Since the jet engine made it practical to fly faster than the speed of sound, aircraft designers have been faced with almost insuperable problems. To try to solve some of these in the field of wing design a strange experimental plane, the Bell X-5, here pictured in flight with fully swept-back wings for the first time, was built so that it could be changed electrically while flying from a conventional straight-wing type to a swept-wing transsonic plane. A traight-wing plane with a greater wing surface can take off in a much shorter space, can climb faster and has greater endurance. But when such a plane dives at a speed of around 750 mph it meets air resistance so great that the wings could peel right off the plane. The pilot of the X-5, by bringing his wings to a full sweepback, can move into the transsonic area with hardly a bump.
Test pilot of the Bell X-5 is 31-year-old "Skip" Ziegler, who has an ace of spades painted on helemt. He has handpicked crew of 10 men working for him.
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photos and documentation: LIFE Magazine (US) | Zetu Harrys collection
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