10,000 Men to a Plane"
158:Milburn Grant "Mel" Apt
100:United States Air Force
1250:Russell, Sharman Apt.
1221:, New York: Springer,
1160:, Washington, DC: NASA
1098:, NASA, archived from
976:(Winter–Spring 2009).
328:
290:
245:Lockheed F-94 Starfire
224:Edwards Air Force Base
79:Edwards Air Force Base
324:
288:
106:Years of service
1327:Aviators from Kansas
1322:American test pilots
1191:Miller, Jay (2001),
974:Russell, Sharman Apt
208:University of Kansas
196:U.S. Army Air Forces
516:Sharman Apt Russell
204:Bachelor of Science
149:Sharman Apt Russell
833:. pp. 63–65.
795:Air Force Magazine
558:The New York Times
432:The X-2 in-flight.
420:The X-2 in-flight.
329:
312:The New York Times
291:
81:, California, U.S.
72:September 27, 1956
1228:978-1-4614-3200-5
1176:978-1-58007-121-5
1127:978-1-4728-1959-8
1060:978-0-7603-4445-3
763:978-0-16-059277-5
633:on March 4, 2016.
180:Donald A. Quarles
155:
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23:Milburn Grant Apt
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308:drogue parachute
306:. The capsule's
280:inertia coupling
235:Rescue operation
206:degree from the
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1274:www.bellx-2.com
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933:The Right Stuff
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131:Soldier's Medal
109:1941–1956
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1277:. Retrieved
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1259:. Retrieved
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1107:, retrieved
1100:the original
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995:. Retrieved
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936:. New York:
931:
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911:. Retrieved
907:
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858:
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806:November 13,
804:. Retrieved
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731:. Retrieved
724:the original
696:. Retrieved
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672:. Retrieved
668:
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631:the original
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594:. Retrieved
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560:. 1956-10-18
557:
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330:
317:
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189:
186:Early career
157:
156:
74:(1956-09-27)
1302:1956 deaths
1297:1924 births
1256:Terrain.org
983:Terrain.org
940:. pp.
268:B-50 bomber
41:Nickname(s)
1291:Categories
1279:2021-05-12
1261:2021-06-11
1136:1021807198
1109:2019-10-30
997:October 3,
928:Wolfe, Tom
913:2021-05-10
886:2021-05-10
865:2021-05-10
733:2021-05-10
698:2021-05-08
693:www.af.mil
674:2021-05-13
596:2021-05-11
564:2021-05-11
526:References
276:Mach 3.196
230:Test pilot
165:test pilot
151:(daughter)
86:Allegiance
55:1924-04-09
1237:795707071
1185:213447807
1118:Bell X-2.
1069:827257244
992:1932-9474
370:Kincheloe
270:over the
145:Relations
1211:47726721
1076:citation
1032:22661202
960:79-13901
930:(1979).
827:New York
772:44869092
173:Bell X-2
94:Service/
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768:OCLC
758:ISBN
669:NASA
337:X-15
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