The Deadly Race to Supersonic Flight 

“Boeing - mistake” 😂😂😂

22:25 Boeing (mistake) 😂 That was so unexpected man

As a tech guy, I really love all of the ColdFusion videos, and as a pilot, this one is particularly close to my heart!

Coldfusion, Polymatter , Wendover productions, real engineering, OBF, Caspian report and reallifelore are literally the best channels to ever exist on RU-vid. Edit : yeah, i forgot to mention lemmino and Kento Bento

When asked about Concorde NASA said it was easier to get to space than develop Supersonic Flight for the public to use

When I was a kid my grandma lived in the desert in Barstow and we would hear those Sonic booms almost daily. They would rattle the walls in her little trailer house. When I was 10 years old it was incredible!

Sorry to nitpick but at 4:30 you somewhat imply that XF-84H "Thunderscreech" was an early attempt at supersonic flight before jets. But Thunderscreech first flew in 1955 almost a decade after F-86 and Bell X-1 both jet and rocket powered aircrafts achived supersonic speeds. Around 1955-56 early YF-104 were already reaching mach 2.2 speeds.

Man do you ever make a video that isn't entertaining and educating?? Best content on RU-vid!

Getting "Theranos" vibes from all those companies towards the end of the video.

The Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech, while an interesting and unusual airplane, was developed and built well after the Bell X-1 had crossed the sound barrier. It was also designed as a carrier based aircraft with no requirement for a catapult. The way it is placed in the video makes it sound like its design goal was breaking the sound barrier, which it wasn't.

(Detailed comment) This video skipped three vital FACTS. 1) Tupolev DID steal most of Concorde's plans. 2) There is no mention of the Ogival Delta Wing that made Concorde fast and more importantly smooth through the sound barrier. 3) AIRBUS was the response to the behaviour of both America and the Soviet Union in this era by European nations, who grew sick of the depravity of companies like Boeing, and just how far they would go for a monopoly on success. Sound eerily familiar still today? Now modern purveyors of sonic flight have a lie to get around with the public and experts that still live. After destroying Concorde's innovation with lies (time would have made engines quieter, more fuel efficient, whilst safety would have only improved anyway), the myth of 'dangerous' sonic booms will plague any company trying to go back in time to undo the sheer injustice that Britain faced throughout the twentieth century. Theft and espionage built Boeing, Tupolev and others into national giants. The only channel that has been truly 'diplomatic' on this subject so far was Mentour Pilot. Airbus is granted to us through Karma, as is the downfall of Boeing. They deserve all they get. I want to see any real evidence of the 'harm' of sonic booms, when people were told anything from seizures and vomiting, to building damage. I have seen hundreds of videos on this topic, and yet I am yet to see a single one that documents evidence of this. Come on Coldfusion, your channel is better than this. Everything I have stated is also public knowledge, except the conspiracy to make sure the Boeing 747 was not touched in her lifetime by supersonic flight. (The U.S redacts uncomfortable truth). As I began, it's more than coincidence that now that aircraft's life has ended, people can't move fast enough to revisit supersonic travel again. OR is it because Boeing no longer holds such power over the American government to stop it?? The truth is always out there.

Amazing work as always, thank you Dagogo!

I really love these longer, more in-depth videos. I really hope you have the time/ability to keep making them in the future :)

Living in LA and hearing the sonic boom as the shuttle would come in to land at Edwards was quite the experience - we all thought it would be common yet now it is gone never to be heard again. Similarly I can recall passing though Heathrow back in the day where Concorde had flights pretty much daily - the sound of that thing taking off was insane 😎😎😎

There is a massive omission in the 'documentary'. What is missing is exactly what the Americans learned from Miles Aviation. The answer is simple. As an aircraft approaches supersonic speed, the air flowing over the control surfaces, the ailerons and elevators, begins to establish pressure fronts that move back along the wings surface. These fronts do not advance at the same speed, so when they pass where the ailerons or elevator hinges are positioned, the surface pressure can be very different above and below the control surface. This change in pressure result in the control surfaces moving with such force a pilot cannot withstand the pressure and the aircraft can go out of control and possibly break up due to the violent oscillation set up by the uncontrollable surface pressure. The British had learned this and had built 'fully flying' control surfaces to replace the traditional elevators, which are much more susceptible to the problem. The Americans quickly changed the design of the Bell X-1 to have fully flying elevators mounted on the vertical stabilizer fin. You can see this in the videos. The earlier glide and low speed flight aircraft clearly have traditional elevators, the hinges being clearly visible. The later ones do not. If you look closely, you can see the plate against the vertical fin, to which the 'fully flying' control surface is mounted. The plate rotates and this causes the 'fully flying' wing to rotate with it. It is ironic that the X-1 in the museum may be the one that Yeager broke the sound barrier in, but it has either been modified back to the original configuration, with elevators hinging on the fixed horizontal stabilizer, or it is not the correct airframe but a substitute, hiding the crime of stealing British technology. What is also lame about the Yeager record was the use of a rocket motor. First small ones and then ever larger and more powerful ones. The delays that hurt Miles Aviation was the development of the British jet engines. The first flights were made with a less powerful substitute when the planned engine was not ready in time. Once the larger engine became available, Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown quickly proved the Miles M52 was easily able to exceed the speed of sound, but using a British jet engine. This was something the "X" series of aircraft were not able to accomplish for years, despite the British still, stupidly in my opinion, sharing jet engine technology with the US companies that began building jet engines under a "free" license from Churchill!

Keep posting. Learning so much from your channel. Thanks.

I'm so glad you're finaly covering an aerospace topic!

Great episode and a welcome change.. thank you.

Great content Dagogo! Always interesting and in-depth your videos....

What a superb video,I witnessed a sonic boom in 2013 and it’s something I’ll never forget, cheers DAGOGO really enjoyed it 👍

I have had the Greatest honor to meet several of these fearless pilots. General Yeager. Scott Crossfield. Al White.

My Grandfather flew with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith when he was about 12 years old in the Southern Cross. He later went on to become a mechanic working for Qantas and Ansett. As a child in the late 1970s I remember going to someone’s house in Sydney who was a family friend who had also worked in the airlines. He had two huge concord models in a collection of models - each about 1.5 - 2 metres long. They were old and dusty but still in relatively good shape. They were on stands and looked like the sort of thing you’d see in a museum. They had the branding of Qantas on them, flying kangaroo on the tails and all. Turned out the back story was Qantas had committed to purchasing Concords in Australia due to our vast country and long distance between cities. However Boeing rushed in and scuttled the contract by underselling Concord at the 11th hour. The 747 was much loader and slower, but could carry many more passengers. The was a lot of public and political pushback about the sonic boom so in the end it was an easy decision. Both the concord and 747 were released in 1969 so the race was on to get fleet sales. The first 747 flew in Australia in 1971… the concord then flew to Sydney in 1972 as part of their global sales tour, coming in from Darwin in just 2 hours (the same flight still takes over 4 hours today)… almost in a ‘Look at what you missed out on’ type of moment. But the horse had bolted and rest is history... So the concord models had been destined for the bin, had been rescued and ended up at this suburban house in Sydney. I wonder where they are today? Australian aviation history!

Epic video man! Love this content.

Thanks Dagogo! Great job as always! I’ve been keeping a close eye on this stuff. Been an aviation nerd since I was 4. A large number of the Boom team seems to be former colleagues of mine, and they set the groundwork for the X-59 design. They are the team to watch in my mind.

Fun fact about the SR-71: Mach 3.2 is only the unclassified top speed of the plane. There is much unofficial talk that it can go much faster. An SR-71 pilot I met on a museum tour was very cagey about the fastest he'd ever flown. Additionally, despite the fact that the planes are retired, not all aspects of its design have been declassified. Bonus fact: due to thermal expansion when it was at speed, the SR-71 is built with gaps in its body and wings. The plane had to be fueled directely on the runway because it would leak jet fuel until it reached an appreciable portion of the speed of sound and the gaps closed up.

Great video! Keep producing videos which peak your interest, keeps them authentic and thought provoking.

Interesting Thank you for your insight and videos

Thanks for covering this fascinating topic!

Could honestly listen to you commentate the grass growing. Such a great video, thanks guys!!!

The reason why we gave up to commercial supersonic flight is because internet became better and there was no need for as much "IN PERSON" meeting. And thus flight time isn't a lost time anymore. Plus it's super inefficient.

Informative video, thank you!

Great content as usual!! Thank You! :)

It's a shame you didn't mention Avro Arrow made in Canada. It was the first unofficial level supersonic flight and also Lead to the use of Delta wing technology.

"You aren't big enough and there aren't enough of you to get me in that thing again." -- XF-84H test pilot to XF-84H project engineer

Your videos are always top notch 🙌🏾

Dope Content Cold Fusion 🤘🏼😎💯💧

Afrer bruising my ribs and recovering from coughing... i could not imagine the pain that dude went through to clench for g forces and shunt blood around the body. What a G.

Storytelling master! Great video, love the history of technology

Great story as with all your topics, always interesting and informative at least to me. 👍

I love your videos, the quality and information is stunning. Also, love your calming voice! :D

Great video! I love your videos❤

Great video man

Cold Fusion Class on a Easter 🐣 Sunday & I now get a great 30 minute break👍😊

that dig at Boeing was gold

Cold Fusion is one of my favorite channels 😍 I will never skip the ads!!

Love this content. Thanks for something a little different.

Yes, I really enjoyed this video, well done.

This was so interesting. So cool how coldfusion covers unique tech documentaries in his own style and the music 🔥🔥🔥so unique!

Hard to believe that engineers didn't look closer at falcons in a stoop. They sweep their wings back to come down like a thunderbolt.

Another very interesting video. Keep up the excellent work!

Great video,as always. I liked that Boeing quip. Nice one.

You make the most incredible, thoughtful, educational, and well executed content. Thank you for all you do! Keep it up!

Chuck Yeager was an absolute pioneer & most daring of daredevils

This channel is underrated. From the presentation, to the presenters soothing voice to the clear in-depth explanation of the topics should be the bar other channels should reach.

You are a legend. Keep killin it!

Superbly well presented and informative video as always, professional quality. Respect from the North of England. More please 👍👍

Very nice documentary about aircraft ,I like your voice too

Good clip….. keep up the good work

Thanks dagogo, great video.

Well, that was a great video!!

2:02 The speed of sound in air is primarily dependent on temperature, rather than pressure. The reference to sea level is misleading, as it suggests a constant temperature, which is not accurate. Specifically, a speed of 1225 kph corresponds to an air temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.

Outstanding episode. Thank you!

Great content and one of the best narration voices on RU-vid. Is the accent local to a particular location in Australia?

Always well done I learn something every time I watch your videos

Hey @ColdFusion Little error at 16.13 "mach 2.44", I think you meant "1.44"

The best videos that do motives me every day.

Thanks!

"A certain crazy man" ... well done demonetization avoidance

I prefer the idea of a 10 day blimp trip rather than a 30 min hypersonic passenger flight.

We've always watched sonic booms on RU-vid but never thought of the history.. thank you .. sami&isaac

Enjoyed this. Nice video

You left out about Albert Scott Crossfield. He was an American naval officer and test pilot. In 1953, he became the first pilot to fly at twice the speed of sound. Crossfield was the first of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the United States Air Force and NASA.

I get so hyped when I see a coldfusion notifications. He makes these videos so digestible.

Love this video. This feels like classic Cold Fusion. Just need more eerie music 😅

Overture xb 1 by sonic boom recently had a 1st flight! Great video!!🙌

Sad that you missed the oportunity to talk about the MiG 31, the fastest fighter jet ever build, still in use after more than 40 years.

I wouldn’t say Concorde retired because of the crash? 9/11 had a bigger impact on its retirement, and airbus not wanting to keep making spares for it

ColdFusion delivers one of the most stunning swift overviews of the flight industry. It left me speechless a couple of times. The historical video kept me speechless, the great info seated. I'm not really fond of flights, but the history and it's touch on today's approach is unmistakable. As of the final question - I don't think it will be available any time soon, the energy(fuel) consumption is just too great. But I look forward to see further development in this field. I don't care if they are British, French, or US. It would be amazing to see the limitations of the technology moved forward.

Super interesting subject matter! I dig it!!

Thanks for a fun and well done video. ..from a former airline pilot who flew much slower, at 0.78 Mach :)

Great episode, keep doing what you're doing!

You only need to travel so fast. With the internet and home offices there really is zero need for ultra fast travel. Its a niche market now.

Great video - Thank You !

Interesting! Thanks for sharing it. ✌️

So Boeing planes are literally falling out of the sky and they want me to try their super super sonic new airplane? No man I’m good!😂

This video is all over the place, 3:48 , sorry but the thunderscreech was a program by the navy in the 1950's intended to create an aircraft that can perform short takeoff in its aircraft carriers with the ability to reach supersonic speeds. This video gives a false information that the thunderscreech was created to achieve mach 1 speeds, a better story would by p38 or mustang pilots performing steep dives to reach higher speed and crashing as conventional planes become uncontrollable. Then the creation of X plane, eXperimental, which led to the crearion of Bell X1. I hope you get your stories straight

guys is that a Big company or television program or news aggency ? Because i am following ColdFusion very very long time ago they didnt even had 2m subs yet. But this channel improved my knowladge of many different things. you guys really deserve award or something like that.

This is great video, very intersting. I would love for you to do something around the Hyperloop, especillay it beating the speed of sound.

I usually expect extremely high-quality videos from this channel but this one feels off. It’s almost like it was written by chatGPT and rushed out. It was still good, but doesn’t seem quite right.

The big mistake with the Boeing 2707 was the decision that it should fly at mach 3. That's unrealistic, even supersonic jet fighters like the F-15 can only get up to about mach 2.5.

Thanks, great video

Thought I wouldn’t be interested in this at all, but this guy somehow makes the topic fascinating

First human flight was not 1903 - that was the first *powered* flight. People had been flying gliders for a couple decades prior to that (e.g. Otto Lillienthal).

"The Americans took British data but did not reciprocate." No surprise there; US culture is still too young to have developed integrity and common decency. Those things take centuries. 🤷‍♂

Love the new direction, but still with the same super high class of production. We expect no less - fortunately for us you always deliver...

that was fabulous.

The US govt intentionally caused the shutdown of the Avro Arrow in Canada and most likely this project in the UK. The reason was that nobody was allowed to build a better plane than the USA or they would lose air superiority. And the Arrow was light years ahead of the US planes. Any plane that met that criteria was cancelled at the demand of the USA.

Then came the Germans.

Thank you Dagago for educating us with yet another brilliantly researched documentary - much appreciated. Having flown on more than 1,000 international flights, I quite enjoy flights of 8-10 hours duration. The 17 hour direct flights I took from Singapore to NYC were far too long. I foresee supersonic passenger flights however at what cost, per ticket? Concorde flights were very expensive, partly because of the cost of fuel per passenger. The tickets were affordable for senior corporate and wealthy passengers alike, but not for the average person. I predict that supersonic flight will always remain as exclusive & expensive.

It was a nice video, and I'm glad that you decided to look into supersonic flight. I expect to live long enough to see the Boom Ovation fly. However, a bit of care in researching the US SST program would have helped. The Secret Projects forum has a 38 page thread on the 1960s program. Just to throw a little bit out there, the program had three phases, and initially had three engine manufacturers and three airframe manufacturers competing North American, Lockheed and Boeing were vying for the airframe contract, while GE, Pratt and Whitney and Curtiss-Wright were competing for the engine contract. North American, with its NAC-60, and Curtiss Wright's TJ-70 engine were dismissed at the end of Phase I. Ultimately, that left Boeing and Lockheed in a match that Boeing won. The time lost as Boeing found out that they could not get their swing wing design to fly across the Atlantic with passengers and revert to a delta wing design was time given to the enemies of the program to bring it to a halt. People were worried about the sonic boom, and about the ozone layer, as well as other forms of pollution. Despite the decision, made after the US SST program was defunded, to ban supersonic flight over land, it was planned for the US SST to be flown on domestic coast to coast flights, as well as many shorter flights. In a North American proposal to United, for example, there was data on the costs of flights from Cleveland to Portland, among others. And the seat/mile costs weren't that far out of line with those of first generation jetliners (707, DC-8). As the SST program came and went before the first fuel crisis, fuel costs weren't a major concern. Concorde, asking for sales at the time of the fuel crisis, got the same resistance that Chrysler's newly redesigned full size cars did. Everyone dropped their options then. If I had to state a reason that we don't have American SSTs in museums (a la Fallout 3, which mentions a donated SST) or in our various aircraft boneyards, one might place it squarely on the complexity of the original Boeing 2707 design. Among other thoughts, a mechanic might wonder if this would be the day that he accidentally kills 300 people by making a mistake on working on those swing wings, and a pilot would absolutely have his hands full and then some landing it with the wings still in the fully swept position. This is despite Boeing not being the object of derision it is at the moment. Either the Lockheed or the North American designs might have proven less complex, and thus more likely to be flying by 1971. In that situation, the program would have been more likely than not to continue. Both were beautiful designs, though I admit that for some reason, I like North American's NAC-60 more. Perhaps that's a tip of the hat to Murphy's Law...