As a former USAF Pilot, I was humbled by the fact that such a great pilot could have such an accident. This video could be shown to all incoming USAF student pilots to teach them about safety and always being aware to never let their guard down.
The animation of the view from the cockpit of the overflying B-58 speaks volumes. Meanwhile, I didn’t realize they been flying around for so long. What the heck it does it take to take a photograph? On station for more than 15 minutes?! Seriously WTF.
@@JoeOvercoat Well, it takes quite a lot more than 15 minutes. In 15 mins you can get maybe a couple of good photos while walking on ground around the plane, IF you have made a strict pre-plans on what viewpoints you want photos from. When flying in the air, you are very lucky to get just one. From your comment it is clear that you lack the relevant knowledge on both taking photos and how planes behave in air to make an informed opinion about it. Seriously WTF. Why the hell people need to have their stupid opinions voiced? Go learn these thing. Make yourself informed and then make your opinion. Otherwise you'll just make yourself a fool.
This was the first video I saw about that accident that mentioned the stress to be highly concentrated for 40 minutes and the effect of a short distraction. In some other videos or newspaper article I heard or read that the accident was caused by Joe Walker flying to close by recklessnes. Everybody who flies know how fast a short distraction can get you in a bad situation. Thanks for mention that. That puts that accident in a different light!
Now I wonder why they were in this formation or anything like it for so long. Especially back in the day you could only take so many photographs. It was film. What were they thinking burning that much gas even?
Fact: Walker flew into the Valkyrie. Was it a stupid mission? Was he distracted? Maybe and maybe. Explanations don’t change facts tho. It was an unfortunate, unforced error.
@@JoeOvercoat they probably realized that this was their 1 chance for a photo op, so they better make the most of it. Also, unlike digital cameras, film cameras can't show you previews of your shot, so you have to take as many as possible. This is a guess, but there was probably some hope that a splashy photo spread might lead to renewed consideration of the B-70 or even newer planes.
@@winternow2242 yes, I think they were concentrating on getting that ‘best shot’ in a difficult shooting environment and became complacent as to the dangerous conditions that the formation required. Personally, I lay the blame on the leadership that dreamed this whole stunt up and then didn’t put strict limitations on what would be involved in the shoot like not pushing the safety envelope. All for what? A great calendar shot, might even had made the cover for that one year.
It's true. I was a butcher at a high end shop, and the only time I ever cut myself was when a gorgeous woman walked in and I did a double take lol. Stabbed my thumb to the bone once while steeling and one of my favorite customers came in...oh my twenties, if I could redo you...
I've been an aircraft designer for over 20 years but when I see the Valkyrie I am floored by the innovation and skill of the engineers 60 years ago. Those guys were all stars for sure.
People have no clue the endless effort and genius that goes into an aircraft design. When it appears effortless is when is when it was a truly fantastic team effort. Its the same with a great building.
This is the first time I've ever heard the duration of flight and distraction of the B 58 being mentioned. Thanks for adding that extra information and the stunning visuals.
I was intrigued by the new info of the higher flying B-58. This is the first I’ve heard of a possible distracting visual. I recall being in highschool when this accident occurred. And all for a brochure cover photo! Certainly wasn’t worth the cost of 2 expert top flight pilots! Thank you for the excellent description and clarifying visuals!
What a superb, well crafted documentary. It's never pleasant to focus the blame on a deceased, experienced, talented professional but there are few other contributing factors. Wake vortex was a known quantity to all those pilots in the photo-shoot. RIP to both men.
I've seen lots of videos of the incident, but this is the very first time any mention of the B-58 flying way over head that might have caused a distraction . a small little side note as an older teenager who built lots of models. On my display shelf in my bedroom I had a XB-70 and a B-58 sitting side by side. Right next to the Saturn 5 rocket that could separate into all the staging to include the Lunar lander you could attach to the nose of the Command Module. So many more from the SR71 to the X-15 and my pride and joy a completely transparent P-51D on a stand that you could raise and lower the landing gear and spin the props by pushing a control button. I was a teenager who is now 68 years old :- ( . memories....🙂
Being big into Rocketry, I had a few extra D-cell engines I mounted into the XB-70. I went to my local school yard and set them off. The flame warped one engine port side and sent the XB-70 into a corkscrew about 10' off the ground and 40 feet off the launch pad. I've got pictures with exhaust trails of about 3 complete turns around everyone. The X-15 had a joined epoxied 2 D cell and was last seen screaming out over the Pacific coast at 100 foot altitude straight to the horizon 🙂. Many of my models met their end in much the same glorious way.
It's cool to hear your stories of your models. In the mid 1960's my folks had a little hobby shop in Ft Worth, Texas near the Camp Bowie traffic circle. It, (and the elementary school I attended), were right under the flight path north of Carswell AFB and so we got to see lots of B-52s, tankers, Hustlers, the F1-11 and other fighters I never learned the names of flying pretty low in and out of the base. Every year the base had an air show and we could see the Thunderbirds performing from that area. One year, I'm pretty sure it was 1965, one of the X-B70's came to the air show. The local radio stations actually tracked it's movements so locals could go outside at the right time to see it. It flew over my school coming in to land on its arrival. Then when it left for California after the show everybody was able to come out to see it take off over our heads. It was absolutely the most beautiful, charismatic airplane ever. I fell in love with it and have never recovered. As a kid I thought it looked like a big, white dragon. It was really loud on takeoff. We were used to loud takeoffs but NOTHING compared to those six engines roaring when it blew over. It made a second pass and then headed west. I've heard that the one that came to Carswell was the one that crashed. Makes me sad, but I feel lucky to have seen it. Anyway, Ft Worth had a pretty active modeling community then. We sold RC, control line and free flight planes, and we flew every weekend to support the business. There were always people out flying. There was also a group who built plastic models. They built them carefully and did research to do the paint jobs really accurately. We would display their models in our shop window. The Aurora plastic movie monster kits were big too, as was Rat Fink and all the Big Daddy Roth character car kits, Davey, Daddy, Digger, and Danny. They were intentionally grotesque and funny. All the kids loved them. Rocketry got big later. Anyway, it was a fun time and place to be a kid.
@@justicewokeisutterbs8641 I too got into rocketry and launched many at my school But I went a step further. I modified 2 D cell motors and epoxied them into one long stage. Mounted it into a X-15 and lunched it out over Monterey Bay from a small cliff. Last seen screaming at Mach 10 flying level at 50 feet to the horizon. My SR 71 didn't fair quite so well.😄
@@MatthewPettyST1300 That is so cool! Great memories of great fun. I think there was something special about putting all the work into a model, rig something wild like your X-15 with modified engines and then risking it in flight. There's nothing quite like it. 😎👍
Damn. On the one hand those toys sound expensive for the time, on the other your passion saved your parents entire days wondering what presents to give you, so that’s something i guess.
Great video and animation. Been following this since I was a kid in the 1960s, and my father was a USAF bomber pilot in the 1950s and 60s. He told me that I might be flying it one day, as a replacement for the B-52 that he flew. I got up close and personal with the remaining XB-70 at Wright-Pat AFB in 1980, before the AF museum was revamped. The XB-70 was outside in front of the museum and I was there just before closing, when almost no-one was there and it was getting dusk. There was a jack-up extended maintenance stand a few dozen yards from it, and since I had used them when I was a USAF crew chief, I thought why not get a picture of the cockpit. I screwed up the jack stand pods and pushed it over to the XB-70, then jacked up the stairs until they were level with the cockpit and ran up the stairs to the platform. I got several pictures before a patrolling Security Police airman saw me and yelled at me to get down from there, which I did, but I was close enough to touch the side windscreen although I did not touch it. A moment of magical wonder for me at that time.
Excellently done, and includes film footage of the XB-70 I've never seen in any other video of the plane. This video also explains the role of wake turbulence in the incident better than any I've seen. It's narrated clearly and the graphics, mixed with actual footage, are outstanding. The research done on sonic booms, using the XB-70 is slightly tainted, because the use of compression lift with the drooped wingtips tended to focus the supersonic shock wave downward, increasing its energy in that direction. I was a youngster when this plane flew, and it has always been my favorite, alongside the SR-71. It's truly a huge aircraft, I've walked under it at the USAF Museum when it was housed in the Museum Annex hangar at Wright-Patterson AFB. The SR-71 is half its size, maybe less.
F1 cars also develop these vortices-->either from the rear wing end plates or from the Y250(250 millimeters from the central axis of the car)vortex generated by the front wings and elements. F1 engineers want as strong a Y250 vortex as possible as those vortices come together into 1 big vortex which is then spread out to the outside of the F1 sidepods by the bargeboard. Interesting to see under heavy humid conditions or when its raining by either the front wing and rear wing on an F1 car.
This was really well done. I did not know about the B-58 before watching this, and the animation of the tragic incident was very professional in execution. You’ve got a new subscriber.
Still have a memory of seeing both aircraft at Edwards AFB in May 1966, just weeks before the accident. A/V1 was on static display while A/V2 was in flight.
I love learning about aerodynamics and how lift works, I am at that stage where I know enough about the subject to know I know absolutely nothing about the subject. But Oh My God, the 15 seconds of animation after 2:11 made something click. You're always pushing the same weight in air down as the plane weighs, and spreading that energy out over a longer wing will per definition make wing-tip vortices less energetic and cause less drag. That was such a satisfying AHA!! moment, and I only got it because you made this video. That was a really cool thing of you to do friend, I am grateful.
I recall as a child born in 65 and becoming an aeronautics and space junky, the first time seeing a picture of the XB-70 on the ground. I did not think it was real, I thought it was a futuristic mock up of a someday plane. When eventually learning of Her reality and history, (remember, we didn't have internet. Just books and magazines) I was brought to tears. Well done.
Just one brief moment of lapsed concentration is all it took, and then it was all over. What a tragedy. Fantastic video as always, Mike. You really are one of the best creators on this platform.
@@Mike-Bell when I visited Dayton I realized that the Air Force had been designing an aircraft for every mission. By every mission I don’t mean interception versus interdiction. I mean like for every mission like bombing a certain place they would design a particular aircraft for it. Dream-sheeting all the way. When you go, plan on not less than three days. Also the sign said to not touch the SR 71 but I how could i not? …the wing tip is right there. ☺️
I've been fascinated by this aircraft since it's inception and recall my father talking about Joe Walker, nice to finally learn more about the accident. Well done, thank you.
Excellent vid with clear, concise info. Uncanny parallels exist when two Sea Venoms of the Royal Navy fatally collided at RAF Chivenor in Devon; 19 Sept. 1959. I witnessed this crash and ever since, I and others at the Airshow, have always maintained the two aircraft were too close. The subsequent enquiry did not mention vortices but the Valkyrie collision shows that they could have played a part in the collision. RIP Observer Robin W.H. Miller and Chief Petty Officer David S. Chapman.
While there's always some wake turbulence, small and light planes can fly very close to each others. Like this "mild" formation flying: ua-cam.com/video/yfES5uNJa4g/v-deo.html This 360 recording allows turning view: ua-cam.com/video/weoK_L7yjRY/v-deo.html
One of my favorite aircraft back to my earlies time loving aviation. Great job putting this story together. I thought I knew everything about the XB-70 but I learned something new today. Thanks for posting this.
OMG this was fantastic! Hats off! I am one of those that call the Valkyrie my favorite plane. Seeing it at the USAF museum as a child left quite the impression on me. The most I ever saw on it was WINGS, and they briefly touch on this but I had no idea. I wonder if the newbie had trouble with the clamshell capsule as well. It is wild how I found this. I was researching surfside because of a suggested video, and yours by far was the best I found and soothed my curiosity. It was so good I figured I would see what else you had, and wow. So well done! Thanks so much!
I can say this is one of the best documentaries out there. It feels like you can't compress more the useful information in less time. The transitions are just perfect. The volume of the speaker is on point. The CGI is absolutely understandable for the elderly aswell... I can go on and on, I wish most science stuff for the average guy like me has the levels of production and explaining things how they are, without beeing too mathematical or too "for kids" if that makes sense. Thanks for this. Knew about the vortex effect on helicopters, but this opened my eyes further on on how hard it is to reach the sky.
Very well done video, wow! I have always wondered why this incident occurred, now you have laid it out in an excellent fashion, complete with great animation. It really does show the demand on these excellent pilots is almost by-the-second dependent. Again, thanks for the informative video.
I've seen the surviving XB-70, back in the 70s when it was first parked outside the Airforce Museum. A truly awesome aircraft to behold. I don't think it's inconceivable at all that an highly experienced pilot of an aircraft could make a slight error. When one gets very experienced, where they feel they could do a certain task in your sleep, they get COMPLACENT. And maybe they aren't as hyperalert as they would be if they were somewhat less experienced. I think he was too close to begin with for safety's sake, but had a lot of confidence at how close he could get and how his plane handled. He glanced up, and that tiny distraction, as close as he was to the XB-70, was enough. This not a slam on the pilot, but he was human like the rest of us. So many accidents can be traced to complacency on the part of the machine operator.
Wow, I usually blow past most of these kinds of videos. But this is excellent, not just in visually recreating the incident but in explaining it and in exploring the concept of wake vortices. Very well done.
@@TysoniusRex oh yeh, there was one on static at my tech school Chanute, I’d walk around that ol girl all the time. It had the Tokyo to ? I forgot on the nose, it was a record holder. ✌️🇺🇸
@@deborahchesser7375 Chanute? Wow, that brings back memories. My dad used to fly there (never stationed there) many, many years ago. The closest he was stationed was at F.E. Warren in Wyoming. Also, didn't that one end up in the USAF museum in Dayton?
@@TysoniusRex I think it did, at least I sure hope so. There were a few at Lackland too, I was always staring up into the sky, at least I was out on the flight line right? I got a ride in an F-4 before they phased them out, took a couple hops it was cool I should have stayed in and retired.
@@TysoniusRex I got orders for Minot and said oh shit I gotta trade with somebody, luckily a guy I’d gone all the way from basic to tech school with was from out west somewhere and he had orders to Pope AFB North Carolina, now if I had to pick the state to live in with north in the name it would be Carolina so I did. -60* during winter? No thanks ! Paul Harvey’s son froze to death in the gear well of a B-52 sitting at the ready, probably during the 60’s I’m guessing.
That's an incredible video narration , explanation and visual. I understood so much from your clear and light explanation of such a complex world like aviation. thank you so much for sharing this contents and explaining it to also the general public like me
Thank you for making this video. When this tragic accident occurred, I was a teenager and aviation buff. This video provided much insight into how the mishap occurred.
One of the pilots who witnessed this said the F-104 paused for just a moment and hammered the XB-70 like a woodpecker before falling away and exploding. But this looks accurate from every description I've read.
My understanding, from researching sources on this incident which fascinated me since I was a kid (I was about three months old when this happened), was that after the crash and during the investigation, some of the senior command involved in organizing this whole shebang paid with their careers, for letting a bunch of civvies bully past the safety protocols just to get cool film footage. One day I want to get up close and personal with the surviving plane. On a side note, when I was in Germany about eight years ago, there was a Soldier, a PFC, who I swear was a near-carbon-copy of Joe Walker...so much so I had to wonder if he had any genetic relation to him! When I showed him a picture of Walker, even he was surprised by the resemblance, as were a few others who also saw the picture.
I went at last to the Wright-Patterson Museum two years ago with my two kids. I have planned it for at least 15 years, too bad it was too late to elicit a lofty vocation from such an awesome sight. The Valkyrie by itself is worth the trip.
I live 2 hours away from the Air Force museum and have seen the XB-70 several times. It amazes me each and every time I see it. It is such a huge aircraft.
1957!!!??? Mach 3 nuclear bomber and thst design gives me substantial faith we have not the slightest clue of the capabilities of projects currently starting. What amazing aircraft.
Superbly crafted, a masterpiece like the XB-70 deserves to be superbly narrated. I look forward to see you do the B-52 that crashed at Fairchild AFB. A lot of controversy still subsists.
Thanks. Glad you appreciate my efforts. I was under the impression that B52 was flown beyond its limits by a careless pilot. I didn’t know of any controversy.
I’ve seen other reports on this horrible accident. I knew that the crash took place during a commercial photo shoot but I didn’t know that they flew in a formation for 40 minutes…. And in a circle to boot. As for the cause of the accident, we’ll never know what happened Good video
On March 26, 1966 my friend and I stood just under the cockpit high above us of AV--2 in a Carswell AFB , Fort Worth TX. air show. I was 13yo.and my friend's mother had taken us there and dropped us off. Back then kids could do that and wonder around unsupervised at such a cool event without any worries. This is the most impressive memory I have of having seen the most awesome and beautiful aircraft that has ever been built. I'll never forget that day. It was also a treat to watch it take off for it's trip back to Edwards later that day. If there ever was a time machine to have relived a day in your childhood, that is the day I would like to go back to.
Hi Mike, here are 2 Masterpieces : this nice bird, and your documentary. I'm amazed how much information you can put in 11 minutes, with such qualitative illustrations. I send you a Mach 3 Thanks for sharing your tremendous work. 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Carl Cross tried to eject. The encapsulation retract system used gas cylinders. Forward G forces in the flat spin were so great the gas cylinders could not overcome the force and retract the seat. I read the gas burst disc actually blew. G forces were twice what NA designed for, because the missing left wing and verticals greatly increased the flat spin rate. Al White encapsulated when spin first started, before G forces reached maximum. Carl waited a little too long.
After the accident NASA did some spin tunnel tests with the panels missing, it showed increased spin rate. I saw those videos on you tube a few years back, maybe you can still find them. @@Mike-Bell
In 1976 I've seen the XB70 aged 6 years old in reality at Wright Patterson Museum, Dayton and I was impressed at once by the design of that plane! And this impression of design still lasts until today!
The cause of this accident was partially due to choosing the Learjet as the photo ship. All the other aircraft are supersonic capable, mach 2+ aircraft. At supersonic speeds, wake turbulence is less a factor. If the XB-70 was at speed, with wingtips deflected into waverider configuration, the supersonic shock wave would have been generating additional lift, in conjunction with higher Q, meaning lower angle of attack in supersonic cruise, the wake vortex's would have been substantially reduced or eliminated. Great video. I always thought there was something else to it, considering the talent involved.
My dad, Carl Hite, worked at Edwards AFB at the time as a jet engine mechanic on this XB-70. He told me that Cross couldn’t eject because he had dropped a flight manual on the floor which prevented the safety ejection pod door from fully closing. They are clamped to the seat when eject is initiated and he couldn’t move. He also said that Carl Cross, like most test pilots did, calmly talked the plane into the ground.
Great vid, clicked on it randomly and watched the whole thing. Can i suggest you tweak your outro though, in a vid about a plane crash, "I hope to see you in my next video..." is rather ominous.
My grandfather, Vic Horton, worked with the men involved in the NASA Pilot's Office at Edwards. He was part of the search and recovery efforts after the crash, too.
Me too. As an adult, I still think so. Have a picture of me under it when I was about 3 with my mom. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she is inside a hanger now, so it is difficult to get a good shot of her, but I tried last summer.
I remember standing below the one of the runways near Boston Logan on Point Shirley and being able to hear the vortex (like a high pitched whistle) a few seconds after a plane passed overhead. Also note that most airplanes now have winglets or upturned wings to avoid the inefficiency of losing the lifting at the end of the wings to the sides of the aircraft.
An AirForce 1 version of the Valkyrie would have been beautiful. Imagine the airport scene at G summits or UN meetings where all the dignitary aircraft are parked, and the USA has a beautiful supersonic jet while everyone else has a Boeing or Ilyushin.
I really emjoyed your presentation Mike. Over the years I have read/seen several account of the incident yet yours is clean and entertaining, even given the horrific event. Great 3D animation too. Do you produce the 3D yourself? What an aircract hey! and the advanced technology the US had over other nations (in some areas) was mind blowing. Wish they had it now - this "closing the gap" issue vis-a-vis China is worryiyng. A detailed program on how China exponentially developed so many tech breakthroughs is a fascinating subject.
Mind sharing or hint me where I can find the crash report? I spent hours trying to find the source of that image on 5:55, about that B-58 or the crash report itself. I'm pretty sure it should've been archived somewhere..
I searched and didn't come upon the report. I only read comments and paraphrasing sentences from it. Seems the official report has not been made public.
My 3rd cousin was Carl Cross but he was killed on the crash before I was born. My grandfathers last name was Cross. I visited Carl’s grave In Tennessee when I was a child. An amazing aircraft!!!
As a former USAF Pilot, I was humbled by the fact that such a great pilot could have such an accident. This video could be shown to all incoming USAF student pilots to teach them about safety and always being aware to never let their guard down.
You look like you fly transports..
@@tumslucks9781 you sound like you fly an office chair
@@BlueZirnitra well said
So you are saying that walker should have been taught about safety and about never letting his guard down. Thank you.
Hahahahahahhaha
I've been waiting for someone to do a continuous animation of the crash sequence for years - well done, this is absolutely excellent.
Very happy when my efforts are appreciated. Thanks 😊
There we go. Yes thanks dear fellow
The animation of the view from the cockpit of the overflying B-58 speaks volumes. Meanwhile, I didn’t realize they been flying around for so long. What the heck it does it take to take a photograph? On station for more than 15 minutes?! Seriously WTF.
Fascinating history, stunning looking airplane.
@@JoeOvercoat Well, it takes quite a lot more than 15 minutes. In 15 mins you can get maybe a couple of good photos while walking on ground around the plane, IF you have made a strict pre-plans on what viewpoints you want photos from. When flying in the air, you are very lucky to get just one. From your comment it is clear that you lack the relevant knowledge on both taking photos and how planes behave in air to make an informed opinion about it.
Seriously WTF. Why the hell people need to have their stupid opinions voiced? Go learn these thing. Make yourself informed and then make your opinion. Otherwise you'll just make yourself a fool.
This was the first video I saw about that accident that mentioned the stress to be highly concentrated for 40 minutes and the effect of a short distraction. In some other videos or newspaper article I heard or read that the accident was caused by Joe Walker flying to close by recklessnes. Everybody who flies know how fast a short distraction can get you in a bad situation.
Thanks for mention that. That puts that accident in a different light!
Now I wonder why they were in this formation or anything like it for so long. Especially back in the day you could only take so many photographs. It was film. What were they thinking burning that much gas even?
Fact: Walker flew into the Valkyrie. Was it a stupid mission? Was he distracted? Maybe and maybe. Explanations don’t change facts tho. It was an unfortunate, unforced error.
@@JoeOvercoat they probably realized that this was their 1 chance for a photo op, so they better make the most of it. Also, unlike digital cameras, film cameras can't show you previews of your shot, so you have to take as many as possible.
This is a guess, but there was probably some hope that a splashy photo spread might lead to renewed consideration of the B-70 or even newer planes.
@@winternow2242 yes, I think they were concentrating on getting that ‘best shot’ in a difficult shooting environment and became complacent as to the dangerous conditions that the formation required. Personally, I lay the blame on the leadership that dreamed this whole stunt up and then didn’t put strict limitations on what would be involved in the shoot like not pushing the safety envelope. All for what? A great calendar shot, might even had made the cover for that one year.
It's true. I was a butcher at a high end shop, and the only time I ever cut myself was when a gorgeous woman walked in and I did a double take lol. Stabbed my thumb to the bone once while steeling and one of my favorite customers came in...oh my twenties, if I could redo you...
I've been an aircraft designer for over 20 years but when I see the Valkyrie I am floored by the innovation and skill of the engineers 60 years ago. Those guys were all stars for sure.
People have no clue the endless effort and genius that goes into an aircraft design. When it appears effortless is when is when it was a truly fantastic team effort. Its the same with a great building.
How far was the British Vulcan made before its time.
Without PCs, with some using slide rules and actual drawing/drafting boards...
Then came people who copied it and made a concorde😂😂😎🇺🇸
@@JoeBiden1776The Concorde was not a copy of anything. If you put these 2 next to each other you see more differences than similarities.
This is the first time I've ever heard the duration of flight and distraction of the B 58 being mentioned.
Thanks for adding that extra information and the stunning visuals.
Glad it was helpful!
I was intrigued by the new info of the higher flying B-58. This is the first I’ve heard of a possible distracting visual. I recall being in highschool when this accident occurred. And all for a brochure cover photo! Certainly
wasn’t worth the cost of 2 expert top flight pilots! Thank you for the excellent description
and clarifying visuals!
What a superb, well crafted documentary. It's never pleasant to focus the blame on a deceased, experienced, talented professional but there are few other contributing factors. Wake vortex was a known quantity to all those pilots in the photo-shoot. RIP to both men.
Thanks Wayne
Told me things I didn't know. Just watching bits if footage over the years I thought the pilot of the small plane was a maverick showoff. Sorry.
The geese formation paradigm was just excellent. Makes the phenomenon instantly imprinted.
Everything about this is superbly done. The copy. The rendering. The selective use of graphics. The clarity.
Thanks very much. It is great you appreciate my efforts… 😊
I've seen lots of videos of the incident, but this is the very first time any mention of the B-58 flying way over head that might have caused a distraction . a small little side note as an older teenager who built lots of models. On my display shelf in my bedroom I had a XB-70 and a B-58 sitting side by side. Right next to the Saturn 5 rocket that could separate into all the staging to include the Lunar lander you could attach to the nose of the Command Module. So many more from the SR71 to the X-15 and my pride and joy a completely transparent P-51D on a stand that you could raise and lower the landing gear and spin the props by pushing a control button. I was a teenager who is now 68 years old :- ( . memories....🙂
Being big into Rocketry, I had a few extra D-cell engines I mounted into the XB-70. I went to my local school yard and set them off. The flame warped one engine port side and sent the XB-70 into a corkscrew about 10' off the ground and 40 feet off the launch pad. I've got pictures with exhaust trails of about 3 complete turns around everyone. The X-15 had a joined epoxied 2 D cell and was last seen screaming out over the Pacific coast at 100 foot altitude straight to the horizon 🙂. Many of my models met their end in much the same glorious way.
It's cool to hear your stories of your models. In the mid 1960's my folks had a little hobby shop in Ft Worth, Texas near the Camp Bowie traffic circle. It, (and the elementary school I attended), were right under the flight path north of Carswell AFB and so we got to see lots of B-52s, tankers, Hustlers, the F1-11 and other fighters I never learned the names of flying pretty low in and out of the base. Every year the base had an air show and we could see the Thunderbirds performing from that area. One year, I'm pretty sure it was 1965, one of the X-B70's came to the air show. The local radio stations actually tracked it's movements so locals could go outside at the right time to see it. It flew over my school coming in to land on its arrival. Then when it left for California after the show everybody was able to come out to see it take off over our heads. It was absolutely the most beautiful, charismatic airplane ever. I fell in love with it and have never recovered. As a kid I thought it looked like a big, white dragon. It was really loud on takeoff. We were used to loud takeoffs but NOTHING compared to those six engines roaring when it blew over. It made a second pass and then headed west. I've heard that the one that came to Carswell was the one that crashed. Makes me sad, but I feel lucky to have seen it.
Anyway, Ft Worth had a pretty active modeling community then. We sold RC, control line and free flight planes, and we flew every weekend to support the business. There were always people out flying. There was also a group who built plastic models. They built them carefully and did research to do the paint jobs really accurately. We would display their models in our shop window. The Aurora plastic movie monster kits were big too, as was Rat Fink and all the Big Daddy Roth character car kits, Davey, Daddy, Digger, and Danny. They were intentionally grotesque and funny. All the kids loved them. Rocketry got big later.
Anyway, it was a fun time and place to be a kid.
@@justicewokeisutterbs8641 I too got into rocketry and launched many at my school But I went a step further. I modified 2 D cell motors and epoxied them into one long stage. Mounted it into a X-15 and lunched it out over Monterey Bay from a small cliff. Last seen screaming at Mach 10 flying level at 50 feet to the horizon. My SR 71 didn't fair quite so well.😄
@@MatthewPettyST1300
That is so cool! Great memories of great fun. I think there was something special about putting all the work into a model, rig something wild like your X-15 with modified engines and then risking it in flight. There's nothing quite like it. 😎👍
Damn. On the one hand those toys sound expensive for the time, on the other your passion saved your parents entire days wondering what presents to give you, so that’s something i guess.
Great video and animation. Been following this since I was a kid in the 1960s, and my father was a USAF bomber pilot in the 1950s and 60s. He told me that I might be flying it one day, as a replacement for the B-52 that he flew. I got up close and personal with the remaining XB-70 at Wright-Pat AFB in 1980, before the AF museum was revamped. The XB-70 was outside in front of the museum and I was there just before closing, when almost no-one was there and it was getting dusk. There was a jack-up extended maintenance stand a few dozen yards from it, and since I had used them when I was a USAF crew chief, I thought why not get a picture of the cockpit. I screwed up the jack stand pods and pushed it over to the XB-70, then jacked up the stairs until they were level with the cockpit and ran up the stairs to the platform. I got several pictures before a patrolling Security Police airman saw me and yelled at me to get down from there, which I did, but I was close enough to touch the side windscreen although I did not touch it. A moment of magical wonder for me at that time.
Great story! Thanks for sharing. I would love to see your pictures 👍
Great story! I have a soft spot for the B-52, but oh my, the B-70 was magical.
Excellently done, and includes film footage of the XB-70 I've never seen in any other video of the plane. This video also explains the role of wake turbulence in the incident better than any I've seen. It's narrated clearly and the graphics, mixed with actual footage, are outstanding. The research done on sonic booms, using the XB-70 is slightly tainted, because the use of compression lift with the drooped wingtips tended to focus the supersonic shock wave downward, increasing its energy in that direction. I was a youngster when this plane flew, and it has always been my favorite, alongside the SR-71. It's truly a huge aircraft, I've walked under it at the USAF Museum when it was housed in the Museum Annex hangar at Wright-Patterson AFB. The SR-71 is half its size, maybe less.
Probably the most comprehensive & clearly-presented description of the crash I've ever seen. Thank you!
F1 cars also develop these vortices-->either from the rear wing end plates or from the Y250(250 millimeters from the central axis of the car)vortex generated by the front wings and elements. F1 engineers want as strong a Y250 vortex as possible as those vortices come together into 1 big vortex which is then spread out to the outside of the F1 sidepods by the bargeboard. Interesting to see under heavy humid conditions or when its raining by either the front wing and rear wing on an F1 car.
This is the best treatment of this bit of history that I have viewed yet. Thanks for dealing thoroughly with the lives of the pilots.
Thanks. I am glad you appreciate my efforts
This was really well done. I did not know about the B-58 before watching this, and the animation of the tragic incident was very professional in execution. You’ve got a new subscriber.
Thanks Scott. Lots more like this to look forward to...
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Still have a memory of seeing both aircraft at Edwards AFB in May 1966, just weeks before the accident. A/V1 was on static display while A/V2 was in flight.
I love learning about aerodynamics and how lift works, I am at that stage where I know enough about the subject to know I know absolutely nothing about the subject.
But Oh My God, the 15 seconds of animation after 2:11 made something click.
You're always pushing the same weight in air down as the plane weighs, and spreading that energy out over a longer wing will per definition make wing-tip vortices less energetic and cause less drag.
That was such a satisfying AHA!! moment, and I only got it because you made this video. That was a really cool thing of you to do friend, I am grateful.
I recall as a child born in 65 and becoming an aeronautics and space junky, the first time seeing a picture of the XB-70 on the ground. I did not think it was real, I thought it was a futuristic mock up of a someday plane. When eventually learning of Her reality and history, (remember, we didn't have internet. Just books and magazines) I was brought to tears. Well done.
Just one brief moment of lapsed concentration is all it took, and then it was all over. What a tragedy.
Fantastic video as always, Mike. You really are one of the best creators on this platform.
Excellent presentation, thanks for making this. Seeing this plane up close in Dayton is absolutely awe-inspiring. Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it. I would love to it up close in Dayton someday....
@@Mike-Bell They have an X-15 there, and so many other special planes. But walking up to the Valkyrie, it seemingly defies reality.
It is an amazing museum.
This flight helped the Airforce design better planes ✈️ and saved much more future embarrassments and accidents.
@@Mike-Bell when I visited Dayton I realized that the Air Force had been designing an aircraft for every mission. By every mission I don’t mean interception versus interdiction. I mean like for every mission like bombing a certain place they would design a particular aircraft for it. Dream-sheeting all the way. When you go, plan on not less than three days. Also the sign said to not touch the SR 71 but I how could i not? …the wing tip is right there. ☺️
Amazing work, definitely deserves more recognition
Thank you so much 😀
Joe Walker flew the X-15 above the Karman Line on 2 successive flights....and was the first person to enter space twice.
Beautiful animations 😍
I've been fascinated by this aircraft since it's inception and recall my father talking about Joe Walker, nice to finally learn more about the accident. Well done, thank you.
Excellent vid with clear, concise info. Uncanny parallels exist when two Sea Venoms of the Royal Navy fatally collided at RAF Chivenor in Devon; 19 Sept. 1959. I witnessed this crash and ever since, I and others at the Airshow, have always maintained the two aircraft were too close. The subsequent enquiry did not mention vortices but the Valkyrie collision shows that they could have played a part in the collision. RIP Observer Robin W.H. Miller and Chief Petty Officer David S. Chapman.
While there's always some wake turbulence, small and light planes can fly very close to each others. Like this "mild" formation flying:
ua-cam.com/video/yfES5uNJa4g/v-deo.html
This 360 recording allows turning view:
ua-cam.com/video/weoK_L7yjRY/v-deo.html
One of my favorite aircraft back to my earlies time loving aviation. Great job putting this story together. I thought I knew everything about the XB-70 but I learned something new today. Thanks for posting this.
Many thanks!
Outstanding. Very well done. Your channel deserves much more.
Wow, thank you!
OMG this was fantastic! Hats off! I am one of those that call the Valkyrie my favorite plane. Seeing it at the USAF museum as a child left quite the impression on me. The most I ever saw on it was WINGS, and they briefly touch on this but I had no idea. I wonder if the newbie had trouble with the clamshell capsule as well.
It is wild how I found this. I was researching surfside because of a suggested video, and yours by far was the best I found and soothed my curiosity. It was so good I figured I would see what else you had, and wow.
So well done!
Thanks so much!
I can say this is one of the best documentaries out there. It feels like you can't compress more the useful information in less time. The transitions are just perfect. The volume of the speaker is on point. The CGI is absolutely understandable for the elderly aswell... I can go on and on, I wish most science stuff for the average guy like me has the levels of production and explaining things how they are, without beeing too mathematical or too "for kids" if that makes sense. Thanks for this. Knew about the vortex effect on helicopters, but this opened my eyes further on on how hard it is to reach the sky.
Thanks for the compliments. Keep watching for more like this.
After watching your excellent video, I remember having a model of the XB70. Beautiful plane.
Very well done video, wow! I have always wondered why this incident occurred, now you have laid it out in an excellent fashion, complete with great animation. It really does show the demand on these excellent pilots is almost by-the-second dependent. Again, thanks for the informative video.
I've seen the surviving XB-70, back in the 70s when it was first parked outside the Airforce Museum. A truly awesome aircraft to behold.
I don't think it's inconceivable at all that an highly experienced pilot of an aircraft could make a slight error. When one gets very experienced, where they feel they could do a certain task in your sleep, they get COMPLACENT. And maybe they aren't as hyperalert as they would be if they were somewhat less experienced. I think he was too close to begin with for safety's sake, but had a lot of confidence at how close he could get and how his plane handled. He glanced up, and that tiny distraction, as close as he was to the XB-70, was enough. This not a slam on the pilot, but he was human like the rest of us. So many accidents can be traced to complacency on the part of the machine operator.
Wow, I usually blow past most of these kinds of videos. But this is excellent, not just in visually recreating the incident but in explaining it and in exploring the concept of wake vortices. Very well done.
Even though she was too much too late, it was one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.
I think she's always been my favorite, though the B-58 was also something special.
@@TysoniusRex oh yeh, there was one on static at my tech school Chanute, I’d walk around that ol girl all the time. It had the Tokyo to ? I forgot on the nose, it was a record holder. ✌️🇺🇸
@@deborahchesser7375 Chanute? Wow, that brings back memories. My dad used to fly there (never stationed there) many, many years ago. The closest he was stationed was at F.E. Warren in Wyoming. Also, didn't that one end up in the USAF museum in Dayton?
@@TysoniusRex I think it did, at least I sure hope so. There were a few at Lackland too, I was always staring up into the sky, at least I was out on the flight line right? I got a ride in an F-4 before they phased them out, took a couple hops it was cool I should have stayed in and retired.
@@TysoniusRex I got orders for Minot and said oh shit I gotta trade with somebody, luckily a guy I’d gone all the way from basic to tech school with was from out west somewhere and he had orders to Pope AFB North Carolina, now if I had to pick the state to live in with north in the name it would be Carolina so I did. -60* during winter? No thanks ! Paul Harvey’s son froze to death in the gear well of a B-52 sitting at the ready, probably during the 60’s I’m guessing.
thank you for explaining what happened. Such a sad loss for everyone involved.
Thank you for such excellent research and production. Very well done!
Glad you enjoyed it!
That's an incredible video narration , explanation and visual. I understood so much from your clear and light explanation of such a complex world like aviation. thank you so much for sharing this contents and explaining it to also the general public like me
Thanks for the feedback. My aim is for the viewer to see and understand in an effortless manner and I'm so glad you could appreciate this... 😊
Excellent video, a must see to comprehend the massive size of this beautiful plane. Dayton Ohio USAF Museum is well worth a trip...
Excellent video, I have always been intrigued by this aircraft and the accident that destroyed it. Thanks for creating this.
Amazing analysis. Finally someone covered this topic.
I found this interesting and tragic. What an amazing aircraft. I appreciated the great graphics and 3d animations 👍
Thank you for making this video. When this tragic accident occurred, I was a teenager and aviation buff. This video provided much insight into how the mishap occurred.
Excellent video presentation! Best one yet covering the crash.
Kudos!
Thanks
Fantastic video - I had never heard this tragic story before today.
Thanks Bosco. Appreciate the comment.
One of the pilots who witnessed this said the F-104 paused for just a moment and hammered the XB-70 like a woodpecker before falling away and exploding. But this looks accurate from every description I've read.
Very well done explanation - clear and concise.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My understanding, from researching sources on this incident which fascinated me since I was a kid (I was about three months old when this happened), was that after the crash and during the investigation, some of the senior command involved in organizing this whole shebang paid with their careers, for letting a bunch of civvies bully past the safety protocols just to get cool film footage. One day I want to get up close and personal with the surviving plane.
On a side note, when I was in Germany about eight years ago, there was a Soldier, a PFC, who I swear was a near-carbon-copy of Joe Walker...so much so I had to wonder if he had any genetic relation to him! When I showed him a picture of Walker, even he was surprised by the resemblance, as were a few others who also saw the picture.
I went at last to the Wright-Patterson Museum two years ago with my two kids. I have planned it for at least 15 years, too bad it was too late to elicit a lofty vocation from such an awesome sight.
The Valkyrie by itself is worth the trip.
I live 2 hours away from the Air Force museum and have seen the XB-70 several times. It amazes me each and every time I see it. It is such a huge aircraft.
Col Joe Cotton, the guy in the flight suit @9:49, was one of those officers.
This brought together details and therefore a more complete story. Thank you.
1957!!!??? Mach 3 nuclear bomber and thst design gives me substantial faith we have not the slightest clue of the capabilities of projects currently starting. What amazing aircraft.
Superbly crafted, a masterpiece like the XB-70 deserves to be superbly narrated.
I look forward to see you do the B-52 that crashed at Fairchild AFB. A lot of controversy still subsists.
Thanks. Glad you appreciate my efforts.
I was under the impression that B52 was flown beyond its limits by a careless pilot. I didn’t know of any controversy.
@@Mike-Bell except for the pilot was still allowed to fly before hand
@@Mike-Bell my comments and references are being deleted, I sent you twice the url to that adverse testimony.
@@DakarBlues I didnt see any comments come through. That’s weird. Try again now that this comment successfully posted.
@@Mike-Bell UA-cam is blocking links these days, break them up with spaces
I’ve seen other reports on this horrible accident.
I knew that the crash took place during a commercial photo shoot but I didn’t know that they flew in a formation for 40 minutes….
And in a circle to boot.
As for the cause of the accident, we’ll never know what happened
Good video
On March 26, 1966 my friend and I stood just under the cockpit high above us of AV--2 in a Carswell AFB , Fort Worth TX. air show. I was 13yo.and my friend's mother had taken us there and dropped us off. Back then kids could do that and wonder around unsupervised at such a cool event without any worries. This is the most impressive memory I have of having seen the most awesome and beautiful aircraft that has ever been built. I'll never forget that day. It was also a treat to watch it take off for it's trip back to Edwards later that day. If there ever was a time machine to have relived a day in your childhood, that is the day I would like to go back to.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing animations, they really help explain what happened.
Hi Mike, here are 2 Masterpieces : this nice bird, and your documentary. I'm amazed how much information you can put in 11 minutes, with such qualitative illustrations. I send you a Mach 3 Thanks for sharing your tremendous work.
👏👏👏👍👍👍
Many thanks!
Beautifully presented. Such a terrible incident.
Amazing job. Especially matching the original photos with your CG.
Thank you very much!
Well done video. Rest In Peace My Brother Airmen ✝. I'm retired USAF.
Amazing production. 🙌
Thank you 🙌
This video was absolutely top notch quality! Unbelievable
Wow, thanks!
Thanks!
Much appreciated 🌟😀
Carl Cross tried to eject. The encapsulation retract system used gas cylinders. Forward G forces in the flat spin were so great the gas cylinders could not overcome the force and retract the seat. I read the gas burst disc actually blew.
G forces were twice what NA designed for, because the missing left wing and verticals greatly increased the flat spin rate.
Al White encapsulated when spin first started, before G forces reached maximum.
Carl waited a little too long.
That makes sense. I hadnt heard that explanation before.
After the accident NASA did some spin tunnel tests with the panels missing, it showed increased spin rate. I saw those videos on you tube a few years back, maybe you can still find them. @@Mike-Bell
Excellent and very interesting video, Mike!
In 1976 I've seen the XB70 aged 6 years old in reality at Wright Patterson Museum, Dayton and I was impressed at once by the design of that plane! And this impression of design still lasts until today!
Excellent presentation. Thank you for explaining and showing what happened. RIP to the pilots who lost their lives
Great video! Explained the way everybody understand. Thank you for that!
Glad it was helpful!
Very good descritpion of what happened and why it might have happened. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Very well done ! I knew about the accident and I wondered how it might had happened. Thank you !
Good video; I can only hope this helps to clear the air about the late Joe Walker and why his F-104 collided with the XB-70.
The cause of this accident was partially due to choosing the Learjet as the photo ship.
All the other aircraft are supersonic capable, mach 2+ aircraft.
At supersonic speeds, wake turbulence is less a factor. If the XB-70 was at speed, with wingtips deflected into waverider configuration, the supersonic shock wave would have been generating additional lift, in conjunction with higher Q, meaning lower angle of attack in supersonic cruise, the wake vortex's would have been substantially reduced or eliminated.
Great video. I always thought there was something else to it, considering the talent involved.
They never would have done a photo shoot at supersonic speed anyway.
This was wonderful, tragic but wonderful. Nice job. RIP
My absolute favorite airplane of all time.
I have been to the crash sites of both planes.
Very humbling.
What a great video and explanation of this tragedy.
As an ex-3D artist, I liked animation very much.
Great presentation Mike ...
My dad, Carl Hite, worked at Edwards AFB at the time as a jet engine mechanic on this XB-70. He told me that Cross couldn’t eject because he had dropped a flight manual on the floor which prevented the safety ejection pod door from fully closing. They are clamped to the seat when eject is initiated and he couldn’t move. He also said that Carl Cross, like most test pilots did, calmly talked the plane into the ground.
This whole video was fantastic...just very well done. Than you👍
So nice of you
Excellent video with brilliant graphics. Thank you.. 👍
Many thanks!
Excellent video, Mike. Thx a bunch.
Glad you liked it!
Very cool video! Good work! 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Great vid, clicked on it randomly and watched the whole thing. Can i suggest you tweak your outro though, in a vid about a plane crash, "I hope to see you in my next video..." is rather ominous.
very great and excellent documentary, well done.
I was a young boy of three siblings to a father that worked on the valkyrie in Palmdale California
THAT IS THE BEST EXPLANATION OF TIP
VORTICIES I HAVE EVER SEEN.....
Wow, thanks!
Excellent presentation, thank you.
Interesting insights. Thank you for showing this
Beautiful one, very well presented, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The thing I love about this design was it rode it's own supersonic shockwave at highspeed. Such a smart use of that to increase lift.
Awesome video. Super ambitious and skilled. Thanks 👏👏👏👏
Glad you liked it!
My grandfather, Vic Horton, worked with the men involved in the NASA Pilot's Office at Edwards. He was part of the search and recovery efforts after the crash, too.
As a kid I thought this was the most beautiful airplane I’d ever seen.
Me too. As an adult, I still think so. Have a picture of me under it when I was about 3 with my mom. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she is inside a hanger now, so it is difficult to get a good shot of her, but I tried last summer.
I remember standing below the one of the runways near Boston Logan on Point Shirley and being able to hear the vortex (like a high pitched whistle) a few seconds after a plane passed overhead. Also note that most airplanes now have winglets or upturned wings to avoid the inefficiency of losing the lifting at the end of the wings to the sides of the aircraft.
As you get closer to the edge the room for error reduces.
If you're flying right at the edge there is no room for error.
An AirForce 1 version of the Valkyrie would have been beautiful. Imagine the airport scene at G summits or UN meetings where all the dignitary aircraft are parked, and the USA has a beautiful supersonic jet while everyone else has a Boeing or Ilyushin.
I really emjoyed your presentation Mike. Over the years I have read/seen several account of the incident yet yours is clean and entertaining, even given the horrific event. Great 3D animation too. Do you produce the 3D yourself?
What an aircract hey! and the advanced technology the US had over other nations (in some areas) was mind blowing. Wish they had it now - this "closing the gap" issue vis-a-vis China is worryiyng.
A detailed program on how China exponentially developed so many tech breakthroughs is a fascinating subject.
Thanks. Yes I produce the modelling and the animations
What a remarkable outstanding Work...
Planned to do something similar like your Channel.
Well done.
Thanks. Give UA-cam a go. Its a lot of fun but needs time and persistence.
Thanks for clearing Joe Walker's name off of the blame list! 🙏🏻👍🏻
Mind sharing or hint me where I can find the crash report? I spent hours trying to find the source of that image on 5:55, about that B-58 or the crash report itself. I'm pretty sure it should've been archived somewhere..
I searched and didn't come upon the report. I only read comments and paraphrasing sentences from it. Seems the official report has not been made public.
@@Mike-Bell Ah I see, thats unfortunate.. Thanks for checking!
Great video! I came here from “Not what you think” I subscribed!
My 3rd cousin was Carl Cross but he was killed on the crash before I was born. My grandfathers last name was Cross. I visited Carl’s grave In Tennessee when I was a child. An amazing aircraft!!!
Well done! I just came from Edwards not to long ago. RIP to those test pilots!