The X-planes: X-1 to X-31

This revised, lavishly illustrated study of American research aircraft will be of considerable value to most aviation collections. A concise text and scores of photos, charts, and diagrams describe the entire series of planes, including the well-known supersonic X-1 and aerospace X-15, as well as the variable-sweep-wing X-5, the X-24 that developed the lifting-body form used in the space shuttle, and such oddments as the X-6, a converted B-36 that carried an experimental airborne nuclear reactor. Tribute is paid to designers, engineers, and pilots alike, whose work on these aircraft pioneered much of what we now take for granted on the aviation scene. Bibliography; index. RG. 358.4'183 Airplanes, Military-U.S. [CIP] 87-23991