Mastercraft Collection X-3 Stiletto Scale: 1/32

Product Description Designed by Boeing, the Douglas X-3 Stiletto was an experimental jet aircraft built to investigate how aircraft features affect supersonic speed. Known for its tapered nose (a characteristic unusual for aircraft at the time), the Stiletto was the first to incorporate titanium into its construction. Unfortunately, the X-3 Stiletto never achieved its target speed due to problems in engine development. However, it contributed to the future development of high-speed aircraft. It made its first test flight in 1952 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and has now retired and found its home in the US Air Force Museum. From the Manufacturer The X-3 Stiletto was an experimental jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered nose. The X-3 Stiletto was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Its primary mission was to investigate the design features of an aircraft suitable for sustained supersonic speeds, which included the first use of titanium in major airframe components. It was, however, seriously underpowered for its purpose and could not even exceed Mach 1 in level flight. The first X-3 "hop" was made on 15 October 1952, by Douglas test pilot Bill Bridgeman. During a high-speed taxi test, Bridgeman lifted the X-3 off the ground and flew it about a mile (1.6 km) before settling back onto the lakebed. The official first flight was made by Bridgeman on 20 October, and lasted about 20 minutes. He made a total of 26 flights (counting the hop) by the end of the Douglas tests in December 1953. These showed that the X-3 was severely underpowered and difficult to control. More seriously, the X-3 did not approach its planned top speed. The X-3's fastest flight, made on 28 July 1953, reached Mach 1.208 in a 30 degree dive. The principal contribution of the X-3 was its data on inertia coupling - a potentially violent divergence from the intended flight path when executing an abrupt maneuver which had afflicted the X-1 and X-2 aircraft. In 1956, X-3 Stiletto was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, where as of 2007, it is currently on display in the Research & Development Gallery.

• Scale: 1/32
• Handcrafted by a series of master craftsmen using only the highest grade materials
• Each product is identical to the plane’s original blueprint
• Truly a fusion of art and history, a museum quality masterpiece unmatched by another model producing company on earth
• The perfect gift for any aviation enthusiast, history buff, military personnel, or collector