North American XB-70 Valkyrie - Feature from the National Museum of the USAF
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- The futuristic XB-70A was originally conceived in the 1950s as a high-altitude, nuclear strike bomber that could fly at Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) -- any potential enemy would have been unable to defend against such a bomber.
By the early 1960s, however, new Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) threatened the survivability of high-speed, high-altitude bombers. Less costly, nuclear-armed ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) were also entering service. As a result, in 1961, the expensive B-70 bomber program was canceled before any Valkyries had been completed or flown.
Even so, the USAF bought two XB-70As to test aerodynamics, propulsion and other characteristics of large supersonic aircraft. The first XB-70A, on display here, flew in September 1964, and it achieved Mach 3 flight in October 1965. The second Valkyrie first flew in July 1965, but in June 1966, it was destroyed following an accidental mid-air collision. The third Valkyrie was not completed.
The first XB-70A airplane continued to fly and generate valuable test data in the research program until it came to the museum in 1969
For those of you who have never been to this museum, i cannot stress how much history and one of a kind aircraft they have here... besides the xb70 they also have B-17 "Memphis Belle", VC-137c "Sam 26000", C-141 "Hanoi Taxi", Nagasaki B-29 "Bockscar". Not to mention, rare cold war bombers, protoytpes and test aircraft.
Best of all, it is a FREE museum!
Thats a magical word "free" l know up- keep is hard in any museum, and a thank less task.say thank you from this side of the pond the next time you visit
@@frostyfrost4094 lol, in all reality it's not really free... I'm pretty sure the museum is run as a national park, so it is funded through US tax dollars, which means we've paid for it already! I always try to visit whenever im driving to SE ohio. The real thanks goes to the museum volunteers... Without their knowledge and time, it would not be possible.
@@erict5234 My dad volunteered there for a few years.
@@erict5234 yes U.S. tax dollars have funded it along with the Air Force Museum Foundation.
@@USAFmuseum I worked in a Hanger at Wright-Patterson, Area B with one of the Moon rocks as punishment for complaining at the Airman/NCO Advisory Council. They locked me in and weird stuff started happening. A couple of Moonies told me about their delusions. Some day I'll escape the Twilight Zone. Aim High!
czcams.com/video/W6ilrUmefL8/video.html
Astonishing achievement, especially considering that this thing flew only 20 years after pilots fought with prop airplanes in WW2.
Actually, jets were coming into use about that time, along with computers and nuclear weapons.
@@winternow2242 sure, but this is far far more complex and capable than any other jet of that time.
@@winternow2242You know what he meant 😂🤦🏻♂️
Love that they put it right by the SR-71... Two of the most impressive speed monsters ever built, in one place.
That is actually YF-12
Parked adjacent to the 70's left wing is another "speed monster." The fastest of them all, the rocket powered X-15.
By far the pinnacle of aircraft design and engineering. There is nothing on this earth today that even comes close to the kind of creativity, original thought, and pure brainpower that it took to develop this aircraft. No computers, just slide rules and teamwork and brainpower. Having been in engineering for 30 years of my life, I cannot imagine what it took to make this craft a reality. Great presentation. I saw the XB70 in the separate hanger it lived in and we could walk around it, underneath it, touch it. Never will I ever forget that experience. Thanks.
Well expressed up to the “no computer” part. The IBM 360 was just a year away when this baby first flew, which suggests the computers used to support design for this aircraft were of some value.
As beautiful and complicated as it is, it became a white elephant as soon as the prototype was built - possibly even before. - It achieved nothing operationally. - I would argue that Concorde achieved far more, and lived up to it's remit. - It has never been equalled or successfully replicated. In serving it's purpose, Concorde was far more successful. By the way, it's spelt 'hangar.'
Had the pleasure of seeing this aircraft do a high speed fly-by at Edwards AFB as an 8 year old kid in 1965. I just remember it being f'n' LOUD.
It would wake us up as kids in Palmdale. Memorable!
I was lucky enough to see the maiden flight at Edwards as a kid. It was a fantastic experience!
@@robertgordon5562 I’m envious. Our Dad never spoke about what he was doing at the plant until the rollout of of #1. That was the day at the plant when we listened to the second speech of the day-meant for the families and the press. He pointed out (and explained years later!) the wing panels, engine inlets, and the engine nacelles where he had worked with others specialists. He later pointed out how often the honeycomb and fuel cells would fail and produced headaches for the engineers. Like myself, I’m sure you feel lucky to have lived in a place and time when records were being broken and leaps in technology happened almost daily!
Broken windows were a part of living in Palmdale at the time and visits by window repair companies was not uncommon, as sonic booms (promotions?) were common.
@@JG-mp5nb Palmdale, lancaster.. any right under the duty flight lines!!
@@RooEfx Today those are large communities, but then-tiny tumbleweed patches! Our “movie theater” was a large Quonset hut! We met test pilots at church (don’t always associate the two together now), and some later got their astronaut accreditation with the X-15, and later the space shots. Wish I could remember the pilot who welcomed us at the top of aircraft gantry (?) on the rollout of aircraft 1- I was too star struck and speechless while he held my little brother up to view the interior of aircraft.
as a Brit, strangely proud to see the Harrier sitting with this incredible machine (and the X-1!)
Do you guys have a museum like this one in England? I would love to see a Vulcan and a Lightning.
You need to visit the Museum of Flight at East Fortune outside Edinburgh. I worked there during my summer holidays at university and had a Spitfire over one shoulder and a Lightning over the other. The Vulcan was parked outside. They have a Concorde now too. It arrived the year after I left.
The RAF Museum is in Hendon in north west London. The Imperial War Museum has a site at Duxford a few miles from Cambridge. All of them are worth visiting. They hold air displays at Duxford but even when there are no displays, there are still aircraft operating. I see a Spitfire or Mustang up and about several times a week over the summer.
@@CRAZYHORSE19682003 The Imperial War Museum in Duxford has Vulcan XJ824, and the Lightning they have is that which a member of ground crew once accidentally took off in while trying to diagnose an electrical gremlin. Another air Museum near me is a tiny place run by enthusiasts where everything is cheaply housed in a handful of wooden sheds, so it's a surprise when you wander outside and see Vulcan XM612 sat there providing great shade to have a picnic under!
Not quite the Harrier, actually, but the XV-6A Kestrel, the Harrier's predecessor: infogalactic.com/info/Hawker_Siddeley_P.1127
@@CRAZYHORSE19682003: Also check out the museum at Cosford. I think that's where you can see all 3 "V-bombers".
I'm from Brazil and in the 90's I went to the United States for a training in Columbus (Ohio) and I had the opportunity to visit this amazing museum. I just couldn't believe I was touching those amazing machines I use to see on the Discovery Channel series "Wings". It was like a dream!
i know exactly what you mean. I live in NJ but i make a pilgrimmage here every few years, been I believe 4 times now, once got to bring along a friend who didn't know much about planes and talk his ear off for 6 hours giving basically a professional tour of the place and giving info on every plane
I felt the same way when I went to the Intrepid Air Museum and reached up and touched an A-12. I just had to do it :)
the devil hell evil u.s. america dictatorship dictator want kill all the world and you are next vistim deaths dies dead
@@geegoo1631 are you translating from the original Russian ? Work on your spelling ......
ว.
If you have any interest in Aerospace technology, you need to put a visit to the USAF museum on your bucket list, and give yourself at least a full day to see everything. It’s truly awesome.
I kept pausing the video to check them out. Really really impressive collection.
@@moshunit96 that hanger you see it in is also one 1 of the 4 hangers total and you still have the outside grounds where planes are parked. Ive visited maybe 5 different times in my life and every time is a treat. so much to see and David is right, you need a solid day to really see it all. Best of all the museum is free.
@@Mach_Style I was there once in the mid 90s, you had to get a pass and go to another part of the base to see the air force one collection.
They made a lot of changes since then. I don't remember the big fancy entrance from then, either.
My son and I spent an entire day there and as we were getting ready to leave he asked if we could come back the next day so we could finish it. I was amazed since he’s not the airplane freak that I am. But, he loved the history and the stories that go with the planes. It’s a fantastic place!
@@scotcoon1186 It's almost unrecognizable from even just 10 years ago, they do a great job of changing things up.
It has to be the most elegant and timeless bomber if not airplane ever devised. What incredible and beautiful engineering design. What presence. To think this huge plane could cruise at Mach 3 (well as least the second one could).. These engineers were living in the future. Great video, thank you for making it.
My favorite plane! I even have a plastic model of the XB-70. I told my wife if once I have terminal cancer and a short life span, my last wish is to book a flight to the USA and spend a week in the Dayton, OH USAF museum. Then I can return to Brazil 🇧🇷 and die happy.
We hope you can make the trip before that happens!!!
i have been to both smithsonian air and space museums and i have been to the air force museum twice. the air forces museum is the best.
Come regardless!! It's better than you can imagine!!
I made the XB-70 medel as a kid, too! Revell I think; and I wish I still had it. And the 4-foot Saturn V.... the X-15... oh the list goes on.
Make the trip anyway and come see the USAF Museum on April 8, 2024! Not only can you see the XB-70 (and hundreds other interesting aircraft), there will be a total eclipse of the sun that day (2 minutes 45 seconds of totality). I will be there! (It's also my birthday).
We drove 1/2 way across the country from UT to come see this very plane in 2018. The museum is outstanding and we recommend it to people all the time.
Thank you so very much for making the big trip to get here, we hope you had an awesome time!
I was a young boy living in Barstow CA, and working for my grandfathers plumbing company, Zimmer and Thompson Plumbing, digging ditches at Edwards AFB when the XB-70 program was in effect. I was there when the tragedy of the XB-70 crash happened. We went to the crash loction in the mojvave desert and i collected a few pieces of the wreckage and carried them around for years. It was always a sad reminder of the dangers and courage of the pilots and crew who served in the armed services to protect us. I am a grown man now and i still think back to those days... Thank you all who served and who worked to make America great.
My Late pop made parts for the xb70 back in the late 60'S PRIME ENGINEERING,LOCATED So El Monte, So Calif .When there is a air crash finding any parts should be reported and turned over to FAA.They need to examined for any structural damage due to high stress and any other unusual damage, keeping may seem cool but doing so can get you trouble. I met a guy who bought the spare engine for this aircraft legally and next thing the F.B.I was pounding on his door demanding the spare parts and engine back,this story was told to me back in early 80's.
the devil hell evil u.s. america dictatorship dictator want kill all the world and you are next vistim deaths dies dead
@@geegoo1631 What?
@@albertvelasquez7089 In all cases yes, that's true and I had the same thought when read his comment, but then realized this particular crash was filmed and photographed continuously and thus everyone knew what exactly had caused this horrific crash. At this point I highly doubt that they did any examination of the parts.
I'm glad they put such a beautiful plane inside, I remember it sitting outside for many years near the entrance area to the museum. It still looks as beautiful today as it did when it sat outside.
It will take more than a couple rainy days to put a spot on this big beautiful stainless steel bird! I'm sure that's doubly so with the crew up there taking care of everything!
I saw " Cecil the Sea Sick Serpent" at the museum in 1980. The cockpit swayed on take off and the nick name came from a popular cartoon show of the early sixties I liked viewing as a kid.
@Frank Silvers You provide the money and I'm sure they might accommodate you. But the AF may have something to say about that.
@Frank Silvers And very poorly lit.
Such a wonderful museum! Still treasure the memories of visiting Air Force bases as a lad. We visited Wright-Patterson in the 70s, what an experience.
My brother went on to fly the B-52 and the B-1B years later. Remember visiting him and seeing the aircraft on alert.
It's great that the XB-70 got to sparkle in the sunshine, what a glorious sight! Glad she's parked in that incredible hangar. I plan to see her again.
that was my favorite hanger. i spent two days there and still felt like i missed a ton!
i went just to see this airplane.
and i left amazed... just amazed. phenomenal facility.
We did the same thing and had the same impression!
And I'm jellos (from the other side of the pond) :D
Don't forget this beautiful behemoth was designed and built in the late 1950s to early1960s without the aid of modern computers, simulators or electronics. This aircraft is the result of the hard work of geniuses.
I had the pleasure of seeing the XB-70 Valkyrie bomber both on the ground, Taxing, and in-flight when I was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in the late sixties. It is a memory I will never forget. That aircraft was a thing of beauty.
My dad was a junior engineer for a few manufacturers from 58 to 64 .he worked on the Northrup T-38/F-5, THE DOUGLAS DC-8/62 . but the one that was the most difficult,time consuming and rewarding plane he ever worked on was the XB-70. Afterwards he switched to accounting because dealing with the IRS was easier than being a weights and balancing engineer on that monster.
Haha! That’s hilarious. My Father was a sheet metal man on bird #1 and many times stated that it really represented a challenge due to the new materials -particularly the honeycomb and fuel cells (leaking). Great memories of living in the middle of (then) nowhere-Palmdale. He also came from Douglas Aircraft.
@@JG-mp5nb awesome. I wasn't born for 10 years but my dad still had a love/hate relationship with the Valkarie. The expansion and contraction each flight was something else. He said that they were using about 2,000 to5,000 lbs of aerodynamic putty each flight .those were the days when we were pushing technology too the limits. My dad left the aerospace industry after #2 was destroyed. But he always remembered how impressive it was to see 6 afterburners lit up for take of.
@@mathewcaldwell2945 Thanks for sharing your story! Yep, Pop described the aircraft the same way-love and hate! He followed the aircraft industry to Aerojet and ultimately began his final work journey at McClellan AFB, repairing aircraft from Vietnam for depot level repairs.
Well spoken….and remember…the XB- 70 was a peace time plane!
@@mathewcaldwell2945 You Russian rumanians are all alike. Expansion/ contractions …hydraulic problems, leaking fuel cells wheel fires … how about aerodynamic control devices falling off. All happened but only for a short time…. It’s those trouble makers out there saying it was a nuclear bomber…that is a damned lie we need to put a stop to!
The fact is I flew it and i knew it. Not many problems with it considering what it could do!
As a kid, I saw the XB-70 on static display and fly at an airshow in Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas during the 60's. To this day it is the most memorable and impressionable airplane and flying moment in my life, even more so than my first solo flight and I often fondly recollect on this lucky chance to have experienced it.
The statement by the presenter @ ~ 17:10 that the only time an XB-70 ever landed in another airfield was at Wright Field when 20001 was delivered, is obviously wrong. The actual only other field from Edwards that the ill fated 20207 XB-70 Valkyrie AV/2 would fly to and return before being destroyed was at that Carswell AFB Open House airshow on March of 1966. It was such a privilege to have witnessed such a magnificent aircraft on static display there and for its take off in its return to Edwards.
The Valkyrie is one if my favorite planes. Too bad it never went into production. The museum as a whole is amazing. If you are ever near Dayton Ohio, you need to stop by.
My earliest memory in my life is seeing the Valkyrie outside as we walked to the Museum.
My first visit I remember the same thing. You wouldn't believe the USAF museum now! Five huge hangars. One classic airplane after another! Do yourself a favor and plan a two day trip to Dayton.
Here it was sitting on the wing of the X-15 on the tarmac. The old man got scolded for that one :D
I remember seeing a photograph of this magnificent aircraft being towed across an overpass when the museum’s collection was being moved from the old facility to the new museum in the 1970’s. The sun was just right and it was an awesome photograph.
For my money the Valkyrie is the most beautiful machine ever built.
Agreed!!!
Shoot them down ASAP
SR-71
Even though the aircraft design is over 60 years old, the XB-70 looks like it flew through a time warp from the 21st century.
concorde
1:09 You know you're fast when you have a B-58 Hustler for a chase plane.
Ah, ya hit me a little bit in the feelers right there at the end. I first read about the XB-70 Valkyrie in a book when I was in 4th grade, back in the 70's. I was absolutely fascinated by the plane...canards, folding wings, and that engine stack! For years I grew up always thinking of it as that sci-fi airplane that only I knew about, because none of my friends had ever heard of it, at least not until the internet came along. Anyhow, just a few years back some friends and I took a motorcycle trip to visit the museum - we were blown away and could have spent multiple days there - and I got the chance to reach up and touch the plane that had so smitten me over 40 years ago. Check one off the ol' bucket list.
That was a excellent presentation on a incredible aircraft.
When one considers that the aerodynamics and systems engineering is late 50's early 60's tech, with a design brief of a flight regime from approach and landing speeds all the way up to Mach 3, the designers and engineers of that time outdid themselves in producing an aircraft that could hold its own today when compared against current leading edge high performance aircraft.
Greetings from Ireland, and I'm looking forward to visiting the museum in the future when we get the chance 👍
It’s amazing to see the contrast between the inside and outside. So futuristic on the outside and so much like a vintage piece of vacuum tube electronics on the inside.
This video gives a great look at an amazing aircraft. The narrator did a great job of explaining the unique features of the airplane and putting it in historical context.
The old man worked on the first one until a catastrophic riveter accident ended that career.
Edwards is my Birthplace
I was fortunate enough visiting your marvelous museum in 2004 while on vacation from Sweden. My brother lived in Cleveland at the time so it was not that far making the trip to Dayton and I sure hope to come back some time in the future. I have worked all my life at Saab, building and developing fighters ranging from 35 Draken via 37 Viggen to 39 Gripen.
The Gripen's Delta wing and canards give it an elegant appearance as well.
Seeing a Mach 3 craft, and realizing it is a 60 year old, pre-computational fluid dynamics design, leads one to wonder what's in the pipeline today. Speculations abound about, autonomous fighter aircraft, drone swarms, Mach 5+ speeds, fighters with onboard laser canons, nuclear propulsion, even technology lifted from alien UFOs, etc.
I saw this beast not long after the museum got it. Still looks like some alien craft. The folks at NAA did a helluva job.
Alien is a great term. My recruiter drove me to Wright Patt from PA, and as we approached he must have been looking at me to see my reaction, when we drove up to where it was. It looked totally foreign to me, and its sheer size was stunning.
Terrific presentation! Saw the jet multiple times there, both outside and inside the hanger, bought multiple books and videos on the jet and I still learned things from this video that I never heard of before! Beautiful Plane! Hope to visit and see it again soon - I also want to see the YF-23 now that its been reassembled and detailed!!
Thanks so very much!!!
I'm a big fan of this aircraft. I think it's the most beautiful plane ever conceived. Saw it in the museum 1998.
T worth your making me jealous i did get to toich and look over the u2 i swear i forget where they said it flew from when gary powers flew over russia im sure it must have flown from Melbourne Australia i was at government aiifield i remember the pilot saying hello to mei often think of that time im 75 now but they say different it flew from America i know what i saw i know what i was touching he gave a demonstration to people at laverton airbase Melbourne Australia thank you
@@USAFmuseum I believe that it is also important to mention that the XB-70 was designed to help end the world by killing millions of people while taking its own crew on a suicide mission to hell. All of our Doomsday Weapons Systems should be presented as such, rather than being glorified...
While it is an amazing example of engineering, we humans should have been wise enough & decent enough not to pursue the path of avoiding war by Mutual Assured Destruction in a paranoia-based Cold War...
@@davidhollenshead4892 please go find another channel to scold
This is the one plane I intend to see before I die. On my next visit to the US, I will detour just to visit this place. Love from England.
As an American, I've always wanted to see the Avro Vulcan. Though it went out of operation when I was only 3, so it probably won't happen. That said, I do hope your eyes make contact with the XB-70 soon.
@@godless-clump-of-cells yes, a much loved relic from the 1950s, and saw service in the 1982 Falklands conflict. They no longer fly, to my knowledge, due to the unavailability of spare parts, but there are quite a few museum models on display here.
The USAF museum is awesome, but so is IWM Duxford over on your side. I'm fortunate to have seen both places a few times.
This was, and is, one of my favorite airplanes of my childhood. It really will be a futuristic airplane forever.
What a gorgeous aircraft! And the fact that its capabilities are still unmatched even 50 years later! Truly incredible, and a testament to the men and the age that created such a magnificent vehicle.
Sadly, advancements in Air Defense (missiles with 50,00 +ft. altitude capability and capable of mach 6+) outpaced the development of the XB70, although I suspect one of those "unmatched capabilities" was it's fuel consumption!
Built by men that knew how to use their fine-tuned minds and not rely solely on a computer
@@glennthompson9133 I feel this aircraft is given more dew than it deserved, considering Concord was flying pasengers 4 years after this, and make no mistake Concord with pasengers could reach MK 3 but was limited to MK 2.5
@@desmondleroux3444 Concorde was built largely of aluminum alloys and therefore could not withstand the temperatures that the stainless steel and titanium XB-70 could. Stainless steel was also used in the Atlas ICBM, which launched the Mercury astronauts, and I believe in the Mig-25, which was designed to intercept the B-70. Now it is making a comeback in the Space X Starship and its booster.
@@desmondleroux3444 Fact - Maximum speed of the Concorde was Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude. It did not have the power or materials for Mach 2.5 or more.
Would love to see more in depth pieces such as this showcasing more aircraft in the collection!
Go to Dayton Ohio HUNDREDS of planes I stood under the Valkyrie unbelievable!. You have to see it!.
They could make 10 more videos just on the XB 70. But you are exactly right, showcasing each aircraft like this would be awesome
@@packingten I have a family reunion in Cleveland soon. Planning on making a day trip out to Dayton to check it out!
@@Atreid3s I'm an avid plane lover,The moment we walked into the Wright Patterson Museum....
WOW!!🛩🚀❤💥🛬✈ They even had my fav a B-58 Hustler I think but I think in the other GARGANTUAN Hanger and I mean Laaaaaaarge!.
Let us all know how ya liked it😊😊😊
@@Atreid3s Try to make to two days at least. This museum is HUGE, so many cool things to see. I spent a while just gawking at the XB-70, the B36, and a few others just because the scale of these things doesn't translate via picture/video.
I went to the museum for the first time ever today and I have to say WOW! I've never been to a better aviation exhibit. The Smithsonian can't outdo it and it's only an hour from Columbus :) I love it!
Thank you so very much we are thrilled that you enjoy it so much!!!
@@USAFmuseum Oh I love your museum. I also thoroughly enjoyed many of your CZcams videos. You guys are 100% a class act. Thanks!
This is one of the best videos on the XB-70 that I have seen to date! The drone flyover footage is "ABSOLUTE GOLD" for those of us that have a model kit waiting to be built, of this aircraft! Being able to see the cockpit instrumentation and seats etc...👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This is the kind of video I've been waiting for!! Thank you SO much!! I truly hope to see more video's like this on other aircraft at your facility! Keep up the GREAT work! 👍👍
I was a cold war kid. I had a USAF issue poster of this aircraft, as well as the X-15, F-4, Apollo, Gemini, LEM, and more. I wish I still had them. :(
I remember first seeing it on my first visit to the museum in 1971 back when there was just one hanger and the XB-70 sat outside.
"There's nothing ugly about that airplane. It just says speed, elegance and technology." I so totally approve of your words! I would add "raw power", 'deterrence", "cold war winner" to your list too... I flew from France and then drove all the way to the USAF museum from Boston in just a single day back in 1995 just to have a look at this one, stunningly beautiful, one of a kind marvel of aerospace technology. As a teenager in the 80s, I even wrote to then Rockwell/North American to ask for a 3-view technical layout of the Valkyrie. They very kindly sent one, which I still have today. You're so right, the Valkyrie still looks like it was designed yesterday and rolled out of the factory to use against our new adversaries. It's that sleek! Thanks so much for sharing this report.
Excellent presentation of the history of this amazing aircraft. Thank You!
Perhaps the answer will be an illuminated throughout the content but I remember picturing the xb70 with a matching white nose cone
@@paulloveless4122 1st one built had a white nose, 2nd built had a black chin.
@@jim5870 ah very good then. Out of curiosity do you know when THIS xb70 last flew?
@@paulloveless4122 flew to Dayton 1969
I got a grand tour of one when I was a young kid. Thanks brother!
Thank you for the excellent and very informative presentation. This world class museum was impressive enough when I visited in '97 and I can only imagine the thrill of returning someday. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972).
Excellent summary. I've known this plane for a very long time - since it was parked outside the museum!! An amazing feat of pre-computer engineering.
Really enjoyed getting all this information. I hope this is the first of many longer format videos.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece on an epic aircraft!
Great video breakdown of an amazing aircraft - one of my favorites every time I visit.
Thank you so much for this! Excellent documentation for modeling.
Thank you for recognizing the Engineers, scientists, drafters, technicians and all involved in Aerospace!
I love the way how You applied a drone to make this marvelous footage from the inside museum. Many details I saw the first time ever. Great video!
Really nice presentation! There was some archival footage used here that I'm almost certain I haven't seen before, and I usually dont miss watching or reading something about the XB70 when it is put out there. Thank you for putting this together!
I was there and saw the XB-70 land at Patterson Field on February 4, 1969. It was such a beautiful sight to see! I had imagined that the roll-out after landing would be quite long, but I was mistaken. Right after touchdown, it deployed three huge drag chutes and slowed in a surprisingly short distance. Though I didn't see it happen and don't know when it actually occurred, the airplane was later towed over local streets and highways from Patterson Field to Wright Field and the Air Force Museum, a distance of about five miles. I've had a few short visits to the museum over the years, but have not seen the XB-70 since it was brought inside. I plan to see it again in late August!
Excellent, informative and engaging. Great camera work. Thanks for creating this historical document. Your museum deserves a visit one day.
Just discovered this channel; hoping for many more of such plane-specific stories!
And the more I see the archival footage, the more beautiful it looks 😔😔😔😔
I highly recommend seeing it, and the other exhibits, in person if you are able to. Great staff!
Just got back of the museum and this XB 70 stands out in the museum its incredibly huge in person its a sight to brighten hold the feeling of touring the museum is amazing.
Thankyou! This was an amazing video, please do more like this, its so interesting, i'd love to learn more about the other planes you have in the same way.
Great job on this....
Long ago... Maybe 1970?? I was a little kid. My Dad took us to Dayton Ohio..... We went to the Air Force Museum, and there it was, the XB-70 Valkyrie....
At the time it was sitting outside... they were talking about, we need to build a bigger indoor building, to park this inside.... Which, clearly, you have done that.... And clearly, it has been cleaned up and restored to a great extent....
Sitting outside, it looked a little rough, but in a way, it looked like a working aircraft... Like, someone could have fueled it up and flew it...
Without seeing it in person, I'm not sure your viewers will appreciate how huge this airplane is.... Really amazing to see in person... If you get a chance, go see it....
A truly exceptional exposition of this incredible aircraft. Well done.
More interior shots. I was friends with a lot of Silver Hill restorers and I got the chance to crawl through a lot of unrestored acft back in the early 80s. The interiors spoke volumes of the technology used on the acft. Great video.
Outstanding! Thanks so much! This is hands down the best film about this plane period! It used to be WINGS or something like that back in the 90s i guess, but whatever the case, thank you so much! Being able to see all that detail and the inside!
What a fascinating video about the XB-70!
Truly one of my favorites! I remember getting a model of this at the museum way back when it was first on display.
Cheers
Doc
I last visited the museum about 20 years ago, I think it's time to return. Thank you!
What an awesome and informative video. I especially liked the use of the drone filming, to showcase the plane and for me, a glimpse of a few of the other exhibits at the museum. And filming via drone gives us perspectives and views that we just can’t see in person. Excellent work!
A very nicely roduced episode, clear narration, no music, great filming. Thanks!
Oh man, this museum is a must see place! So many legendary and iconic machines!
One of my all time favourite aeroplanes. Here in Australia we have a few good aircraft museums but this is another league. Just look at the aircraft list in that hangar - unbelievable!!
Was just there a couple weeks ago and while the XB-70 is amazing...the whole museum if full of amazing wonders. Highly recommend it to any aviation or history enthusiast
My recruiter took me to Wright Patterson for an interview when I was applying for pilot training in the USAF. This plane was outside at that time (1988) and I am thrilled they moved it inside. I seem to recall being able to walk right under it where it was sitting in a grassed area. In that amazing clip, it looks like the front tires are disintegrating. Of course that compares with the bonfires at the rear tires.
Great video loved all the detail!
I am soooo invested into aviation and when I visited I almost cried. Truly a must for anyone who loves aviation. Thanks NMUSAF!
Thank you times ten for a fantastic video - so relaxing to watch!! No unnecessary music or immature effects assaulting the eyes, ears and our sensibility. Just clean information, clearly narrated and great visuals done slowly with plenty of time to see, not cut up 2 second clips jammed together with rock music and sound effects like so many other horrible videos. Well done -- the video compliments the graceful brilliance of this aircraft.
what an amazing aircraft. so glad it survived. the museum did a great job restoring it. thanks !
It's really cool to see that the XB-70 had an early version of an anti-lock braking system. It was also funny to hear that the Armco company contributed to this plane, since they're now well known for making those wavy steel barriers on the sides of highways & roads.
Since I am 70 years old I remember this incredible airplane from years past. Back in the 1960s there were magazine articles and photographs of the two XB-70 airplanes. Also in the news of that time was the tragic accident that caused the second XB-70 to crash. At the time that these two experimental airplanes were developed it was thought that the future for Air Force Bombers was to travel at supersonic speeds and that this airplane was a future bomber prototype.
Excellent video!!
Very nice presentation. Thank You
Very informative and nicely presented. Thank you.
Glad its stored indoors now !
I like that out all the "right out there" things are together and that there is a Harrier too.
I remember seeing her outside back in the 60s and taking my son to see her inside.
I did not know she had that much flight time. You didn't say exactly but LT Coronel Fulton 124 hrs. was more than I figured total for the airframe.
Thanks-
By far the best aviation museum in the world. Few places in the world that people can be up close and personal with so many aircraft that were parts of history. I visit every time I am in Dayton and I do not tire of what I can see. One can also learn about the men and women that are historical figures in aviation. I encourage people to to visit all the time.
Excellent video!! More!!
Have a picture of myself standing in front on the XB70 at Carswell AFB in 1966 at an airshow. I think it crashed a week later.
The best Military Aviation Museum in the world. I love this place,been there several times.
My father, Captain Glennon Mead Kingsley II, was one of the engineers involved with this project. I got to see it fly at Edwards Air Force Base.
My dad has a photo of myself, my brothers and mom in front of this in the late 70's when it used to be parked out. The next time was in the early 2000's. It's always cool to see this plane in person.
Visiting this museum is for sure
one of the most important thing for any aviation fan. The XB70, the YF12, just to name some masterpieces, so many marvels to look at, the ultimate graal of aviation enthusiasts. I really hope I can get there and drool all over the place. You may need to drag me out at the end of the day... Regards from France.
By far, the best documentary on this amazing prototype tool for thermonuclear annihilation.
Great video on an absolutely astounding aircraft!
I've been to the Museum maybe half a dozen times, but not since the new building was finished and filled. To see many of these you'd take a bus across the base and enter a small hanger, where all these wonderful machines were crammed in. The best part was being up close and being able to touch them; I understood the need to avoid that but couldn't help myself a time or two, making the slightest contact yet feeling guilty afterwards thinking of how many others had done the same.
Back in the '80s I was in town visiting a friend and we went to the Museum, stumbling onto the fact they were having the anniversary of the Air Force, with so many craft brought out on display. I still recall sticking my head up into the nose gear well on what must have been the YF-12A, seeing an ID plate for a unit that had a manufacturing date about the time I was born!
So many wonderful things to experience there, I can highly recommend a visit!
XB-70 is an absolute beauty of an aircraft.
As a kid, the XB-70 was the third model kit I built. It got destroyed during a move a year later… broke my heart at the time. 😉
This and the Concorde are the most amazing planes ever build.
We agree!!!
Thank You Doctor Doug!!
Went to the museum years ago, the Valkyrie stood out as my favorite. Lots of planes to compete for that top spot there.
Excellent presentation of one the most beautiful airplanes still in existence, pictures don't do it justice. The National USAF Museum is always worth a trip to see the XB70 and other treasures...
Remarkable aircraft presented with the professionalism it deserves. Thankyou