NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Collection

X-5 in flight

The Bell X-5 completed all of the research goals originally set for the first aircraft capable of variably sweeping its wings in flight. Demonstrating wing sweep from 20 to 60 degrees, the aircraft verified NACA wind-tunnel predictions of reduced drag and improved performance resulting from increased wing sweep as it approached Mach 1. Even the vicious spinning characteristics of the X-5 yielded a wealth of data for determining poor aircraft spin design.

Bell built two X-5s. Following the completion of the contractor test program with aircraft number one (serial number 50-1838) in October 1951, the Air Force flew a brief evaluation program totaling six flights and turned the aircraft over to the NACA for the remainder of the 133 research flights by a variety of NACA pilots including Joseph Walker, Walter P. Jones, Scott Crossfield, and Stan Butchart. Future astronaut Neil Armstrong flew the final flight on 25 October 1955 at the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station (later the Dryden Flight Research Center).

Only Bell and the Air Force operated the second X-5 (50-1839), which was lost in a spin accident in 1953.

In this 8-second movie clip we see the Bell aircraft X-5 coming in, wings swept, for a low-level pass by the camera.

1950s

Still photos of this aircraft are available in several resolutions at
http://www.dfrc.nas…[ http://www.dfrc.nas…]

Dryden Flight Research Center

Neil Armstrong

Joseph Walker

Air Force

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

NACA

High-Speed Flight Station

Bell

X-5

variable wing sweep

Walter P. Jones

Scott Crossfield

Stan Butchart

spin

Neil A. Armstrong

Walter P. Jones

Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC)

1953

October 1951

25 October 1955

1953

1955

1951

EM-0032-01

SPD-DRYDEN-EM-0032-0 1

http://www.dfrc.nas…