The Fastest and Most Dangerous Aircraft From The 1950s | Bell X-2

Head to https://www.squarespace.com/rexshangar to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Check out my new website here - https://rexshangar.com/ Today we're looking at the Bell X-2, the first aircraft to exceed Mach 3. Designed to explore these high speeds and the use of swept wings, it became notorious for being behind schedule, overbudget, and dangerous. Both aircraft were lost in two horrific accidents that brought much scrutiny on the handling of the program by the USAF. Want to join the community? Visit our Discord - https://discord.gg/zrj3Mhb Want to support the channel? I have a Patreon here - https://www.patreon.com/rexshangar Sources: Pelletier.A.J (1992), Bell Aircraft Since 1935. Davies.B.E (2017), Bell X-2 (X-Planes Series). NACA (1951), Lift and drag coefficients for the Bell X-1 airplane (Research Memorandum). Online Sources: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-079-DFRC.html https://up-ship.com/blog/?p=15373 Video Footage Courtesy Of: NASA archives.gov Mach 2: D-558-2 and X-2 DVD (buy it here -https://spacemonkey-models.myshopify.com/products/mach-2-d-558-2-and-x-2-dvd) 0:00 Intro 3:44 Design Origins 7:20 Bell Model 52 (The X-2 is born) 8:42 Aerofoil Design 10:50 Control Systems 12:49 "Escape" System (More of a suggestion, really...) 15:39 Heat Management 17:30 Rocket Motor Development 19:57 Flight Testing Begins 21:55 The First X-2 Is Lost 23:33 The Path To Mach 3 25:45 Success & Disaster