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X-4 Program NACA Flight Chronology, 1950-1953

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station operated the Northrop X-4 #2 (46-677) research airplane from 1950 through 1953. NACA also had the X-4 #1 (46-676) in charge, but used it only for spares support. In cooperation with NACA, the Air Force Air Materiel Command ran a brief program on the craft during the summer of 1950 before delivering it to NACA. Since NACA instrumentation was carried and data was collected on these flights, they were also logged as NACA test missions.

X-4 Flights

Flight Date Pilot Remarks
1 18 Aug. 1950 C. E. Yeager AF flight, pilot check.
2 22 Aug. 1950 F. K. Everest AF flight, pilot check.
3 22 Aug. 1950 Everest Aborted, landing gear malfunction.
4 30 Aug. 1950 Everest Handling qualities.
5 31 Aug. 1950 Everest Same as flight 4.
6 8 Sept. 1950 Yeager Longitudinal and latitudinal stability and control.
7
Yeager Aborted, faulty canopy lock.
8
Yeager Longitudinal and latitudinal dynamic stability and control.
9 to Yeager Same as flight 8.
10
Yeager Same as flight 8.
11
Yeager Same as flight 8.
12 22 Sept. 1950 -- AF flight, pilot check.
13
A. Boyd Same as flight 12.
14
J. S. Nash Same as flight 12; airspeed calibration.
15
John Griffith First NACA pilot checkflight.
16 to Griffith Longitudinal, latitudinal, directional stability, and control.
17
Griffith Same as flight 16.
18
Griffith Same as flight 16.
19
Griffith Same as flight 16.
20 7 Nov. 1950 Griffith Same as flight 16.
21 17 Nov. 1950 Griffith Same as flight 16.
22 6 Dec. 1950 R. L. Johnson AF flight, pilot check.
23 6 Dec. 1950 A. S. Crossfield NACA pilot check; aborted.
24 15 Dec. 1950 Crossfield Aborted; instrument malfunction.
25 28 Dec. 1950 Crossfield Longitudinal, latitudinal, directional stability and control.
26 4 Jan. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 25.
27 17 Jan. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 25.
28 19 Jan. 1951 Crossfield Aborted, landing gear malfunction.
29 24 Jan. 1951 Crossfield Aborted, instrument malfunction.
30 26 Jan. 1951 Crossfield Longitudinal, latitudinal directional stability, and control.
31 19 Feb. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
32 19 Mar. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
33 26 Mar. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
34 28 Mar. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
35 12 Apr. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
36 13 Apr. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
37 17 Apr. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 30.
38 20 Apr. 1951 W. P. Jones NACA pilot check.
39 26 Apr. 1951 Crossfield Longitudinal, latitudinal, directional stability, and control.
40 27 Apr. 1951 Jones Same as flight 39.
41 3 May 1951 Jones Same as flight 39.
42 9 May 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 39.
43 16 May 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 39.
44 18 May 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 39.
45 29 May 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 39.
46 20 Aug. 1951 Jones First flight with thick trailing edge on speed brakes.
47 2 Oct. 1951 Crossfield Stability and control with thick trailing edge.
48 5 Oct. 1951 Crossfield Lift-to-drag variation using various speedbrake settings.
49 9 Oct. 1951 Crossfield Landings at various lift-to-drag ratios.
50 11 Oct. 1951 Crossfield Same as flight 49.
51 12 Oct. 1951 Jones Same as flight 49.
52 17 Oct. 1951 Jones Constant speed-drag ratios.
53 18 Oct. 1951 Joseph Walker NACA pilot check; handling qualities.
54 19 Oct. 1951 Walker Maneuvers and speed runs.
55 24 Oct. 1951 Jones General stability and control.
56 6 Mar. 1952 Jones Lift-to-drag at various speedbrake settings.
57 13 Mar. 1952 Jones Directional trim change invest.
58 17 Mar. 1952 Jones Lift-to-drag variation with speedbrakes.
59 21 Mar. 1952 Jones Lift-to-drag variation studies.
60 25 Mar. 1952 Jones Dynamic stability invest.
61 26 Mar. 1952 Jones Same as flight 60
62 27 Mar. 1952 S. P. Butchart NACA pilot check.
63 19 May 1952 Jones Check flight with thickened trailing edge on elevons.
64 6 Aug. 1952 Crossfield Stability and control with thickened elevons.
65 11 Aug. 1952 -- Aborted; engine malfunction.
66 16 Sept. 1952 -- Aborted; instrument malfunction.
67 22 Sept. 1952 --
68 23 Sept. 1952 Crossfield Stability and control with thickened elevons.
69 27 Mar. 1953 Crossfield Same as flight 68.
70 29 Apr. 1954 Crossfield Airspeed calibration with thickened elevons.
71 30 Apr. 1954 Crossfield High-lift stability and control.
72 20 May 1954 Butchart Dynamic stability without thickened elevons.
73 1 Jul 1954 Butchart Same as flight 72.
74 3 Jul 1954 Butchart Same as flight 72.
75 -- George Cooper NACA pilot check for Ames pilot.
76 11 Aug. 1954 John McKay NACA pilot check.
77
-- Dynamic Stability.
78 to -- Dynamic Stability.
79 31 Aug. 1954 -- NACA pilot check.
80
-- NACA pilot check.
81 to -- NACA pilot check.
82 (?) Sept. 1954 -- Aileron pulses, low-speed turns with dive brakes.

From the book: On the Frontier: Flight Research at Dryden 1946-1981



Last Modified: November 24, 1996
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