Aviation - 1957, X-13, No. 620 Flight Nos. 54 & 55

Aviation - 1957, X13, No. 620 Flight Nos. 54 & 55 Vertical plane moving sideways in flight. Zoom in on plane, descending & landing after hovering slowly over tarmac towards ground service trailer, moves away & ascends. In horizontal flight away from camera. 12:04:05 Again vertical, then horizontal away. 12:04:50 Slug. 12:04:54 Ryan X-13 Vertijet on ground service trailer. Vertical & moving away from trailer watched by people on ground & HUEY helicopter hovering nearby; slowly ascends, then horizontal & away from camera. 12:06:18 Approaching & flying over tarmac, turning / banking away. 12:06:48 Following conventional small fighter jet, moving into near vertical position. Closer shot in vertical position descending & moving past vertical service trailer to another & descends catching hook. 12:09:53 Slate: 11Apr57 X-13 #620 Flt 69-2-54. Vertical X-13 raised by hook on nose. 12:10:16 Cameraman seen following X-13 making passes over field. X-13 after re-attaching w/ pilot in seat, ground service trailer beginning to lower (lowering not seen). 12:10:56 Test pilot, Pete Girard out of plane on lowered trailer, shaking hands & talking to ground crew & ??, photographers around. MCUs. 12:14:33 Slate: X-13 #620 Flt 69-2-55 11Apr57. Plane hanging from hook on trailer, pilot visible, plane slowly raised by lever arm, lifting off & flying backward above ground, turning on vertical axis & moving away, tilting down in distance to level flight. 12:16:59 Plane returning in vertical position & hovering; moving slowly to attachment point, guided by man on top of trailer; attached & dropping against vertical trailer. MS pilot acknowledging w/ thumbs up; man descending from top of trailer by cable & technician lowering service trailer; back-up trailer visible behind. 12:20:05 CU of Tail fin w/ markings Vertijet... CU of nose & markings. 12:20:39 Photographer hanging by cable from crane seen behind X-13. 12:21:18 Lowering of trailer & plane. Canopy opened, pilot out, talks w/ three men; MCU. 12;23:42 Hands man dollar bill, laughing. Military Aviation Research; Development; Prototypes; Vertical Take Off And Landing; Oddities; 1950s; Cold War; NOTE: Any continuous ten minutes sold at per reel rate. NOTE: X-13 was world’s first pure jet VTOL aircraft. The second prototype (#54-1620) on 11Apr57 made vertical takeoff from vertically raised trailer, transitioned to horizontal flight & back again. Only two X-13 were produced, both now in museums.