WWC snapshot of http://www.dfrf.nasa.gov/Dryden/Milestones.html taken on Sat Jun 3 19:40:59 1995

Milestones in the History of Dryden

Sept. 30, 1946

Five NACA engineers, headed by Walt Williams, arrived at Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards AFB) from Langley Research Center, VA, to begin preparing for X-1 supersonic research flights in joint NACA-Army Air Corps program. First NACA-NASA presence is established at the Mojave Desert site.

Sept. 7, 1947

NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit receives permanent status from Hugh L. Dryden, NACA's Director of Research. Now numbers 27 people.

Oct. 14, 1947

Speed of sound exceeded for first time in history in the X-1.

Nov. 25, 1947

Howard C. Lilly makes first NACA flight in jet-powered D-558-1 Skystreak research program.

Mar. 10, 1948

Herb Hoover becomes first NACA pilot and first civilian to fly supersonic in X-1.

Nov. 14, 1949

NACA's Muroc unit, with about 100 people, designated NACA High Speed Flight Station. Walt Williams remains director.

Sept. 25, 1950

John Griffith is first NACA pilot to fly the X-4 aircraft studying flying qualities of tailless vehicles.

Mar. 4, 1952

Joe Walker is first to fly variable-sweep wing X-5 to full 60-degree angle. Concept used today on F-14, F-111, and B-1 aircraft.

Nov. 20, 1953

Scott Crossfield, in rocket-powered D-558-2 Skyrocket, is first to fly twice the speed of sound.

June 26, 1954

NACA personnel move from old South Base site to new facilities which make up the original core of today's Dryden complex. Cost to build the new facilities then: $3.8 million. Personnel number over 200.

Aug. 23, 1954

Joe Walker makes first of 20 NACA research flights in the X-3 "Flying Stiletto" supersonic program.

Feb. 28, 1955

B-52 No. 008 makes acceptance flight at Boeing Aircraft, Seattle, WA, and delivered to USAF, after being flown as a test aircraft for several years. Becomes national asset as a NASA air-launch aircraft at Dryden and now oldest B-52 flying.

Oct. 1, 1958

NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) becomes NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Oct. 15, 1958

First of three X-15 rocket research aircraft arrive at NASA High Speed Flight Station as preparations move ahead for the highly successful NASA-Air Force-Navy program that lasted 11 years and investigated hypersonic flight.

Nov. 6, 1958

John McKay makes last flight in the X-1E, final model flown of the X-1 series. Now displayed in front of Dryden headquarters building.

June 8, 1959

First unpowered glide flight of the X-15, with Scott Crossfield at the controls, is made from NASA "008," the B-52 launch aircraft.

Sept. 15, 1959

Paul F. Bikle succeeds Walt Williams as director of NASA High Speed Flight Station.

Sept. 27, 1959

NASA High Speed Flight Station at Edwards is redesignated NASA Flight Research Center. NASA personnel number about 340.

Mar. 25, 1960

First NASA flight in an X-15 aircraft. Pilot is Joe Walker.

Feb. 12, 1962

Flight tests begin with the Paraglider Research Vehicle (Parasev). Developed to study ways of returning Gemini and Apollo spacecraft to Earth using a hang glider-type wing. Pilot is Milt Thompson.

Apr. 5, 1963

M2-F1 lightweight lifting body becomes airborne for the first time over Rogers Dry Lake behind a Pontiac convertible tow vehicle with Milt Thompson in the cockpit. M2-F1 proved an unconventional aircraft shape could fly, paving the way for research with several lifting body designs to study atmospheric reentry of a vehicle like a Space Shuttle.

Aug. 22, 1963

Joe Walker flies X-15 to unofficial world altitude record of 354,200 ft.

Oct. 30, 1964

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) "Flying Bedstead" is piloted on first flight by Joe Walker. LLRV used to develop techniques of landing a spacecraft on the moon's surface.

Oct. 3, 1967

World's absolute speed record for winged aircraft, 4520 mph, set in X-15 by Air Force Maj. William Knight.

Oct. 24, 1968

Bill Dana flies the final X-15 mission. World's first hypersonic aircraft is the most successful of research aircraft to date.

Dec. 17, 1968

Last research flight of XB-70 is flown by Fitz Fulton and Air Force Lt. Col. Ted Sturmthal, reaching Mach 2.53. Program produced data on sonic booms, flight dynamics, and handling qualities associated with large supersonic aircraft. Flight is on 65th anniversary of Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk.

May 9, 1969

HL-10 becomes first lifting body to fly supersonic. John Manke, later to become Dryden site manager, is the pilot.

June 2, 1970

First flight of the M2-F3 lifting body is flown by Bill Dana.

Mar. 9, 1971

Two-year research program investigating supercritical wing design begins with first flight of TF-8A. Pilot is Tom McMurtry and program verifies lab research saying the unusual wing shape will increase flight efficiency and lower fuel usage. Concept in wide use on commercial aircraft.

Oct. 14, 1971

A Piper PA-30 Twin Commanche becomes a testbed to develop techniques to fly aircraft remotely from a ground-based cockpit. Concept leads to highly successful remotely piloted projects such as three-eights scale F-15 spin research vehicle, the HiMAT, and the Boeing 720 jetliner purposely flown to a controlled crash landing in an FAA test of an anti-mist fuel additive.

May 25, 1972

First flight in an aircraft with an all-electric fly-by-wire flight control system. It's the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire research aircraft, with Gary Krier at the controls. Concept now used in many aircraft, including Space Shuttles.

Aug. 16, 1974

Wake vortex research program carried out earlier with a 727, gets approval to use the Boeing 747 to be used as the Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Study is to help reduce clear air turbulence trailing behind large aircraft.

Aug. 5, 1975

From an altitude of 60,000 ft, John Manke lands a powerless lifting body on the concrete runway at Edwards for the first time. His flight in the X-24Bshows that a space shuttle-like vehicle can be landed safely on a designated runway after returning from space.

Mar. 26, 1976

NASA Flight Research Center is dedicated in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, and becomes the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA personnel number more than 560.

Oct. 26, 1977

Last of 13 captive and free-flight tests with the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise is flown, validating the orbiter's glide and landing characteristics. One of the two pilots aboard Enterprise is Gordon Fullerton, who later flew in space aboard the orbiters Columbia and Challenger then returned to Dryden as a research pilot.

Apr. 14, 1981

20,000 VIPs and guests at Dryden witness the first Space Shuttle landing by the orbiter Columbia. Estimated 300,000 citizens view the landing from the East Shore public viewing site.

Oct. 1, 1981

Dryden Flight Research Center is consolidated with Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, and becomes the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. Position of Dryden director is renamed site manager and John Manke is selected for the post. NASA personnel number 491.

July 4, 1982

President Ronald Reagan heads the list of 45,000 VIPs and guests who watch the fourth Space Shuttle landing at Dryden. Crowd at the East Shore public viewing site is estimated at 500,000.

Oct. 30, 1984

NASA's oldest aircraft, the C-47 that towed the M2-F1 lifting body aloft during that program's early days and was used to support many other projects, is retired from Dryden.

Apr. 2, 1985

Steve Ishmael is first NASA pilot to fly the X-29 research aircraft investigating forward-swept wings, composite construction concepts, and integrated flight controls.

Sept. 9, 1985

The Data Analysis Facility opens as new home for general computer and associated engineering support and flight data operations.

July 10, 1986

F-111 Mission Adaptive Wing research aircraft achieves Mach 1 for the first time, with Rogers Smith a member of the two-person crew. Program tested and evaluated a unique wing which had no separate ailerons, flaps, or slats. Instead, the camber was changed by internal mechanisms in flight based on performance and mission needs.

Dec. 1, 1987

Groundbreaking ceremonies are held signaling construction start on the $16.1 million Integrated Test Facility that will allow interdependent systems testing, systems troubleshooting, and rapid pre- and post-flight systems checkout on several aircraft simultaneously.

Sept. 18, 1989

Ed Schneider flies the 100th mission in the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicleas Phase 1 of the three-phase program investigating the high "alpha" regime.

Dec. 18, 1989

A self-repairing flight control system is demonstrated for the first time on the F-15 HiDEC (Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control) research aircraft, with Jim Smolka the pilot. The system, first of its kind, identifies control surface failures or damage then automatically repositions other control surfaces to allow the pilot to continue the mission or land safely.

Feb. 15, 1990

First of three SR-7l triple-sonic aircraft NASA is flying in a program to investigate a host of disciplines to help development of future high-speed civil and military aircraft arrives at Dryden. Two YF-12s, prototypes of the SR-71, were flown at Dryden from 1969 to 1978 in an earlier high-speed program.

April 5, 1990

The Pegasus space booster is successfully air-launched from NASA's B-52 carrier aircraft in the first successful demonstration of a commercially developed space launch vehicle placing a payload into earth orbit. The launch, staged from Dryden, took place off the California coast and put a NASA-Navy payload into a polar orbit 320 miles high.

May 3, 1990

Initial flight of F-16XLNo. 1 in the first program to investigate laminar flow studies on an aircraft at supersonic speeds. The program is using the two F-16XL prototypes to investigate passive and active methods of reducing turbulence on wing surfaces at high speeds.

Oct. 25, 1990

The final test in a series of eight, using B-52 No. 008 as the testbed, validates a drag chute deployment system for use on Space Shuttle orbiters as part of NASA's continuing program to upgrade their capabilities and increase flight safety. The drag chutes, when operational, will supplement the normal brake systems on the orbiters to help land them safely in a shorter distance and reduce tire and brake wear. The tests with 008 were conducted on the lakebed and also the main runway.

Dec. 3, 1990

The position of Dryden site manager is redesignated as director in a reorganization that reinforces and strengthens Dryden's role as a national flight research installation, with Ken Szalai, chief of Dryden's Research Engineering Division, named to the position. In the reorganization, the Dryden director also serves in a new role as Ames Research Center deputy director for Dryden. NASA personnel number 430.

Jan. 16, l991

First flight of the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) with a thrust vectoring system installed on the engine exhaust nozzles to enhance control and maneuvering at high angles of attack.

Jan. 21-25, l991

X-29 No. 2 sets new one-day flight record with five missions Jan. 25, and ties existing weekly record with nine flights the week of Jan. 21-25.

May 15, l991

Full-scale X-30 structural test component, representing a wing control surface, arrives at Dryden's Thermostructures Research Facility for loads and temperature testing.

July 17, l991

Dryden's B-52 No. 008 air launches the second Pegasus space booster over the Pacific Ocean in a mission for the Defense Department that placed seven small communications satellites into low Earth orbits.

Aug. 14, l991

First NASA flight of an SR-71 is carried out by research pilots Steve Ishmael and Rogers Smith. The aircraft was NASA 831, the "B" model that was delivered to NASA the previous month and used as Dryden's SR-7l training and proficiency aircraft in preparation for research flights.

Sept. 30, l991

The seven-year two-phase X-29 Advanced Technology Demonstrator program concludes after a total of 362 research missions with the two forward-swept wing aircraft. The No. 1 aircraft was flown 242 times to successfully validate the unique design which offers improved performance. Concluding the program with Phase 2 was X-29 No. 2, flown l40 times in high-angle-of-attack studies that took it to 67 degrees and producing better-than-expected flying and handling qualities.

Oct. 3, l991

Dryden aeronautical engineer Marta Bohn-Meyer becomes the first-ever female crewmember to fly in an SR-71 on her maiden mission in the Mach 3 aircraft. She is one of two flight test engineers assigned to the SR-71 high-speed research program. The other engineer is her husband, Robert Meyer -- making them the first married couple at Dryden on flight status.

Nov. 1, l991

A series of flight tests with a pressure sensitive luminescent paint are successfully completed on Dryden's F-l04 No. 826, opening the door for a new method of measuring surface pressures on aircraft.

Dec. 2, l992

Flights with Dryden's F-16XL No. 849 achieve laminar flow over a swept-wing aircraft for the first time at speeds up to nearly 1200 mph and at altitudes above 50,000 ft. NASA's laminar flow research may help produce wing designs that could yield substantial fuel savings by reducing natural aerodynamic drag.

Dec. 12, l991

The F-18 HARV achieves the design point of 70 degrees angle of attack in a flight described by research pilot Ed Schneider as "very controllable." It was the second "high alpha" mission of the day and the 129th flight of the highly modified F-18.

Apr. 23, l992

First flight of an X-31 aircraft from Dryden takes place following the relocation of the X-31 International Test Organization from Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale. The two X-31 thrust-vectored aircraft -- called Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability demonstrators -- are being flown in a DoD study of the value of thrust vectoring for close-in air combat at high angles of attack.

May 8, l992

Groundbreaking for the Judy Janisse Child Development Center takes place. The $700,000 facility is named after the former NASA employee, killed in a commercial airline accident, who was instrumental in the development of the JJCDC.

May 16, l992

Maiden landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is viewed by an estimated 125,000 people, including 2500 school students from throughout Southern California. It was the largest shuttle viewing crowd since the Mar. 18, l989, landing of Discovery.

July 1, l992

New single-day Dryden flight record of six missions is set by X-29 No. 2 after the aircraft returned to flight status for a 60-flight study by the Air Force using vortex flown controls on the nose to study improved control at high angles of attack.

Sept. 3, l992

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin visits Dryden for the first time since his appointment as NASA's ninth administrator Apr. 1, l992.

Oct. 24, l992

The new Integrated Test Facility (ITF) is officially opened for operations, giving Dryden a unique capability to carry out interdependent systems testing, systems troubleshooting, and rapid pre-and post-flight systems checks on several aircraft simultaneously.

Don Nolan
Dryden External Affairs Office
(805) 258-3447
Don_Nolan@qmgate.dfrc.nasa.gov