Initial Glide Flights
Under the terms of its contract, Bell was only required to demonstrate satisfactory operation of the airplane up to a Mach number of 0.8. Specifically, this meant that the XS-1 had to demonstrate an endurance of 2.5 minutes at full thrust, satisfactory controllability up to Mach 0.8 and structural integrity during 8g accelerations at both minimum airspeed and at a speed not to exceed 500 mph. Though the XLR-11 rocket engine would not be ready for installation on the airplane for several months, the AAF was eager to proceed with flight tests in order to verify the feasibility of air-launch operations and to determine whether or not an exotic research aircraft could be safely operated out of a conventional airfield--albeit one at an isolated location. The previous May, the NACA had already been informed by Colonel George F. "Pooh" Smith, Kotcher’s boss and chief of the Experimental Aircraft Projects Section at Wright Field, that the airplane would not be tested at Langley. Though he and Kotcher envisioned a location such as Muroc AAF or possibly even Wendover Field in Utah, the final decision on where to conduct the contractor’s acceptance tests was left up to Bell
Bob Stanley tasked Jack Woolams, Bell’s chief test pilot, to conduct a survey of all potentially suitable landing fields across the country. The 28-year old Woolams, renowned for his skills as a test pilot and for his fun-loving exploits as Bell’s prankster par excellence, had flown all of the most hazardous tests on the jet-powered Bell XP-59A--including the spin and compressibility dive tests--and he had been selected as the company’s project pilot for the XS-1 acceptance tests. Indeed, the airplane's cockpit had been designed around his 6'1" frame. Having spent eight months as Bell’s chief of test operations on the jet program at Muroc in 1943, he was well acquainted with the tremendous natural advantages afforded by the base--its isolation, unsurpassed flying weather and the tremendous margin of safety afforded by the world’s largest natural landing field, the vast 44-square mile expanse of Rogers Dry Lake. Winter was already upon them, however, and he was also aware that the high desert’s short rainy season was imminent and that would mean the lake bed might well be flooded, making flight operations impossible for an indeterminate length of time. Both the AAF and Bell wanted to get the flight program underway post haste and, based on Woolams’ report, Stanley
recommended Pinecastle Army Air Field, near Orlando, Florida, as the most suitable place to commence unpowered glide-flight test operations. The field was relatively isolated, it had a 10,000-foot runway, adequate military security and, of course, the winter weather in Florida promised to be much better than it would be at most other locations in the U.S. Despite the NACA’s continued desire to conduct the flight program at Langley, Colonel Smith approved Bell’s selection.
Configured with the ten-percent wings and eight-percent horizontal stabilizer which would be employed for the initial glide test program, the No. 1 XS-1 was carried aloft by the modified B-29 (serial number 45-21800) for its first captive test while still at Bell’s Niagara Falls facility on January 10, 1946. This test was conducted to evaluate the mated airplanes’ flight characteristics and to collect pressure distribution data from the XS-1's wing in order to determine if adequate separation forces existed to insure safe launch operations. Satisfied with the results, Bell used the B-29 to transport the rocket plane to Pinecastle Field on the 18th.
The AAF had requested that the NACA take responsibility for radar tracking, telemetry and data acquisition and analysis for the glide test program and, the following day, Walter C. Williams and a small contingent of NACA engineers and technicians arrived from Langley. The 27-year old Williams had graduated from Louisiana State University in 1939 and, the following year, had gone to work for the NACA at Langley where he specialized in aircraft stability and control. He had worked with Stack on the NACA’s original design concept for a transonic airplane and was subsequently placed in charge of the XS-1 flight test program. He was young, ambitious, very bright and, given an opportunity and responsibility which he took very seriously, he could be stubborn and very head-strong. In this regard, he would more than meet his match in Bob Stanley. A skilled aviator with a degree in aeronautical engineering from Cal Tech, Stanley had been Bell’s chief test pilot on the XP-59A program. A brilliant engineer--brilliant to the point of arrogance, he was a relentlessly hard-driving and impatient man who was not inclined to tolerate opinions contrary to his own. The phrase "my way or the highway" would very aptly define his approach to interpersonal relations. Williams received his first lesson on this at the outset when, prior to the second captive test flight, his team’s efforts to instrument the XS-1 fell behind schedule. The AAF and the NACA had sent the Langley contingent to Pinecastle to acquire data and, indeed, Williams could justifiably argue that data collection was the purpose of the test program. But, from Bob Stanley’s point of view, he was running a contractor
test program which was solely aimed at meeting contractual obligations concerning air-launch operations and the airworthiness of the airplane up to a specified Mach number. For Stanley, time was money and the sooner the test program could be completed the better. Whether the instrumentation was ready or not, the flight would go off on schedule and Stanley informed Williams that his technicians had until 2:30 p.m. on January 21 to complete the job. They managed to meet the deadline and the second and final captive carry test flight was completed that day without the issue erupting into a major contretemps between Stanley and Williams. But this seemingly minor incident was indicative of events in the future.
Four days later, on January 25th, Jack Woolams was seated in the cockpit of the XS-1 as, at an airspeed of 180 mph and an altitude of 22,600 feet, it was released for the first time. He reported
a clean break from the B-29--which was obviously the first major objective of this test--and, ultimatelyattaining a top speed of approximately 275 mph, thoroughly enjoyed himself as he completed a series of maneuvers and stalls during the ten-minute glide toward the field below. The final moments of the flight were not quite so enjoyable, however. Approaching the field, he suddenly realized that he had miscalculated the steepness of the airplane’s rapid descent and, while he managed to coax the XS-1 over a row of trees that lined the edge of the field, he undershot the landing as he touched down on a hard grass shoulder 400 feet short of the end of the runway. Apart from his pride, Woolams suffer-ed no injuries and the aircraft was undamaged. His miscue notwithstanding, Woolams was extremely pleased with the airplane. Reporting that it felt "solid as a rock" and yet "light as a feather during maneuvers" because of the lightness, effectiveness, and nice balance between the controls, he found the sleek experimental aircraft extremely easy to fly. The final paragraph of his flight report summed up his admiration for what Bell had wrought:
Of all the airplanes the writer has flown, only the XP-77 and Heinkel 162 compare with the XS-1 for maneuverability, control relationship, response to control movements, and lightness of control forces. Although these impressions were rather hastily gained during a flight which lasted only 10 minutes, it is the writer's opinion that due to these factors and adding to them the security which the pilot feels due to the ruggedness, noiselessness, and smoothness of response of this airplane, it is the most delightful one to fly of them all.
Woolams completed a total of ten glide flights at Pinecastle between January and early March 1946. The XS-1 was launched at speeds of up to 240 mph and from 25,000 feet altitude, and Woolams had evaluated its handling qualities at air speeds as high as 400 mph. The concept of air- launch operations was successfully demonstrated and the XS-1, based on the data acquired and Woolams’ assessment, had exhibited excellent flying qualities. The program, however, had not been without incident. At the end of one flight, the left main landing gear had retracted as the airplane touched down and the left wing had been damaged. As he was rolling out on landing after another flight, the nose gear had retracted and, during yet another flight, the XS-1's windscreen had fogged up and then Woolams’ vision was further obscured when glycol siphoned out of the windshield de-icing system. Combined with long delays that had been encountered because of poor weather conditions, these incidents settled one very important issue, once and for all. The powered flight program would not be conducted at Pinecastle...and certainly not at Langley Field. Indeed, based upon his recent experiences in the XS-1, Woolams recommended Muroc. It had everything going for it that Pinecastle did plus better--and more predictable--weather, more isolation, and the vast, pilot-friendly expanse of Rogers Dry Lake.
Extremely pleased with the results of the glide-test program, Bell ferried the No. 1 XS-1 back to New York for installation of its engine and propellant tanks as well as to replace the wings and horizontal tail with the thinner airfoils which would be employed on it for the high-speed portion of the research test program. This airplane, however, would not fly again for more than a year. The No. 2 ship (serial number 46-063), configured with ten-percent wings and an eight-percent tail, was being prepped to complete the initial powered flights at Muroc. Jack Woolams had expected to make those flights and, indeed, was fully confident that he would ultimately become the first man to exceed the speed of sound. Tragically, however, on August 30, he was killed in an accident while preparing to fly a highly modified P-39 in the Thompson Trophy Air Race near Cleveland.
The tragic death of the popular Woolams was a serious blow to the whole Bell team and, in light of subsequent events, it might well be con-sidered as one of the major turning points in the XS-1 program. Bell was already negotiating with the AAF for a contract to make the attempt on the speed of sound and, if negotiations proceeded in Bell’s favor, Woolams was slated to make those flights. Contractor pilots typically received sub-stantial bonuses for flying hazardous test programs. Indeed, Woolams had been promised a $10,000 bonus for flying the initial acceptance test program. But, shortly before his death, he had confided to his wife that Bob Stanley knew he had him "over a barrel." "He knows I’m so eager to make those [supersonic] flights," he explained, "that I’ll do it for nothing if I have to." One can only speculate about where all of this may have led but certainly the personal loss, for all involved, was tremendous. A few days after the accident, Larry Bell confided to Brigadier General Laurence C. "Bill" Craigie, the chief of the Engineering Division at Wright Field: "Jack’s death was a great loss to aviation; one of the most capable test pilots I have ever seen and a fine boy of great charm and personality to whom we were all deeply devoted. I felt closer to Jack than to any pilot we ever had. His willingness to explore the unknown was a great inspiration to me."