XB-70 Valkyrie, who remembers?

Here ya go, I'll leave these up for a few days and then post a new batch.

Al Whites clamshell escape capsule
B70 Wing
Clamshell on hangar floor
104 on hangar floor
104 tiptank
104 tiptank 2
B70 droop 1
B70 droop2
B70 lead droop
B70 tail

Wow, great photos! Thanks much for taking the time to scan and post them. I appreciate it.

reply to post by SpaceMax


Wow awesome thanks for post the images! Awesome stuff

All thumbs up. That's the kind of contribution that let's me know there is hope. Total brain candy. I love it. Starred and flagged.

Vic

A few of my fellow pilot buddies and I were having a couple of beers not long ago when the subject of “sexiest airplanes” came up. After we went through the usual stable of war birds someone mentioned the Valkyrie and we all nodded our heads in agreement that it was one of the baddest, sexiest planes to ever grace the sky. It definitely ranks in my top ten. That praying-mantis look about her is just so mesmerizing.

Anyway – one of my pals mentioned that he had some great shots of the XB when she flew and the crash. He showed us a few on his computer a few days later and that was that. Well, when I saw this thread, I thought surely someone would post pictures of the mid-air and aftermath – but I was surprised to read that there seems to be some in denial that it ever happened or that it was “staged”.

John Lear has the facts straight. It was definitely an unfortunate accident caused by one of the chase planes getting too close and flipping in the XB’s vortice, resulting in a mid-air collision.

I asked my friend if he could share some of the pictures he had and he passed a few on to me but said he doesn’t want to say where he got them. Not sure what the big secret is, I’m sure these same shots are on the ‘net somewhere already, and the incident and history of this majestic plane is public knowledge.

Anyway - here are a few you guys might find interesting if you haven’t seen them elsewhere already:

XB-70 – Landing:


XB-70 – Hangered:


XB-70 – Liftoff:


XB-70 – w/Chase Planes/Escorts:


XB-70 – Crash1:


Crash2:


Crash3:


Crash4:


Crash5:


Crash6 (spin):


Crash7:


Crash8 (impact):


Crash9 (wreckage):


Crash10 (inspection team):

XB-70 – Wingtip Configs:



She still holds a special place in my heart… R.I.P. Ms. Valkyrie…

[edit-fix link]

[edit on 12/5/2007 by Outrageo]

reply to post by Outrageo


Great pics! Indeed, I have never seen color photos of the accident scene.
Those shots with the gear down are impressive. What format/size are your originals in?

I've been meaning for years to get up to the museum and pay my respects to this amazingly beautiful machine. Think I'll do that next spring or summer.
Many thanks Outrageo!

www.liveleak.com...


a very VERY nice video of the aircraft

I would just like to reply to the post of Badge01 about the concept if anyone is still interested

First of all it's not a nuclear bomber design. When XB-70 was designed the U.S. government requirements were to built an aircraft with intercontinental range without refueling and the ability to fly supersonic when in hostile airspace. North American aviation and Boeing both made gigantic aircraft that would be capable of this. Concept on the picture was NAA's. On each wing there's a huge fuel tank. Plane was designed to use fuel from wing tips and those tanks first (when flying over the ocean). Then it would jettison the whole end of the wing with fuel tanks and fly supersonic over USSR. It would land in Turkey or Indian Ocean. Later requests for bomber were changed and NAA discovered waverider design and used it as XB-70 Valkyre.

That's the picture of aircraft