Aviation and Space History DVDs
We're dedicated to making great films and DVDs highlighting the little known chapters in aerospace history. Working from materials unearthed from the National Archives, NASA, and military sources, the source films are professionally transferred into the digital domain. In most cases, we're using film that hasn't been seen in years. In some cases, it's never been seen before by the public.
If you're a historian, a model builder, or an aerospace enthusiast, you'll find something exciting in each rocket.aero DVD from Spacemonkey Models.
Supersonic: the Bell X-1 DVD
The rocket powered Bell X-1 was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound, shattering the transonic barrier in October 1947. Tied closely to the classic mythology of the American test pilot, the X-1 and her follow-on variants served as research platforms for well over a decade. Our X-1 DVD package is almost three hours in length, and contains the following:
- "Supersonic: the Bell X-1," a twelve-minute long original film that serves as an overview of the X-1 research program and an introduction to the DVD content
- a 1948 United States Air Force briefing film covering the original X-1 aircraft and the early transonic research program
- The U.S. Air Force documentary "Flight to the Future," featuring the Bell X-1 and X-2, plus glimpses of the Douglas X-3, Northrop X-4, and Bell X-5
- An extended composite mission highlighting the early X-1
- footage of the first X-1 glide flights at Florida's Pinecastle Army Air Field
- exciting coverage of a 1949 X-1 ground launch, the only time this was done in the entire research program
- footage of an extended X-1A composite mission
- X-1B composite mission footage
- X-1E composite mission footage
Running time approximately 173 minutes. NTSC, 16:9 widescreen, encoded for all regions. All footage and images courtesy NARA and USAF. Compilation ©2019, rocket.aero. This DVD contains both silent and sound film elements.