XB-70A Test Flight Video

[EddMarkStarr]

I was 4 years old when in 1961 the XB-70 supersonic bomber program was cancelled by President John F. Kennedy.
My father enjoyed watching the television evening news with me, suddenly the President appeared on screen to explain that ICBM's made bomber aircraft obsolete.
Dad's reaction to this news permanently fixed this airplane in my mind forever!

The bomber program ended in 1961 but testing of the prototypes continued until 1965.
The XB-70 was designed to cruise at 3 times the speed of sound and the following test video shows footage I've never seen before!

 

[rareboy]

Ah those were the days.

 

[smokeshadow]

I see glimpses of British Airways and Air France's Concord

 

[EddMarkStarr]

The people of the United States and the U.S. Treasury owe President Kennedy a forever Thank You!

Cancelling the supersonic bomber program saved the nation unimaginable billions, or maybe even trillions, of dollars $$$ chasing national security with dream aircraft that do nothing - except eat money.

The military aircraft fans amongst us can better use their time with scale model versions of the XB-70 "Valkyrie" (as for me . . . Thanks for the Memories).

 

[smokeshadow]

then there is Boeing's 2707

How Boeing's Supersonic Dream Jet Spent Years In A Florida Swamp - Jalopnik

Boeing's planned faster-than-sound jet never took to the sky. Its years in a Florida swamp are just part of a long saga that twice took it across the U.S.

www.jalopnik.com

Boeing 2707 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Omg - I was in middle school when Boeing's "Swing Wing" SST got the cancellation in 1971.
Commercial aviation is all about economics. Boeing's customers were the key drivers to "stop bleeding money".

Scales models work for me, and they fit my budget.

 

[smokeshadow]

^^ except that one can not ride IN a scale model