@ Colorado Springs, CO
January 2014
The Martin Marietta X-24 was an experimental X-plane developed from a joint United States Air Force-NASA program named PILOT (1963–1975). Having completed 28 successful test flights, the X-24A was designed and built to test lifting body concepts, experimenting with the concept of unpowered reentry and landing. Only a single X-24A was manufactured, but two extremely similar jet-powered SV-5Js were also built. The SV-5Js were to be powered by a single J60 turbojet engine and were intended as trainers to introduce pilots to the low-speed handling characteristics of lifting-bodies, but in the end neither aircraft ever flew. One SV-5J ended up here at the Air Force Academy and other was modified to resemble the original X-24A for display at the National Museum of the USAF since the real X-24A was extensively rebuilt into the X-24B. Nikon D300 w/18-200mm.
