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.
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. |
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