Lifting Bodies

[jamcrane3]

Lifting body my ass. I think you and the Germans had it right. That thing was as aerodynamic as a rock skipping across the creek.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure the Six Million Dollar Man crashed the one rolling (sideways) across the desert.

They recovered them both and rebuilt them.....Faster, Stronger, Better.

[woodsinme]

The craft were dropped at speed and elevation. I wonder how fast they would have to be going to leave the deck?

[woodsinme]

Some engineer says it will fly. Wanna fly it... "Sure!" nuts! Thanks for posting.

[Nitwit77]

Those look like an absolute terror to fly. I cannot imagine the mix of insanity and guts it took to want to pilot them. O_o

[scismgenie]

Nothing like a human bomb drop.

[Spraycando]

At the moment there are 4 people who dislike "progression". Sad.

[RampantRedBull]

Great video, thanks!

[MegaBuckBuck1]

The men that flew these designs.....needed a wheelbarrow to carry their balls in!

True pioneers, these men were.......fearless with lots and lots of guts. Thanks for the video!

[spiralreplicator]

 Its Steve Austin the 6 mlliion dollar man plane !

[navic209]

Great video, thanks for the compilation!

[macsm]

looks like a handful to fly...

[andykop0615]

The one at the end is an HL-10, not an M2-F2. i wish you showed the newer lifting bodies as well, not only the oldest one.

[ralph13295]

Best time ever for USA all those great mines working back then, i think our country and people is lacking the motivation and spirit that made this country number one.

[moneyman10k]

hey I know lets built the apollo capsule again

[moneyman10k]

nasa wonders how to get people interested

you'd think doing cool new shit would be the obvious answer

[LUVITALL9]

@moneyman10k Something needs to give-perhaps another trip to the Moon, or Mars? Or we start using and pushing technology, like we are capable of...like solar powered "green" commuter jets, or increased hydrogen uses, to power mass fleets of over the road trucks & trains...Something must change in this country, 'cause we are now going backwards with technology and education levels...

[chinookking97]

isn´t this area 51 4:04 and 4:20 ?

[shiningkarma]

Hi there, thanks for the outstanding vid ! Now, at 6:23 , what kind of chase plane was that ?

[ccblack1]

At 6:23 ... that chase plane is a Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer. It was supposed to be an improved version of the F4D Skyray. Only a few of them were built and then they were acquired by NASA for test flights and used as chase planes. The first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong flew these aircraft.

[shiningkarma]

Hi there , thanks for the info ! Wasn´t aware of this plane.

[JetMechMA]

@ccblack1 Thanks, I was wondering what it was. Seems like pretty rare footage of it.

[floridashorti]

2:28 oh man do I miss that Mojave Desert.

2:31 Unreal.

Now that was one stellar post, appreciate it.

[eal1011]

Amazing plane with speed, wow, Tht was also part of Six million dollar man tv show. Good concept plane.

[airsoftandy]

4:41 AND 4:54 AWESOME!!!!!

[Barnekkid]

Another good one!

[Briankb68]

Steve Austin...a man barely alive. We can rebuild him.

[mudylafeet]

Absolutely amazing footage

[mjok2004]

That is a serious approach speed might give it a miss lol looks like resultant drag is what keeps it in the air.

[mjok2004]

Interesting concept wonder if I could build one at home out of compisite :)

[LOLDISNEYLAND]

Music that gets you mega depressed. So long the glory days of US aerospace.

[snikery121]

you should have had the video just keep playing until the song was over even if the screen was black

but anyway nice vid 5*

[sabresfn2661]

i would feel like a free bird flying in one of those sweet machines

[44R0Ndin]

FREE BIRD!!!!! nice music choice!, and ya, faster then a falling rock is true, but it handles like a flying brick too!

[undertake782]

Wouldn't you feel like your a bomb when your on a wing of a bomber? Nice plane concept! I wonder if this technology was used to make the B-2.

[2tonnecaprice]

its like an air boat

[mikedapimp1122]

yea it Does

[ridorido00]

What song is that?

[scismgenie]

Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd

[haloandshithead]

A classic.

[chazily]

I love flying out of LAX over the dry lake beds and imagining the history of those landing strips...

[scismgenie]

The X-20A Dyna-Soar (Dynamic Soarer) was a single-pilot manned reusable spaceplane, really the earliest American manned space project to result in development contracts. Cancellation in December 1963 came only eight months before drop tests from a B-52 and a first manned flight in 1966.

It evolved from the German Saenger-Bredt Silverbird intercontinental skip-glide rocket bomber.

[ucrash2]

of all the ways we can fall to the ground, this one comes as close as car keys as anyone can fly. From what I recall, wasn't this the "dynasoar" program? (dynamic soaring) they wanted a cone shaped vehicle to put atop rockets to space and land as a plane. The soviet space success made the shortcut to capsule nessisito.

[macnation]

Its sad how the whole lifting body thing sorf of died out, except the space shuttle. They were just so cool.

[jonlawsb]

Great video - however "The M2-F2 crashed..and (was) rebuilt" !! I thought you could have mentioned Bruce Peterson nearly dying and taking years to recover.

[louswire]

great footage... not so much flying, more like falling with STYLE.

[youarthurhu]

was waiting for that response...

[youarthurhu]

Nonsense, it can be conclusively proved that the HL 10 was the result of INTELLIGENT DESIGN!

[scismgenie]

Very funny, I am still laughing....

[scismgenie]

yes, it evolved...

[sticksman1]

But - the majority of the later shots are of an HL10?

[leonardo75]

Thanks for posting these videos! Lifting bodies are just wonderful.