XB-70A FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM, EDWARDS AFB, CALIFORNIA, AND CARSWELL AFB, TEXAS Reel 1 · Part 1

Description

Covers test flights of XB-70A No. 20001, aircraft No. l and XB-70A No. 20207, aircraft No. 2; also covers related activities including XB-70A maintenance and rework, and components testing. Shows XB-70A No. 2 on display at Carswell AFB, Texas. Reel 1: ROLL: R1261-1, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 17, 15 October 1965 - first Mach 3 flight. 1) Scenes of preflight preparations by ground crew with CUs of engine exhaust, wing control surfaces moving up and down, and inserts of wind gauges operating. 2) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 taxiing including shots as it taxis past parked XB-70A No. 2 and parked HC-130H. 3) XB-70A taking off to right and landing to right. 4) Scenes of military and civilian onlookers. 649' Total footage in reel. Reel 2: ROLL: R1261-2, continuation of Roll R1261-1, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 17, 15 October 1965 - first Mach 3 flight. 1) Scenes of XB-70A taking off to left and landing to left. 2) Aerials of XB-70A No. 1 in flight with B-58A chase plane also briefly visible. 3) Scenes of XB-70A taxiing. 4) Scenes of wind damage to left wing. 5) Scenes of ground crew working on aircraft and of civilian and military onlookers. 6) Pilots Al White and Col Joseph P. Cotton debarking and being greeted, photographed and interviewed, and at a press conference with Col Charles G. Mathison. 504' Total footage in reel. Reel 3: ROLL: 1302, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 19, 7 February 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 taking off, landing and taxiing. 2) Scenes of ground crew working on XB-70A No. 2. 3) Scenes of pilots Col Cotton and Van Sheppard making preflight check of XB-70A No. 2 and boarding it. 4) ALS of XB-70A No. 2 flying over and through clouds. 5) T-38A chase plane taxiing out and taking off to left. 386' Total footage in reel. Reel 4: ROLL: 1303, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 20, 7 February 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 taxiing, taking off and landing. 2) Scenes of ground crew working on XB-70A No. 2. 3) C-130A range plane and F-104B chase plane taking off to right. 513' Total footage in reel. Reel 4: ROLL: 1304, XB-70A No.2, flight No. 21, 16 February 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 taxiing, taking off and landing. 2) Scenes of ground crew working on XB-70A No. 2. 3) C-130A range plane and F-104B chase plane taking off to right. 4) Scenes of pilots boarding XB-70A No. 2. 523' Total footage in reel. Reel 6: ROLL: 1305, XB-70A No.2, flight No. 22, 17 February 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 taxiing, taking off and landing to right. 2) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 making flybys and flyovers with gear up and gear down. 3) Scenes of men and pickup truck retrieving XB-70A drag chutes. 4) Scenes of pilots boarding XB-70A No. 2. 5) Scenes of C-130A range plane and F-104B chase plane taking off to right. 637' Total footage in reel. Reel 7: ROLL: 1307, 26 February 1966. Scenes of fueling of XB-70A No. 2 by tanker truck and booster unit. 421' Total footage in reel. Reel 8: ROLL: 1308, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 35, 3 March 1966. 1) Scenes of ground crew working on XB-70A No. 1, then removing ramps and maintenance equipment. 2) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 wing and tail showing tufts affixed for airflow testing. 3) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 4) Aerials of XB-70A No. 1 in flight with emphasis on canard area. 5) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 flybys and flyovers with gear down. 6) XB-70A No. 1 being towed to left. 572' Total footage in reel. Reel 9: ROLL: 1312, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 36, 4 March 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) Two F-104B chase planes taking off to right. 3) Pickup of jettisoned drag chutes. 4) Scenes of pilots Van Sheppard and Lt Col Fitzhugh L. Fulton, Jr. debarking from XB-70A No. 1 and being greeted by onlookers. ROLL: 1313, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 37, 7 March 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off to left. 2) Scenes of damaged left bogie and of men examining and working on it. ROLL: No. 1319, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 38, 22 March 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right and making flybys and flyover. 2) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 on flight line and being pushed by tug. 492' Total footage in reel. Reel 10: ROLL: 1314, 2 March 1966. Scenes of men working on repair of XB-70A No. 2 in hangar. ROLL: 1315, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 23, 10 March 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 1 taxiing, taking off and landing to left. 2) HH-21B flying directly overhead. 3) XB-70A No. 2 on ramp surrounded by ground support equipment. ROLL: 1316, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 24, 15 March 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to right. 2) B-58A, T-38A, and F-104B chase planes taking off to right and B-58A landing to right. 3) Retrieval of XB-70A No. 2 drag chutes. 565' Total footage in reel. Reel 11: ROLL: 1318, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 25, 17 March 1966. 1) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. 2) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to right. No roll number XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 26, no date given. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left. 2) Pan from XB-70A No. 1 in maintenance to XB-70A No. 2 turning and taxiing to left. 162' Total footage in reel. Reel 12: ROLL: 1320, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 27 taking off for Carswell AFB, 24 March 1966. 1) Scenes in early morning dusk of XB-70A No. 2 on ramp, taxiing out, and taking off. 2) XB-70A No. 2 landing to right, no drag chutes deployed (daytime). 3) F-104B and B-58A chase planes taking off in early morning dusk. 4) Loading of material and personnel on C-141A. 5) Engine start and taxi out of North American Aviation (NAA) DC-3. 557' Total footage in reel. Reel 13: ROLL: 1322, XB-70A No. 2, flight 28, 26 March 1966. 1) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left in late afternoon. 2) Scenes of XB-70A No. 2 flybys and flyovers with B-58A and F-104B chase planes visible in some scenes. 3) T-33A and F-104B chase planes taking off to right. 4) XB-70A No. 2 tag landing to left. 529' Total footage in reel. Reel 14: ROLL: 1325, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 38, 24 March 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) Retrieval of XB-70A drag chutes. ROLL: 1327, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 40, 28 March 1966. 1) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. 2) XB-70A No. 1 taxiing and taking off and landing to right. ROLL: 1330, XB-70A No. 1, flight No. 41, 1 April 1966. XB-70A taking off, landing, and making low level flybys, all to the left. 529' Total footage in reel. Reel 15: ROLL: 1326, XB-70A No. 2 at Carswell AFB, 26 March 1966. 1) Scenes of crowd examining XB-70A No. 2 on display with other aircraft. 2) Pilots Lt Col Fulton and Col Cotton talking to members of crowd beside XB-70A No. 2 and participating in press conference with Mr. W.E. Swanson, president of Los Angeles Division of North American Aviation. 612' Total footage in reel. Reel 16: ROLL: 1328 XB-70A No. 2, flight 29, 29 March 1966. 1) XB-70A No.2 taking off and landing to right. 2) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. ROLL: 1329 (XB-70A No. 2, flight 30, 31 March 1966). 1) XB-70A No.2 taking off and landing to right. 2) Photographer filming XB-70A from top of van. ROLL: 1332 (XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 30, 4 April 1966). XB-70A No.2 taking off and landing to right. 392' Total footage in reel. Reel 17: ROLL: 1336 XB-70A No. 2, flight 34, 16 April 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taxiing and taking off and landing to right. 2) XB-70A No. 2 taking off to left as seen from inside control tower. 3) XB-70A No. 2 making flybys and flyovers with F-104B chase planes also visible. 4) XB-70A No. 2 being towed into hangar as seen from roof of hangar. 5) C-130A range plane and F-104B chase plane taking off to right. 831' Total footage in reel. Reel 18: ROLL: 1337 XB-70A No. 2, flight 32, 8 April 1966. 1) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. 2) XB-70A No. 2 taking off to right and jettisoning drag chutes during landing roll to left. 3) Pan shots of B-58A and XB-70A No. 2 in flight. ROLL: 1340, XB-70A No. 2, flight 35, 23 April 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off, landing and making flybys and flyovers. 2) T-38A chase plane climbing to right on takeoff -- gear retracts. ROLL: 1341, XB-70A No. 2, flight 36, 26 April 1966. XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left. 546' Total footage in reel. Reel 19: ROLL: 1339, XB-70A No. 1, flights 44 and 45, 19 and 21 April 1966. 1) Flight 44: XB-70A No. 1 making flyover and tag landings to left and landing to left past hovering HH-21B. 2) Flight 45: XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to left. ROLL: 1342, XB-70A No. 1, flight 46, 23 April 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to left. 2) Men working on XB-70A No. 1 main landing gear. ROLL: 1343, XB-70A No. 1, flight 47, 27 April 1966. XB-70A No. 1 taking off, landing, and making low level flybys, all to the right. 794' Total footage in reel. Reel 20: ROLL: 1331, XB-70A No. 1, flight 42, 5 April 1966. XB-70A taking off, landing and making flybys, all to the right with F-104B chase plane visible in some scenes. ROLL: 1334, XB-70A No. 1, flight 43, 13 April 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) HC-130H taking off over camera. 3) T-38A chase plane retracting gear as it flies by to right. 4) B-52 landing to right and making low level flyover. 5) NASA Lear Jet Model 24 taxiing to left. 601' Total footage in reel. Reel 21: ROLL: 1333, XB-70A No. 2, flight 33, 12 April 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taxiing, taking off and landing. 2) C-130A range plane and F-104B chase plane taking off to left. 3) XB-70A No. 2 making flybys to left (gear up). 4) Pilots Col Cotton and Al White debarking from XB-70A No. 2 and walking to van. 481' Total footage in reel. Reel 22: ROLLS: 1345-1 and 1345-2, XB-70A No. 1, flight 37, 30 April 1966. 1) Aerials of XB-70A No. 2 taking off and in flight with emphasis on jammed nose gear. 2) Aerials of XB-70A No. 2 landing, main gear bursting into flame on landing, fire fighting equipment surrounding aircraft. 3) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing, main gear bursting into flame and fire trucks approaching. 4) Scenes of damaged landing gear, firemen spraying gear, and other personnel examining damage. 5) T-38A and B-58A chase planes taking off to right. 6) AVs of B-58A in flight to left. 1173' Total footage in reel. Reel 23: ROLL: 1350, XB-70A No. 1, flight 48, 3 May 1966. 1) XB-70A No.1 taking off, landing to right and taxiing to left. 2) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. ROLL: 1353, XB-70A No. 1, flight 49, 9 May 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and making low level flybys to left. 2) XB-70A No.1 taxiing, followed by fire trucks. 499' Total footage in reel. Reel 24: ROLL: 1358, XB-70A No. 2, flight 38, 16 May 1966. 1) T-38A and F-104B chase planes taking off to left. 2) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left. 3) Extreme long shots of XB-70A No. 2 in flight and leaving contrail. 4) Retrieval of XB-70A drag chutes. ROLL: 1360, XB-70A No. 2, flight 40, 22 May 1966 and XB-70A No. 1 on display for Armed Forces Day. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off to left and flying by to right with B-58A and T-38A chase planes. 2) Crowd examining parked XB-70A No. 1. 3) HC-130H demonstrating Fulton recovery system. 4) NB-52A making flyby to right. 5) Extreme long shots of several aircraft flying by singly or in formation; B-57A with a B-66; an F-102, four T-38As; F-101, F-104, and F-106 with a T-38, and four F-104s. 728' Total footage in reel. Reel 25: ROLL: 1359, XB-70A No. 2, flight 39 - over 30 minutes of Mach 3 flight, 19 May 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing as seen from ground and from chase aircraft. 2) AVs of XB-70A No. 2 in flight accompanied by B-58A chase plane with views of gear retracting and close shots of nose, mid-section, and tail. 3) Pilots Al White and Col Joe Cotton descending from XB-70A No. 2 and being congratulated, photographed and interviewed. 628' Total footage in reel. Reel 26: ROLL: 1362, XB-70A No. 2, flight 41, May - June 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off, landing, and making low-level flybys, all to the left. 2) C-130A range plane taking off to right and F-104B chase plane taxiing and taking off. ROLL: 1364, XB-70A No. 2, flight 42, May - June 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left. 2) Extreme long shots of XB-70A No. 2 in flight to right leaving contrail. ROLL: 1366, XB-70A No. 2, flight 43, May - June 1966. XB-70A No. 2 taking off and landing to left. 739' Total footage in reel. Reel 27: ROLL: 1367, XB-70A No. 2, flight No. 44, June 1966. XB-70A No. 2 taking off, landing, and making flybys to left. ROLL: 1369, XB-70A No. 2, flight 46, last flight 8 June 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 2 parked on ramp at sunrise. 2) Trucking shot of XB-70A No. 2 taxiing out. 3) XB-70A No. 2 taking off to right. 4) XB-70A No. 2 making flybys to left. 844' Total footage in reel. Reel 28: ROLL: 1379, XB-70A No. 1 rework and maintenance, 30 June 1966. Repair and maintenance personnel working on XB-70A No. 1 in hangar and outside, day and night. 1043' Total footage in reel. Reel 29: ROLL: 1403-1, XB-70A No. 1 taxi tests, 27 October 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 undergoing maintenance and taxiing out. 2) XB-70A No. 1 making high-speed taxi runs, landing gear bursts into flame, fire trucks surround aircraft. 3) Pilots boarding XB-70A No. 1. 4) Close shots of XB-70A No. 1 wing and tail control surfaces operating. 702' Total footage in reel. Reel 30: ROLL: 1403-2, XB-70A No. 1 taxi tests, 27 October 1966. 1) Trucking shot of XB-70A No. 1 taxi-out. 2) Testing of XB-70A No. 1 wing and tail control surfaces. 3) Personnel working on and/or examining landing gear and other parts of XB-70A No. 1. 4) Pilots boarding XB-70A No. 1 while maintenance work is in progress. 608' Total footage in reel. Reel 31: ROLL: 1404, XB-70A No. 1, flight 50, 3 November 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off, landing, and making flybys to right. 2) F-104B, T-38A and DC-3 landing to right and F-104B taking off to right. 566' Total footage in reel. Reel 32: ROLL: 1408, XB-70A No. 1, flight 51, 10 November 1966. 1) Extreme long shots of XB-70A No. 1 in flight leaving contrail. 2) XB-70A No. 1 landing to right and parked on ramp. ROLL: 1430, XB-70A No. 1, flight 53, 12 December 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) B-58A chase plane taking off to right. 3) Scenes of maintenance men working on XB-70A No. 1 as pilots exit aircraft. ROLL: 1431, XB-70A No. 1, flight 54, 16 December 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) F-104B chase plane taking off to right in early morning dusk. 477' Total footage in reel. Reel 33: ROLL: 1418, November 1966. 1) Series of close shots of XB-70A instruments and gauges with emphasis on the artificial horizon indicator. 2) Factory and laboratory technicians working on and/or testing XB-70A components and subsystems. 774' Total footage in reel. Reel 34: ROLL: 1412-1. 1) Establishing shot of North American Aviation (Los Angeles Division) Structures Laboratory. 2) Scenes of structural testing of XB-70A bogie in laboratory. 769' Total footage in reel. Reel 35: ROLL: 1412-2. Scenes of structural tests of XB-70A bogie in laboratory. 686' Total footage in reel. Reel 36: ROLL: 1413-1. 1) Art work and titles describing various phases of XB-70A bogie structural testing. 2) Preparation of XB-70A bogie for structural testing. 643' Total footage in reel. Reel 37: ROLL: 1413-2. 1) Preparation of XB-70A bogie for structural testing. 2) Structural testing of XB-70A bogie. 731' Total footage in reel. Reel 38: ROLL: 1420, animation for B-70 Report No. 17. 1) Animation depicting operation of B-70 terrain radar. 2) B-70 temperature chart showing time/temperature correlation. 3) Map of route followed by XB-70A No. 2 during 33 minute Mach 3 flight. ROLL: No. 1421. Series of close-ups of XB-70A instrument panel, inlet duct ramp and bypass doors. ROLL: 1429, XB-70A No. 1, flight 52, November 1966. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) XB-70A No. 1 in flight and making flybys and flyovers. 3) F-104B and T-38A chase planes taking off to right. 521' Total footage in reel. Reel 39: ROLL: 1434, XB-70A No. 1, flight 55, 20 December 1966. 1) Scenes of pressure rakes in XB-70A intake duct and of man examining them. 2) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing. 3) B-58A and T-38A chase planes taking off. ROLL: 1437. Scenes of testing of XB-70A pump assembly. ROLL: 1440, XB-70A No. 1, flight 56, 4 January 1967. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taxiing, taking off, landing, making flybys and in flight directly overhead. 2) F-104B and B-58A chase planes taking off. 3) Scenes of maintenance men working on XB-70A No. 1. 662' Total footage in reel. Reel 40: ROLL: 1442, XB-70A No. 1, flight 57, 13 January 1967. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to right. 2) Pilots Van Sheppard and Col Joe Cotton descending from XB-70A No. 1 and being greeted by civilians. ROLL: 1443, XB-70A No. 1, flight 58, 17 January 1967. XB-70A No. 1 taxiing, taking off and landing to right, and making flybys. ROLL: 1444, XB-70A No. 1, flight 59, 25 January 1967. 1) XB-70A No. 1 taxiing and taking off and landing to left. 2) Close shots of pressure sensors in XB-70A inlet duct. 711' Total footage in reel. Reel 41: ROLL: 1453, XB-70A No. 1, flight 60, 26 October 1967. XB-70A No. 1 taking off and landing to left. 227' Total footage in reel.

Collection

Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations

Series

Moving Images Relating to Military Aviation Activities