XB-70A during startup and ramp taxi

The XB-70 was the world's largest experimental aircraft. Capable of flight at speeds of three times the speed of sound (2,000 miles per hour) at altitudes of 70,000 feet, the XB-70 was used to collect in-flight information for use in the design of future supersonic aircraft, military and civilian.

This 35-second video shows the startup of the XB-70A airplane engines, the beginning of its taxi to the runway, and a turn on the ramp that shows the unique configuration of this aircraft.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• nasa
• dryden
• xb-70
• delta
• wing
• supersonic
• rockwell

[mateosk]

It never went to production, but the technology from its design is still used today. Its wings were welded in place, instead of using fasteners. I worked for the engineer that designed the concept and the welder; Rob Roherberg. The welding processes he designed have had an effect on almost every aspect of modern welding. The car you drive and the airplanes you fly in have all benifited and become safer. The plane may have gone by the wayside, but its technology continues on.

[WingedSentry]

Concorde on steroids! Where's the sound dude???

[StephenB58]

Most beautiful plane ever built. There is one left; at the Air Force Museum at Wright/Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

[ancientastronomer]

@ideitbawx ..LOL..No Problem. Another little trivet of,( Useless )Information. Turn the Wright Flyer sideways, and it would fit inside the Intake of a single C-5 Engine. Another one....The "Wasted Space" Aft of the Cargo Bay Pressure door,( The Empenage Of the C-5 ) has MORE Area than the entire Cargo Bay of a C-130. Here's one for all you Ex C-141 Types out there to rack your brains over. Per the Tech Data, there are 2,"Wooden",(Not Phenalic) Control-Handles on the Airframe. Where & What For???

[ideitbawx]

@ancientastronomer :-O LOL that's too funny! it shows how much the technology has grown, doesn't it? the wright brothers could have tested it right inside a fully functioning plane! ... sorry, the thought of that made me go cross-eyed for a second.

[azkiid]

Beautiful aircraft. Only 2 built. #1 XB-70 flew from 1964 to 1969. It now sits in the U.S. Air Force Museum. #2 XB-70 first flew in 1965. In 1966 it had a midair collision with a F-104, killing the pilot of the F-104 and the co pilot of the XB-70. More info at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

[ancientastronomer]

@ideitbawx One of my favorite things to do with cadets @ the Academy was

to have them research the vital stats of the Wright Brothers first flight @

Kitty Hawk, to include the vitals of the Wright-Flyer. The following day,

I would take the class outdoors & have them measure out on the ground the entire length of the First Flight to include takeoff & Landing & Altitude acchieved. Then, I would proceed to mark off the Cargo Bay Dimensions of

a C-5 Galaxy which enclosed ALL their measurements!

[ideitbawx]

@ancientastronomer lol, you're more than welcome, good sir. i know more about music than aviation anyway, i'm just amazed at how much the technology has accelerated over the years. just think, a little more than 100 years ago, people scoffed at the idea of flying like a bird. impossible, impractical, all kinds of excuses. now we can fly into space and travel twice as fast as sound waves (which were also scoffed at one time, within the last 250 years). plus we're loling internationally. wild ...

[ancientastronomer]

@ideitbawx Actually, this has been rather educational for me. I'm a 51 Yr old retired USAF Pilot & presently a Civilian Pilot with OVER 30 Yrs in active Aviation to include a 5 Yr stint @ the Academy as an Instructor. How STUPID do you think all this made ME Feel?...LOL...Just goe's to show. No matter how much we THINK we know, nor, how much formal education WE have personally sat through, nor the positions we attain in life....There is still

much we are NOT aware of and do not know. Thankyou.

[ideitbawx]

@ideitbawx and apparently they were in development around the same time. i guess my history's a little off. oops.

thanks for reminding me how important research is

[ideitbawx]

@ideitbawx ... engineers who worked on the project moved to the united states.

or so i've been told.

i was always more interested in the plane itself than the people involved. it could've been a real benchmark for canada, but somehow, we did what we seem to do best: settle for 2nd place.

AV Roe was the original name of the company, which was shortened to Avro over the years, though the company is still officially under the name AV Roe