When is a plane, not a plane ... One of the most famous rocket planes produced was the North American X-15. It was a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the US Air Force and NASA.

(For the record, the fastest-ever aircraft of *any* kind remains the North American X-15 rocket plane, with a mind-blowing speed record of Mach 6.7 [5140.703 mph; 8273.16 km/h].) As rightfully ...

North American Aviation (NAA ... the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service Module, the second stage of the Saturn V rocket, the ...