The Plane that Almost Melted - The Fastest Flight Ever Mach 6.7

On October 3rd, 1967, at a millisecond before 14:32 local time, Air Force Major William J. “Pete“ Knight hit the button. His North American X-15, one of the most experimental aircraft ever built, lit up its 600,000-horsepower XLR99 engine. The plane began to tear through the atmosphere, approaching a record-breaking speed of 4,520 miles per hour – Mach 6.7. Every gauge and meter in the cockpit testified to the brutal forces at play, where the temperature of the aircraft’s exterior escalated to an incendiary 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The X-15 was melting around its pilot. The aircraft ascended, the blue sky darkened, giving way to the silent, black expanse of space. Violent shockwaves rocked the plane. And suddenly it began to fall apart. --- Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.