Wow! Your father is legend!! If there was ever an historical era and program I'd want to be involved in, it would've been this pioneering effort of the 50s and 60s.
Robert Evans : The russions could not copy this stuff, they were still figuring out wheel bearings for an ox cart. Those guys are my hero's just like my father. Look at this country now , I don't believe these spineless so called leaders. I am glad that I am older. Proud to be an American from a bygone era.
Robert Evans . Sally's father was better than Yeager , courage beyond belief. Don't get me wrong but this man continued on in a hazardous environment. Crossfield is the real Legend here .
Thank you for sharing this. My Dad was SAC/Minuteman Missiles. I grew up on Air Force Bases in the '50s and '60s. I'm one of those rare freaks that loves the sound of airplanes and I even love it when our local airport runs the flight path over our house. I just wish my Dad was alive to see this. Thanks again.
Dragon Fly Glad you enjoyed, and I wish your dad could have seen it too! I'm the same... I live near SkyHarbor Airport and it's simply wonderful to watch the planes come in.
So here I am watching a documentary, minding my own business, and I decide to peek at the comment section - and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a post by the Agent, from a bygone year!
I got my interest in new technology after my Dad (who worked for North American as a photorealistic artist) purchased both the X-15 and B-70 films sold at the company store. It's great to find gems like this as I was very young back then with no way to satisfy my appetite to see more. Great conversion too, I just converted the B-70 film to digital myself a short while ago but it already existed here. I was even blessed that my Dad took me to the first rollout of the B-70 back in 64'.... Yes, I'm in that crowd shown in the clip here at UA-cam.
That's really great. Frank Whittle was visiting GE in Lynn Massachusetts when I was on a school field trip on the 1970s. My teacher told me to get his autograph which I did. I was 9 years old and I had no idea who he was.
Thanks for this video so much! As a kid, these guys were my heroes. And thanks for your bravery, Scott! I couldn't do anything you did, except taxi through the hangar wall.
I've lost count of how many times I've watched it since I Was 12, so I totally know the feeling!! It's great isn't it? They don't make them like this anymore..
I saw The Rocket Pilots as a teenager in the early '80s and have been an aviation buff since that day. I saw the X-15 hanging at the Smithsonian Museum in 1977 but had no idea of how awesome and important this a/c s/c was at the time. I took a picture of it because I knew it was something special and it bled speed but again, I had no idea of it's capabilities. Shortly after seeing The Rocket pilots, I began attending any of the larger air shows that were within 250 miles or so of my home and let's not forget the interesting series called Wings which fueled my aviation fever even more. Thank you +rogueguineapig for posting this.
These are great inspirational, and historical, documentaries! Thanks for posting them rogueguineapig! It reminded me that I purchased some of the Reaching for the Skies documentaries on VHS in 1989. I was interested in these when I started flying with a paraglider in 1989 (back when they were not as good as they are now, lol). I still have the VHS tapes, so i pulled them out and watched them again. I had subscribed to the CBS Library mail order service back then, to get a video each month. First one free, then pay for one each month, and so on... I hung in there for 8 months, so I have eight VHS episodes: Quest for Speed, Trailblazers, Pioneers, Fighters, Bombers, The Birth of Air Combat, Victory Over the Sea, & Vertical Flight. And you are correct, that is Robert Vaughan narrating.
What a great time to be an American !!! This had to be the greatest time to live if you had any interest in aerospace and hopefully will come again with all these private company getting involved...Thank you for sharing this great documentary !!!
This is great!! I have this on VHS somewhere. I remember seeing this on Arts and Entertainment back in 87' before I saw the movie "The Right stuff". So the movie made a whole lot of sense! I have always been facinated by Airplanes and jets. Now my twin boys that 8 love jets and planes. They will surely enjoy this!! This is a great production of the history of the Jet and Rocket Age! Thanks for posting this on youtube!
This is so cool, I remember this when I was 12, I almost memorized this whole show. I thank you for sharing this, I just got transported to 30 years ago. Wow..
+rogueguineapig... Fascinating documentary! thank you so much for uploading this special program on the test pilots, and their thoughts and observations and the experimental aircraft that they risked their lives to evaluate, and help to improve and progress into space exploration today.
Thanks so much for posting this. Watched my VHS until I practically destroyed it. One of the great documentaries ever IMO. When 'The Right Stuff' came out I was so disappointed because this told the rocket pilot story so much better than that movie did. Thanks again!
God bless you Scotty! I know you loved this project dearly. I hope you are flying a x15 somehow in heaven. You are a true hero. Americana at its best...
Thanks for posting, Rogue! I'm currently reading Michelle Evans' book "The X-15 Rocket Plane." This video is a great piece to accompany my reading. Good stuff!
Oh awesome! I'll have to read that one. I recommend "On the Edge of Space" by X-15 pilot Milton O. Thompson... it's simply excellent! Thanks for stopping by!
I highly recommend everyone listen to the real time audio of chuck during his supersonic tumble. He gets his aircraft back under control and says “i can’t say much more, I gotta try to save myself!” If you are human you will have goosebumps. The most amazing instance of inertial coupling ever, and bless crossfield for appreciating it.
My father was a naviater..and I learned as a kid that no matter how safe and well designed a fighter or any military aircraft we're they r all unforgiving..my day drove the A-7...and at such speeds a small mistake can end your life in a split second..yes flying is a thrill..but u r always seconds away from being gone you and your aircraft..just ask any aviator.....piilots are to this day don't get the respect they are more honored for,.luckly My dad did even after going thru another pilots jet wash..many we're not and are still not as liucky..pilots ARE a special breed!!!!
You are most welcome! I'm glad I could get it online for everyone to enjoy as a part of history...and yes, I agree with you. I think the "Right Stuff" should be remade with history as the ultimate guide-line over Hollywood.
Oooh thanks for the tip! I'll have to look that one up! I'm surprised how many of us out there love and remember these old documentaries...no fake drama, just solid gold aircraft history.
thanks for the upload, I've got well over 1000+ hours of this stuff but it's all on VHS. "and most of them are in bad shape now" good to see Rocket pilots again! "GOOD STUFF!"
This has to be one of the best documentaries ever about the U.S. involvement from the high speed flight right into the beginnings of the U.S. space exploration programs... Those people who were in these programs were AWESOME... If I had the chance to go back in time 60 years , and pick where I would go, this is where & when I would have gone...
As a 1984 Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Astronautical Engineering I revered these men! I too taped this production and I still have it on VHS. What a treat to come across it here! While still at the Academy, I had the honor of listening to William "Pete" Knight describe his experiences in the North American X-15!!!
That's interesting...especially since this is one of the best documentaries on the X-planes and the X-15 in particular. No matter what the case, it's an oldie goldie! :) Glad you like!
Breaks my heart seeing the expression of fatigue on Scott’s face in the cockpit at aprox 42:30. He looked so stressed . Rip Scott. One day I will see your grave in person to pay respects..
Just wanted to say thanks!! I was just thinking about this documentary... I actually have it recorded on VHS from the early 1980's as well and was thinking to myself, I wonder if it could be on youtube!! Thanks again!!
The narrator (and writer) of "An American Adventure: TheRocket Pilots" was NBC newsman Lloyd Dobyns. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Dobyns. You will see Dobyns' credited as "Writer" in the brief credits at the end of this uploaded version of the documentary. Had the credits not been cut prematurely, you would have seen "Narrator: Lloyd Dobyns". I watched this on NBC when it first aired in 1981 and was able to tape it on VHS when it aired again in the late 1980's on another network - I still have that VHS copy. Around 2009, I found a DVD version (from a VHS transfer) for sale on the web and bought that. I wish the original was available in DVD format. Before I purchased the VHS-DVD copy, I had contacted NBC archives requesting a "first-version" copy but was told that title is not available from their archives. Very surprised that NBC does not have this fantastic and well-written documentary in a retrievable format available for public purchase.
@g2macs: I don't agree...I think it's an impossible comparison. Yeager was a fighter pilot gone test pilot, whereas Crossfield was an aeronautical engineer gone test pilot. The truth is, I feel like Yeager represented the past, a "seat of your pants, school of hard knocks" kind of pilot, and Crossfield represented the future, a space pilot with more of a math/science/engineering background. If you look at many of the recent shuttle pilots since 2000, a number of them look more like Crossfield and less like Yeager. I think this transition really is marked by these two pilots and this time period. It's not really "better" vs "worse" -- it's just different. The machines evolved, as did the need for the type of men who commanded them. Both men were extraordinary, and I've a high regard for both.
rogueguineapig Most people don't realize the connections the x-15 program had with Apollo,,,besides the obvious with Neil Armstrong piloting the A/C and lunar lander who specialized in flight controls,, the Apollo spacecraft was designed and built by North American Aviation with Scott Crossfield the original X-15 test pilot as the program manager,, the X-15 ground control and tracking protocols also set the stage for NASA's Houston-controlled approach to the Apollo manned missions, ,we were certainly thrust into the Space Age by the X-15....THX
I am seeing a great many comparisons between Yeager and Crossfield. Here is an observation I have of Yeager. He was seat of the pants, learn by feel. Crossfield was too to an extent being contemporaries. Now take the case of Joe Walker. He died when his F104 crashed into one of the 2 XB70's in a formation flight. Yeager blamed Walker a highly skilled pilot and NASA with not keeping thier pilots "up to date and proficient in basics like formation flying" but many have said Walker was probably trying to judge his distance from the XB70 which had no markings on the fuselage to gauge distance. Maybe more "formation flights" but this did not make Walker a bad pilot. Yeager seems to be one able to toot his own horn at other people's expense. He voiced these professional opinions in his books.
Yeager never went to college either and he was a bit of an ass. Cross field was more of gentleman. If Yeager's last flight was the X15, he would have opened it up, which would have been all about ego, not mission.
Lee Richards It was a wonderfully cool plane...check out the book "On the Edge of Space" by Milton O. Thompson...one of the pilots. Great book about the X-15 program and test pilots in general.
I taped The Rocket Pilots off RTE (Irish TV) in 1981. It was the first programme I ever taped as we had only hust received our first VCR. I still have the VHS casette. "Reaching for the Skies" was a British TV series (shown in BBC) and made in 1988. In the UK version, the voiceover was done by Sir Anthony Quayle.
When I was 15 we flew up to Wisconsin and on the way we had to go over a weather system. After much ear popping the Captain announced that we were at 43,800 ft and too take a look. Apparently we were really high up. I had a window seat so I was already stuck to the window. If I pressed my face to the window I could see the slight curvature of the Earth and if i looked up as high as i could, i could see the blackness of space. That is when I realized we were in deep if anything went wrong and we were only 44 thousand feet up. It's a picture that has not diminished thru time. The test pilots of the past were exceptional men of determination. Above 50 thousand feet your basically at the edge of the atmosphere and these guys were doubling that. There is no help up there, your at the doorstep of God. HATS OFF TO ALL THESE EXCEPTIONAL PILOTS!
yeah. I joined the USAF as an engineer and literally the week before I left for OTS in 1982 there was a show on TV called "The Rocket Men" as I recall. too odd a coincidence as I was a space nut since I could read
Hey guys. I,m 60 yrs old and I saw this doc first run, I loved it and still do. I think the narrator was a NBC news commentator at the time. Reaching for the skies was R.Vaughn. SPACE. a PBS documentary, (mini series) was narrated by Martin Sheen. Does anyone remember survival in the skies? A great mini series narrated by the guy who does "the most interesting man in the world" ads!
Amazon actually has it...search for "The Rocket Pilots" and look for the familiar cut-scene logo. And you are most welcome...I grew up on this too and man! What a great documentary!
Jim Greene 11/11/2018 As a young boy of 12 years of age I built a Monogram model of the X-15 Rocket Plane, and ever since have been enamored with it's amazing accomplishments. After college and three years in the US Army as a Hawk Missile Technician, I started with Honeywell. The chart recording instruments you see in this video are Model Class 15's. They were produced by Honeywell's Industrial Division where I worked. One day at Naval Underwater Systems Command, I met another Honeywell employee, first name Ed, (can't quite recall his last name this minute) was involved in the X-15 program, and on the flight line the day Michael Adams suffered a failure, and lost his life. Adams wife was also there that day, her very first day to watch him. An Air Force Base in Washington state is named in his honor, however that was not publicized as we did not want the Russians to know of our accomplishments. Ed had a placque in his office commemorating the X-15 program, and all of the pilots involved. I too recorded a PBS program, An American Adventure, "The Test Pilots" program. That version even showed the camera inside the cockpit during Michael Adams final flight, and I too lost the video. I too made a search for it. I even contacted the Smithsonian Institution trying to locate it to no avail, so thank you for this video! I cannot begin to tell you how fortunate young boys my age were to learn from the models we built. It clearly is the reason so many of us went into careers of science and engineering disciplines. We had real life role models to follow not just imaginary action figures...
A Cessna 210 piloted by Scott Crossfield crashed near Ludville Georgia in April of 2006, there were no passengers, Crossfield did not survive. Crash has been attributed to thunderstorms in the area.Not the only 1950's era rocket pilot to get caught by the weather, not the last pilot either.
Fantastic! Taped this too at the time and watched it to death, dont know what happened to the tape. The story at the time was that the producer has been convicted for cocaine ( or some drug) and was court ordered to perform public service, and this documentary was it..
He kept flying for years but did get out of the rockept plane business until the n4-104 flight. It was a modified f-104 starfightewr w/ a rocket on the tail built to train astronauts for low gravity. Anyway he took it up to attempt a world altitude record and ended up in a flat spin, ejected and was severly burned.
Thanks for the kind words! You wouldn't happen to know who narrated the "Rocket Pilots - An American Adventure" section, would you? I thought he was awesome..
I remember seeing this documentary when it first came out in 1980 or 81. This copy has some of the lead-in footage deleted as the full copy of this video shows the Space Shuttle landing comparing to the X-15, with Scott Crossfield giving some narrative. Still a great video though. I got to see the X-15 land as a child being in Lancaster from 1958 to 1961.
I have learnt from a book that a German TV team led by Heinrich Schiemann had been recording the preparations of Adams' last flight on Nov 15, 1967. The author also said that his crash had been reported in the TV news of that day, showing helicopter footage of the crashed X-15. I wonder whether these scenes are available somewhere?
Scott Crossfield, absolute bad ass, blown up still no hesitation to blast off again true fearless hero deserves WAY more recognition than was given for what they did for space program.
I am Scott Crossfield's daughter, thank you for posting this. I've lost it over the years and it was nice to see again.
I am so absolutely honored that you found it and enjoyed it...thank you for watching it!!
Wow! Your father is legend!! If there was ever an historical era and program I'd want to be involved in, it would've been this pioneering effort of the 50s and 60s.
Robert Evans : The russions could not copy this stuff, they were still figuring out wheel bearings for an ox cart. Those guys are my hero's just like my father. Look at this country now , I don't believe these spineless so called leaders. I am glad that I am older. Proud to be an American from a bygone era.
Robert Evans . Sally's father was better than Yeager , courage beyond belief. Don't get me wrong but this man continued on in a hazardous environment. Crossfield is the real Legend here .
Sally Farley Your Dad and Chuck were the greatest Pilots who ever lived.
Thank you for sharing this. My Dad was SAC/Minuteman Missiles. I grew up on Air Force Bases in the '50s and '60s. I'm one of those rare freaks that loves the sound of airplanes and I even love it when our local airport runs the flight path over our house. I just wish my Dad was alive to see this. Thanks again.
Dragon Fly Glad you enjoyed, and I wish your dad could have seen it too! I'm the same... I live near SkyHarbor Airport and it's simply wonderful to watch the planes come in.
I taped this as a 60 minute show on PBS back in 91, I think. Then I lost it, and have been searching ever since to see it again.
Thanks, dude !
It’s you
Aviation history is pretty dang cool if you ask me
So here I am watching a documentary, minding my own business, and I decide to peek at the comment section - and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a post by the Agent, from a bygone year!
I have a very low use vhs and a U-Matic copy of some footage used in this. Need to digitize and post it.
Instablaster.
I got my interest in new technology after my Dad (who worked for North American as a photorealistic artist) purchased both the X-15 and B-70 films sold at the company store. It's great to find gems like this as I was very young back then with no way to satisfy my appetite to see more. Great conversion too, I just converted the B-70 film to digital myself a short while ago but it already existed here. I was even blessed that my Dad took me to the first rollout of the B-70 back in 64'.... Yes, I'm in that crowd shown in the clip here at UA-cam.
That's really great. Frank Whittle was visiting GE in Lynn Massachusetts when I was on a school field trip on the 1970s. My teacher told me to get his autograph which I did. I was 9 years old and I had no idea who he was.
Thanks for this video so much! As a kid, these guys were my heroes. And thanks for your bravery, Scott! I couldn't do anything you did, except taxi through the hangar wall.
Reaching for the skies was by far the best series. So well done. Thanks for uploading, this brings back a lot of childhood memories.
This is one of the best shows I've seen on the topic - almost lost to time - your Dad did aviation freaks a huge solid! Thank you for uploading this!!
Thank you, Love everything I can find on this stuff, I lived that era and am proud to see all these fine men again
+Vinnie M you are most welcome, and thanks for stopping by!!
Watched it 3 times already, by far the best X-15 footage ever!
:)V
I've lost count of how many times I've watched it since I Was 12, so I totally know the feeling!! It's great isn't it? They don't make them like this anymore..
I saw The Rocket Pilots as a teenager in the early '80s and have been an aviation buff since that day. I saw the X-15 hanging at the Smithsonian Museum in 1977 but had no idea of how awesome and important this a/c s/c was at the time. I took a picture of it because I knew it was something special and it bled speed but again, I had no idea of it's capabilities. Shortly after seeing The Rocket pilots, I began attending any of the larger air shows that were within 250 miles or so of my home and let's not forget the interesting series called Wings which fueled my aviation fever even more. Thank you +rogueguineapig for posting this.
These are great inspirational, and historical, documentaries! Thanks for posting them rogueguineapig! It reminded me that I purchased some of the Reaching for the Skies documentaries on VHS in 1989. I was interested in these when I started flying with a paraglider in 1989 (back when they were not as good as they are now, lol). I still have the VHS tapes, so i pulled them out and watched them again. I had subscribed to the CBS Library mail order service back then, to get a video each month. First one free, then pay for one each month, and so on... I hung in there for 8 months, so I have eight VHS episodes: Quest for Speed, Trailblazers, Pioneers, Fighters, Bombers, The Birth of Air Combat, Victory Over the Sea, & Vertical Flight. And you are correct, that is Robert Vaughan narrating.
What a great time to be an American !!! This had to be the greatest time to live if you had any interest in aerospace and hopefully will come again with all these private company getting involved...Thank you for sharing this great documentary !!!
You are awesome! That documentary was fantastic! Thanks!
thanks man!! I'm glad ya like it, and thanks for stopping by!
Fantastic, thats the sort of stuff we need now, -The Right Stuff. Thanks for the upload.
Thanks for the kind comments and for stopping by to watch it! :)
I've been wanting to see this again for years...I too saw it on TV in the late 80s or 90s. Thanks so much for uploading it!!
Awesome! Glad you finally found it… Thanks for stopping by!
Mandatory watching for authentic aviators! Many thanks for the conversions, well done.
Thanks I grew up hearing the stories of these brave pioneers
Thank you SO much for this upload! I used to re-watch this SO much when I was a kid.
+ChOas Xxx you're most welcome, and I did as well... I think many of us had a childhood blessed by such documentaries. :)
+ChOas Xxx you're most welcome, and I did as well... I think many of us had a childhood blessed by such documentaries. :)
This is great!! I have this on VHS somewhere. I remember seeing this on Arts and Entertainment back in 87' before I saw the movie "The Right stuff". So the movie made a whole lot of sense! I have always been facinated by Airplanes and jets. Now my twin boys that 8 love jets and planes. They will surely enjoy this!! This is a great production of the history of the Jet and Rocket Age! Thanks for posting this on youtube!
thanks man!! I hope they enjoy it...I've enjoyed it since I was 8, and that was over 20 years ago now! :)
This is so cool, I remember this when I was 12, I almost memorized this whole show. I thank you for sharing this, I just got transported to 30 years ago. Wow..
Same here! Glad you found it and I'm glad ya like!
+rogueguineapig... Fascinating documentary! thank you so much for uploading this special program on the test pilots, and their thoughts and observations and the experimental aircraft that they risked their lives to evaluate, and help to improve and progress into space exploration today.
Thanks so much for posting this. Watched my VHS until I practically destroyed it. One of the great documentaries ever IMO. When 'The Right Stuff' came out I was so disappointed because this told the rocket pilot story so much better than that movie did. Thanks again!
God bless you Scotty! I know you loved this project dearly. I hope you are flying a x15 somehow in heaven. You are a true hero. Americana at its best...
Harrison Storms was my great grandfather. I never had the chance to know him the these videos help me a lot
That's awesome! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the documentary!
TicTac I’ve read quite a bit about him. Very cool you’re here.
Thanks for posting, Rogue! I'm currently reading Michelle Evans' book "The X-15 Rocket Plane." This video is a great piece to accompany my reading. Good stuff!
Oh awesome! I'll have to read that one. I recommend "On the Edge of Space" by X-15 pilot Milton O. Thompson... it's simply excellent! Thanks for stopping by!
I highly recommend everyone listen to the real time audio of chuck during his supersonic tumble. He gets his aircraft back under control and says “i can’t say much more, I gotta try to save myself!” If you are human you will have goosebumps. The most amazing instance of inertial coupling ever, and bless crossfield for appreciating it.
Do you have a link to the audio file? Would love to hear this
Just finding this now searching for X15 Crossfield history. Many thanks for landing this 1981 program here for us today!
Very cool! Thanks for posting this show. Never saw this before until now. I wish there were more shows like this.
Me too! thanks for stopping by to watch!
My father was a naviater..and I learned as a kid that no matter how safe and well designed a fighter or any military aircraft we're they r all unforgiving..my day drove the A-7...and at such speeds a small mistake can end your life in a split second..yes flying is a thrill..but u r always seconds away from being gone you and your aircraft..just ask any aviator.....piilots are to this day don't get the respect they are more honored for,.luckly
My dad did even after going thru another pilots jet wash..many we're not and are still not as liucky..pilots ARE a special breed!!!!
I've been looking for this video for years! Thanks for uploading this!!
You are most welcome! I'm glad I could get it online for everyone to enjoy as a part of history...and yes, I agree with you. I think the "Right Stuff" should be remade with history as the ultimate guide-line over Hollywood.
Oooh thanks for the tip! I'll have to look that one up! I'm surprised how many of us out there love and remember these old documentaries...no fake drama, just solid gold aircraft history.
This is excellent, thank you for sharing this!!
You're welcome! and thank you for watching! :)
Been looking for this for a while.Thanks buddy.
no worries! And you can find the complete program on Amazon on DVD for a few bucks. Enjoy!
Awesome! Thanks for uploading these! It's surprisingly difficult to find documentaries on the X-15.
anytime! And yes there's only a few that I know of...gotta get the good stuff out there. Thanks for stopping by to watch! :)
Great documentary....thank you for posting it!
thanks for the upload, I've got well over 1000+ hours of this stuff but it's all on VHS.
"and most of them are in bad shape now" good to see Rocket pilots again!
"GOOD STUFF!"
Great documentary . . . thanx a lot for ULing! *thumbs up*
BTW Jim Waddle . . . that was definitely not Robert Vaughn narrating.
This has to be one of the best documentaries ever about the U.S. involvement from the high speed flight right into the beginnings of the U.S. space exploration programs... Those people who were in these programs were AWESOME... If I had the chance to go back in time 60 years , and pick where I would go, this is where & when I would have gone...
Gods speed to all of our aviation heroes… Scott you had a huge set of balls.. rip sir
As a 1984 Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Astronautical Engineering I revered these men! I too taped this production and I still have it on VHS. What a treat to come across it here! While still at the Academy, I had the honor of listening to William "Pete" Knight describe his experiences in the North American X-15!!!
That's interesting...especially since this is one of the best documentaries on the X-planes and the X-15 in particular. No matter what the case, it's an oldie goldie! :) Glad you like!
Excellent. There has been so much excellent television lost to time .
Breaks my heart seeing the expression of fatigue on Scott’s face in the cockpit at aprox 42:30. He looked so stressed . Rip Scott. One day I will see your grave in person to pay respects..
Incredible documentary. Thanks so much for sharing.
Impressive documentary , Tx for share this enigmatic world .
Just posting again... thank you!!
Really really superb stuff here- thanks!!
Just wanted to say thanks!! I was just thinking about this documentary... I actually have it recorded on VHS from the early 1980's as well and was thinking to myself, I wonder if it could be on youtube!! Thanks again!!
No worries man! I'm just glad I had a converted copy I could get uploaded for airplane geeks like me! :) Thanks for stopping by!
Great great video! Huge thanks.
Thank you for posting. Makes a sad commentary on modern times
Well worth a watch. Great vid.
The narrator (and writer) of "An American Adventure: TheRocket Pilots" was NBC newsman Lloyd Dobyns.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Dobyns.
You will see Dobyns' credited as "Writer" in the brief credits at the end of this uploaded version of the documentary. Had the credits not been cut prematurely, you would have seen "Narrator: Lloyd Dobyns". I watched this on NBC when it first aired in 1981 and was able to tape it on VHS when it aired again in the late 1980's on another network - I still have that VHS copy. Around 2009, I found a DVD version (from a VHS transfer) for sale on the web and bought that. I wish the original was available in DVD format. Before I purchased the VHS-DVD copy, I had contacted NBC archives requesting a "first-version" copy but was told that title is not available from their archives. Very surprised that NBC does not have this fantastic and well-written documentary in a retrievable format available for public purchase.
Remember when America did stuff and got it done. Such a long time ago, though. Today we are chasing records in "likes". Pitty.
@g2macs: I don't agree...I think it's an impossible comparison. Yeager was a fighter pilot gone test pilot, whereas Crossfield was an aeronautical engineer gone test pilot. The truth is, I feel like Yeager represented the past, a "seat of your pants, school of hard knocks" kind of pilot, and Crossfield represented the future, a space pilot with more of a math/science/engineering background. If you look at many of the recent shuttle pilots since 2000, a number of them look more like Crossfield and less like Yeager. I think this transition really is marked by these two pilots and this time period. It's not really "better" vs "worse" -- it's just different. The machines evolved, as did the need for the type of men who commanded them. Both men were extraordinary, and I've a high regard for both.
rogueguineapig Most people don't realize the connections the x-15 program had with Apollo,,,besides the obvious with Neil Armstrong piloting the A/C and lunar lander who specialized in flight controls,, the Apollo spacecraft was designed and built by North American Aviation with Scott Crossfield the original X-15 test pilot as the program manager,, the X-15 ground control and tracking protocols also set the stage for NASA's Houston-controlled approach to the Apollo manned missions, ,we were certainly thrust into the Space Age by the X-15....THX
I am seeing a great many comparisons between Yeager and Crossfield. Here is an observation I have of Yeager. He was seat of the pants, learn by feel. Crossfield was too to an extent being contemporaries. Now take the case of Joe Walker. He died when his F104 crashed into one of the 2 XB70's in a formation flight. Yeager blamed Walker a highly skilled pilot and NASA with not keeping thier pilots "up to date and proficient in basics like formation flying" but many have said Walker was probably trying to judge his distance from the XB70 which had no markings on the fuselage to gauge distance. Maybe more "formation flights" but this did not make Walker a bad pilot.
Yeager seems to be one able to toot his own horn at other people's expense. He voiced these professional opinions in his books.
I agree, its hardly even a criticism of yeager, he simply was from a different generation.
Yeager never went to college either and he was a bit of an ass. Cross field was more of gentleman. If Yeager's last flight was the X15, he would have opened it up, which would have been all about ego, not mission.
@@pipercub123456 the X 15 was the embryo of the Shuttle...
I also had this on VHS tape! Thanks for uploading..
Thanks so much. I had this on VHS, but lost it years ago.
X-15, still unbeatable. They just did it. And i's for and more over 50 years. My heros! Then became Space Shuttlers! They're my truly heros also too!
Thank you to all the men and women that helped us push the boundaries of the human race.
"The sonic wall was mine ,the hangar wall was Corssfields " Lmao Yeagers troll level was supersonic.
Fantastic documentary, thanks!
Excellent documentary, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore!
Absolutely magnificent!
Ain't it though? Glad you found and liked it!
I visited the National Air and Space Smithsonian in DC to see the X-15. Absolute beast of a contraption!
Lee Richards
It was a wonderfully cool plane...check out the book "On the Edge of Space" by Milton O. Thompson...one of the pilots. Great book about the X-15 program and test pilots in general.
Will do! You keeping up to date on the latest developments in winged spaceflight?
Not as much anymore...it's been tough being a full-time student! I read and follow geopolitics a bit more than space flight these days :(
great upload! thanks!
thanks for stopping by and watching! :)
I love the pic of Scott wearing his helmet and seeing the reflection of the windshield on his visor
Thank you for watching it! :)
I taped The Rocket Pilots off RTE (Irish TV) in 1981. It was the first programme I ever taped as we had only hust received our first VCR. I still have the VHS casette.
"Reaching for the Skies" was a British TV series (shown in BBC) and made in 1988. In the UK version, the voiceover was done by Sir Anthony Quayle.
Superb, thanks for sharing !
Excellent documentary!!
The narrator for Reach for the Skies I'm pretty sure was Robert Vaughn, from the Man From U.N.C.L.E.
When I was 15 we flew up to Wisconsin and on the way we had to go over a weather system. After much ear popping the Captain announced that we were at 43,800 ft and too take a look. Apparently we were really high up. I had a window seat so I was already stuck to the window. If I pressed my face to the window I could see the slight curvature of the Earth and if i looked up as high as i could, i could see the blackness of space. That is when I realized we were in deep if anything went wrong and we were only 44 thousand feet up. It's a picture that has not diminished thru time.
The test pilots of the past were exceptional men of determination. Above 50 thousand feet your basically at the edge of the atmosphere and these guys were doubling that. There is no help up there, your at the doorstep of God.
HATS OFF TO ALL THESE EXCEPTIONAL PILOTS!
yeah. I joined the USAF as an engineer and literally the week before I left for OTS in 1982 there was a show on TV called "The Rocket Men" as I recall. too odd a coincidence as I was a space nut since I could read
Excellent documentary
Hey guys. I,m 60 yrs old and I saw this doc first run, I loved it and still do. I think the narrator was a NBC news commentator at the time. Reaching for the skies was R.Vaughn. SPACE. a PBS documentary, (mini series) was narrated by Martin Sheen. Does anyone remember survival in the skies? A great mini series narrated by the guy who does "the most interesting man in the world" ads!
Lloyd Dobbins who also reported on Weekend and Overnight on NBC.
Great documentary, got to see one of the X-15's at the Air Force Museum at Wright Pat,
Not sure why somebody would dislike this video.
Stupidity. The truth being told shattering their UA-cam University education . . . ;>)
You are most welcome! I'm glad I finally found it and got it on here :)
brother I remember this..... Yes I do.... OMGosh thank you... I remember this like yesterday
Amazon actually has it...search for "The Rocket Pilots" and look for the familiar cut-scene logo. And you are most welcome...I grew up on this too and man! What a great documentary!
Nice to find real documentaries like this to watch instead of the crap on TV.
Jim Greene 11/11/2018
As a young boy of 12 years of age I built a Monogram model of the X-15 Rocket Plane, and ever since have been enamored with it's amazing accomplishments. After college and three years in the US Army as a Hawk Missile Technician, I started with Honeywell. The chart recording instruments you see in this video are Model Class 15's. They were produced by Honeywell's Industrial Division where I worked. One day at Naval Underwater Systems Command, I met another Honeywell employee, first name Ed, (can't quite recall his last name this minute) was involved in the X-15 program, and on the flight line the day Michael Adams suffered a failure, and lost his life. Adams wife was also there that day, her very first day to watch him. An Air Force Base in Washington state is named in his honor, however that was not publicized as we did not want the Russians to know of our accomplishments. Ed had a placque in his office commemorating the X-15 program, and all of the pilots involved.
I too recorded a PBS program, An American Adventure, "The Test Pilots" program. That version even showed the camera inside the cockpit during Michael Adams final flight, and I too lost the video. I too made a search for it. I even contacted the Smithsonian Institution trying to locate it to no avail, so thank you for this video! I cannot begin to tell you how fortunate young boys my age were to learn from the models we built. It clearly is the reason so many of us went into careers of science and engineering disciplines. We had real life role models to follow not just imaginary action figures...
Awesome! I think Amazon might have them as well..thanks for sharing!
you are most welcome!!
Please do upload it! UA-cam needs more good content!
Can’t stop watching this one, when Americans were Great!
A Cessna 210 piloted by Scott Crossfield crashed near Ludville Georgia in April of 2006, there were no passengers, Crossfield did not survive. Crash has been attributed to thunderstorms in the area.Not the only 1950's era rocket pilot to get caught by the weather, not the last pilot either.
is this true?
thank you sir! I'm just glad it's out there for people to enjoy!
You are correct sir! I just found that on IMDB...thanks for the info!
Fantastic! Taped this too at the time and watched it to death, dont know what happened to the tape. The story at the time was that the producer has been convicted for cocaine ( or some drug) and was court ordered to perform public service, and this documentary was it..
58 min in, we see John Young... RIP :(
Like Chuck Yeager you are an ace too Crossfield!
He kept flying for years but did get out of the rockept plane business until the n4-104 flight. It was a modified f-104 starfightewr w/ a rocket on the tail built to train astronauts for low gravity. Anyway he took it up to attempt a world altitude record and ended up in a flat spin, ejected and was severly burned.
Thanks for the kind words! You wouldn't happen to know who narrated the "Rocket Pilots - An American Adventure" section, would you? I thought he was awesome..
"Edwards was the place to be, no doubt about it. Howard Hughs can't fly these airplanes." - Crossfield
I remember seeing this documentary when it first came out in 1980 or 81. This copy has some of the lead-in footage deleted as the full copy of this video shows the Space Shuttle landing comparing to the X-15, with Scott Crossfield giving some narrative. Still a great video though. I got to see the X-15 land as a child being in Lancaster from 1958 to 1961.
Glad ya like! Enjoy and share with your fellow airplane lovers everywhere. :)
Very cool share Thank you.
Thanks so much!
No problem! Happy to contribute to the airplane-philia in the world! :)
This is great! Many thanks!
great stuff, thanks.
+FPVREVIEWS and thank you for stopping by!
FPVREVIEWS
I have learnt from a book that a German TV team led by Heinrich Schiemann had been recording the preparations of Adams' last flight on Nov 15, 1967. The author also said that his crash had been reported in the TV news of that day, showing helicopter footage of the crashed X-15. I wonder whether these scenes are available somewhere?
Scott Crossfield, absolute bad ass, blown up still no hesitation to blast off again true fearless hero deserves WAY more recognition than was given for what they did for space program.