Thermal, acoustical, and acceleration environments of XB-70 airplane crew compartment in airworthiness tests.

A turbulence response investigation was conducted with the XB-70 airplane. No special turbulence penetration techniques, speeds, or other restrictions were specified for the investigation, nor were any flights made solely to obtain turbulence data. During 79 flights, turbulence was encountered, and recorded on a VGH recorder, 6.2 percent of the total flight distance at supersonic speeds above an altitude of 12,192 meters (40,000 feet). Geographical locations are given for selected turbulence encounters. For 22 flights the airplane was instrumented to measure true gust velocities and the structural acceleration response to turbulence. The turbulence intensities measured were very low in comparison with those measured at high altitudes in other investigations. Acceleration response spectra, frequency response transfer functions, and coherence functions were computed from three turbulence encounters at Mach numbers of 0.88, 1. 59, and 2.35. Results are compared with calculated studies. Frequencies from the vertical and lateral structural modes, dominant in the airplane acceleration responses, were compared with the natural frequencies of the human body in the vertical and lateral directions.

A bibliography of Technical Reports from Dryden Research Center, 1946-1996. Dryden was a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) facility from to 1946-1958, when NACA became NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). This bibliography encompasses both NACA and NASA publications. Illustrated with diagrams and photos. Black and white version.

Of the many futuristic military aircraft concepts created in the 1950s the North American XB-70 still stands out as the most awe-inspiring. With its huge, white partially-folding delta wing, its fuselage resembling a striking cobra and its extraordinary performance, it was one of the foremost technological achievements of the 20th Century. A strategic bomber built to outrun any Soviet fighter jet, it could reach Mach 3 with a full nuclear payload - as fast as the legendary SR-71 Blackbird but more than three times the size. However, its role as a nuclear bomber was limited after the introduction of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, and defence cuts eventually led to the project being scrapped in the mid-1960s. The Valkyrie had a brief, costly decade of life but it proved the continuing value of developing manned bombers. However, almost half a century after the XB-70 its predecessor, the B-52, continues in service. Using full colour artwork and rigorous analysis, this is the complete story of the ultimate US Cold War military X-plane.