[XB-70 VALKERIE SUPERSONIC BOMBER THIRD TEST FLIGHT MACH 1 EDWARDS AIR FOFCE BASE]
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This silent, raw footage from North American Aviation shows the third test flight of the XB-70 Valkerie, tail #62-00001 This took place on October 12, 1964 at Edwards Air Force Base, and was notable as its first supersonic flight (Mach 1.1). The primary crew for this and other initial test flights was NAA Chief Test Pilot Al White and USAF Colonel Joe Cotton. During this flight, as can be seen in the film, roughly 15% of the white paint on the fuselage peeled off due to skin friction and heat. The incident, often referred to as the "first supersonic flight" or "painted peeling flight," demonstrated the extreme structural loads and temperatures the aircraft faced, causing large patches of paint to tear away from the skin. This was a significant milestone in the XB-70 (AV-1 prototype) flight test program, as the plane exceeded Mach 1 for the first time, reaching supersonic speeds. However, the aerodynamic heating and stress caused structural vibrations, causing nearly 15% of the special anti-corrosion/white coating to delaminate and depart. This led to a development program to create a new type of coating that could sustain speeds up to Mach 3.
The aircraft shown tail number 62-00001 (often referred to as AV-1), is the first of two prototype Mach 3+ strategic bombers built by North American and the sole survivor from the program. It made its maiden flight on September 21, 1964, and served as a crucial high-speed, high-altitude research vehicle before its retirement in 1969. This airplane completed 83 test flights, accumulating 160 hours and 16 minutes of flight time before being mothballed.
Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit https://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join
Website: https://PeriscopeFilm.com
This silent, raw footage from North American Aviation shows the third test flight of the XB-70 Valkerie, tail #62-00001 This took place on October 12, 1964 at Edwards Air Force Base, and was notable as its first supersonic flight (Mach 1.1). The primary crew for this and other initial test flights was NAA Chief Test Pilot Al White and USAF Colonel Joe Cotton. During this flight, as can be seen in the film, roughly 15% of the white paint on the fuselage peeled off due to skin friction and heat. The incident, often referred to as the "first supersonic flight" or "painted peeling flight," demonstrated the extreme structural loads and temperatures the aircraft faced, causing large patches of paint to tear away from the skin. This was a significant milestone in the XB-70 (AV-1 prototype) flight test program, as the plane exceeded Mach 1 for the first time, reaching supersonic speeds. However, the aerodynamic heating and stress caused structural vibrations, causing nearly 15% of the special anti-corrosion/white coating to delaminate and depart. This led to a development program to create a new type of coating that could sustain speeds up to Mach 3.
The aircraft shown tail number 62-00001 (often referred to as AV-1), is the first of two prototype Mach 3+ strategic bombers built by North American and the sole survivor from the program. It made its maiden flight on September 21, 1964, and served as a crucial high-speed, high-altitude research vehicle before its retirement in 1969. This airplane completed 83 test flights, accumulating 160 hours and 16 minutes of flight time before being mothballed.
Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit https://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
Source: YouTube · Record added 2026-10-13 12:48:25