The need for speed: The fastest aircraft

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Flight has always captured man’s imagination. When the Wright Brothers first came out with the airplane, people were amazed. When jet planes emerged after World War II, they changed aviation forever.


Over the past few decades, aircraft manufacturers have pushed the envelope on the development of airplanes. Together with the advancement of technology, few of the things the aviation industry only dreamed about were developed to challenge the very laws of physics. Here are a few of the fastest aircraft in the world.


Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: As far as fast jets go, this is the most popular one. The SR-71 Blackbird was manufactured by Lockheed for the purpose of reconnaissance and surveillance. It is also equipped with stealth features and with its 2,200 mph top speed, it’s even faster than missiles themselves.


North American X-15: The X-15 is a rocket-powered aircraft that has as its top speed, a staggering 4,520 mph. Its design, which includes an exaggerated tail and rocket thrusters (which are used to steer), allows the aircraft to reach such a mind-boggling speed. Many industry experts consider the X-15 to be the world’s first space plane.

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Bell X-2 Starbuster: The X-2 Starbuster has a tragic story. Test pilot Milburn G. Apt took the plane and broke the record as the aircraft went past Mach 3, at 2,094 mph. He died due to pilot error while making a sharp turn. The aircraft was deemed too dangerous, and flights were stopped in less than a year.


Aviation and aerospace professional Scott Beale was responsible for expanding FlightWorks from a $1.5 million-dollar business when he purchased it in 2000 to a $90 million enterprise when he sold the business in 2010. For more reads on the aviation industry, visit this page.