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HAER report: Edwards AFB South Base X-1 Loading Pit (maps and historic photographs)

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HAER report: Edwards AFB South Base X-1 Loading Pit (maps and historic photographs) · 19 pages · PDF 3.5 MB

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Page 1

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base,
HAER No. CA-308-A
X-1 Loading Pit
Western Shore of Rogers Dry Lake
Boron Vicinity
Kern County
California
PHOTOGRAPHS
WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA
Historic American Engineering Record
National Park Service
Department of the Interior
Oakland, California

Page 2

Historic American Engineering Record
Edwards Air Force Base, South Base
X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
Location: At the western edge of the apron of the old flightline at South Base, on the
western shore of Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California.
USGS Edwards (7.5 minute quadrangle 1992).
Township 9 North, Range 9 West,
Southwest 14 of the southwest 14 of Section 6.
Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: Zone 11, 419730 mE, 3861950 mN
Date of Construction: 1947
Present Owner: U. S. Air Force, AFFTC, Edwards AFB, California 93523
Present Occupant: Not Occupied
Present Use: Not in use
Significance: The X-1 loading pit was constructed to attach the X-1 aircraft to the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, from which it was air launched during its historic flights.
The pit is strongly associated with the X-1 program and with Captain Charles E. "Chuck"
Yeager, the test pilot who exceeded Mach 1 in the X-1 on October 14, 1947. Not only
was the X-1 the first aircraft to surpass the speed of sound, the X-1 program yielded
information about stresses on aircraft and pilots at transonic and supersonic speeds and
began to explore issues associated with high altitude flight. The X-1 program set the
stage for later experimental flight research and represents the first step in a series of
accomplishments that culminated with space flight. X-1 research proved that high-speed
travel was possible, and that space flight might be possible. It set the standard for future
research and illustrated the feasibility of cooperative research efforts between the
military, research facilities, and industry. The X-1 Loading Pit has been found eligible
for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and B.
Historians: Andrew J. Schmidt and Shahira Ashkar, Jones & Stokes, February 2002.

Page 3

LOCATION DESCRIPTION
Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 2)
The X-1 Loading Pit is located at South Base, Edwards AFB, California. Edwards Air
Force Base is located in the Antelope Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. The towns of
Rosamond and Boron lie immediately outside the Base boundaries. However, the core
area of the base is approximately 15 miles from either town. The landscape is composed
of desert hills and dry lake beds. Edwards AFB boundaries encompass two large dry lake
beds, Rosamond and Rogers. The remote location, the sparse population, the clear dry
air, and the natural runway-like surface of the lake bed have made Edwards AFB an ideal
location for aircraft training and testing over the years. Additionally, Edwards AFB is
located near the aerospace industry in Los Angeles.
The South Base area of Edwards AFB is located approximately one mile south of Main
Base. Both areas are on the west shore of Rogers Dry Lake. Main Base is the central
area of activity at Edwards AFB, but South Base facilities continue to be used for some
aircraft development and testing programs. Most structures associated with South Base,
especially in the former cantonment area north of the South Base runway and the Birk
Test Facility, have been removed or demolished.
·
The X-1 Loading Pit is located in the northwestern portion of the South Base flightline.
It is located in an area currently used as a parking lot near the southwest comer of the
Birk Flight Test Facility fence in the former aircraft anchorage area. The loading pit is a
cross, recessed in the concrete. A safety railing surrounding the pit has been added.
Otherwise, the loading pit looks much as it did during its period of use. Other structures
associated with the loading pit included three tanks, and a railroad spur. The tanks were
used to hold liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen, and to mix water and ethyl alcohol. The
tanks and railroad spur are no longer present.
RESOURCE DESCRIPTION
Aside from the aircraft itself, the X-1 Loading Pit is the only physical remnant of the X-1
program at Edwards AFB. The X-1 Loading Pit is located at the northwest comer of the
South Base flightline on the taxiway. The area is now used as a parking lot for the Birk
Test Facility. It is a recessed cross that is cut into the taxiway concrete and the walls
consist of poured-in-place concrete.
The pit is oriented toward the cardinal directions and measures approximately 46 feet
along the north/south axis and 30 feet along the east/west axis.
The southern arm
measures approximately 13 feet, 7 inches wide, and the northern arm is approximately 8
feet wide. The eastern and western arms both measure approximately 11 feet, 3 inches
wide. The floor of the pit is a uniform 5 feet, 1 inch below the surface except in the

Page 4

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 3)
northern arm, which is ramped. This ramp was used to roll the X-1 aircraft into the
loading pit.
A 12-inch-square, six-inch-deep steel box that held electrical conduit and cables is
recessed into the eastern wall of the eastern arm of the loading pit (CA-308-A-5). A
rectangular depression is located in the floor of the southern arm (CA-308-A-2). The 9-
inch deep depression (or slot) measures 10 feet, 1 inch along the north/south axis and 2
feet 1.5 inches along the east/west axis. The northern end of the depression is ramped.
The concrete used for the slot does not match the rest of the concrete, indicating that this
may be a later addition. A tar-covered steel pipe crosses the southwestern comer of the
pit. The pipe measures 11 inches in diameter, and is located approximately 9 inches
above the floor of the pit (CA-308-A-1). The function of this pipe is unclear, but it
appears to have been added when the loading pit was no longer in use. The runway is
scarred on either side of the loading pit along the extrapolated alignment of this pipe and
there is no indication of the pipe in historic photographs (see Supplemental Information).
The number "45" is faintly etched in the southernmost wall of the loading pit.
A safety rail was built in 1990 by the Base Civil Engineer. This safety rail forms a
rectangle around the loading pit measuring approximately 55 feet along the north/south
axis and 36.5 feet along the east/west axis. The rail is made of 2-inch diameter steel pipe,
painted tan. There is a hinged gate in the center of the northern end with the letters "Y P"
(Yeager Pit) made of flat steel and welded to the inside square of the gate (CA-308-A-2).
There are four threaded steel mounting studs in the concrete at each of the 12 comers of
the pit (CA-308-A-3). The concrete appears to have been patched at several comers.
Historic photographs from 194 7 do not indicate any bolts or structures at these locations.
The function of the mounting studs and the time of their addition are unknown.
Although they have since been removed, three sets of two steel rails on the ramped
northern arm of the pit once provided guidance when backing the X-1 aircraft into the
loading pit. All that remains of the rails are 42 evenly spaced, threaded, steel studs
located along the ramp (CA-308-A-l).
Other elements that have been removed include wooden beams that lined the southern
edges of the east and west arms and part of each side of the southern arm of the loading
pit (see Supplemental Information). The function of these is unknown, but they may
have functioned as stop blocks for the B-29 aircraft. When the pit was not in use, poles
were erected at each comer and ropes or cable were draped between them, presumably in
the interest of safety. The poles fit into holes in the poured walls of the pit, some of
which are still visible at the comers (CA-308-A-4). A railroad spur was located to the

Page 5

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 4)
east of the loading pit, though spur did not extend onto the taxiway. Also to the east of
the loading pit, there were two tanks used to store fuel.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Except where otherwise noted, the following history of Muroc AAF is adapted from
previous cultural resource studies conducted at South Base, which are on file with the
Base Historic Preservation Officer. 1
Before World War I, airplanes and air-launched vehicles were seen as eccentric
recreational vehicles. Although the U.S. military made little use of aircraft in that war, it
witnessed the introduction of enemy military aircraft. Between the two world wars, the
Army expanded its air wing, built airfields for pilot and bombing training, and laid the
seeds for the eventual establishment of the Air Force branch of the DOD in 1947. When
the United States entered World War II in 1941, it entered a new era in air power in
which aircraft would exceed speeds of 500 miles per hour. During the early 1940s,
planes were being designed for increasingly high speeds and were entering the lower
limits of transonic flight, the little understood region between Mach 0.7 and Mach 1.3.
Mach number is the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the medium
through which it is moving. If a plane is moving at Mach 1, it is moving at the speed of
sound. The speed of sound is not constant but varies with air temperature, which varies
with altitude.2
During World War II, pilots in steep dives experienced difficulties with the structural
stability and control of their aircraft. As aircraft entered the transonic region (speed in
excess of 500 mph) while accelerating in steep dives, pilots and their aircraft experienced
the effects of compressibility, which included a loss of control and structurally
devastating aerodynamics loads. These effects were caused by the altered flow of air
over an object in motion, and worsened as the object approached the speed of sound. In
severe cases, it led to the loss of the aircraft. These new experiences raised many
questions regarding the possibility of high-speed flight.
Some engineers and
aerodynamicists had dubbed the speed of sound "the 'sound barrier' beyond which no
1 Cotterman, Cary D., Scott M. Hudlow, Linda Auten, Christopher 0. Hurst, Dena S. Komporlides, and
Susan L. Bupp, Final Inventory and Evaluation of Selected Military Period Slructures at South Base,
Edwards Air Force Base, California, Volumes I and II, prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., San Bernardino,
California, manuscript on file at the AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, California, 1997.
2 Young, James 0., Meeting the Challenge of Supersonic Flight, (Edwards AFB: AFFTC History Office),
1997; Hallion, Richard P., "American Rocket Aircraft: Precursors to Manned Flight Beyond the
Atmosphere," in History or Rocketry and Astronautics, Kristan R. Lattau, editor, (San Diego: Univelt),
1989.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 5)
aircraft could safely pass."3 However, to some the sound barrier presented a challenging
design problem.
Both to promote and to accommodate advances in aircraft, military planners recognized
the need to expand and improve U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC) airfields and equipment by
the early 1930s. Consequently, a bombing and gunnery range associated with the March
Field air base in Riverside, California was laid out in 1933 in the Muroc area, which was
considered particularly well suited for these purposes. A detachment of 20 men was sent
from March Field to establish a tent camp in support of the new facility. The remote area
was mostly unsettled and afforded excellent year-round flying weather and a natural
emergency landing field (the hard claypan of Muroc [Rogers] Dry Lake). Additionally,
29,000 acres east of the lake bed were already federally owned.
In 1940, private land, as well as 127,500 acres of federal lands in and around the lake
bed, were acquired to enlarge the bombing and gunnery range, and Muroc Lake Bombing
and Gunnery Range was designated a permanent facility of March Field. The following
year a runway and water and sewage systems were constructed. By May 1941, South
Base consisted of four barracks, a mess Hall, a recreation facility, and tents. By 1943,
South Base had a large control tower, a parachute tower, a flight simulator building, a
gymnasium, two theaters, a chapel, a reservoir, and a hospital. Two large hangars were
constructed in 1944.
The early-1940s building campaign at the Muroc facility resulted from its designation as
a post separate from March Field with the primary mission of training fighter and bomber
personnel. The facility was renamed Army Air Base, Muroc Lake in 1942. The creation
of facilities at North Base that year was boosted by research projects. The Bell XP-59A
program to develop the United States' first jet-propelled aircraft resulted in the creation
of the Muroc Flight Test Base, and rocket experiments associated with JATO (jet-assisted
take off) aircraft development were conducted at the Materiel Center Flight Test Base at
North Base during World War II, setting a precedent for flight testing at the facility.
The facility was redesignated Muroc AFB in 1948 and renamed Edwards AFB in 1949.
North and South Base facilities were combined, and the base was assigned the mission of
providing flight testing for new and experimental aircraft. In 1952, base activities shifted
to the new Main Base, and most of the facilities at South Base were abandoned and
eventually demolished or relocated. Also during the early 1950s, a new runway was built
at Main Base leading into Rogers Dry Lake.
After World War II the mission of the Base shifted from an emphasis on training to an
emphasis on experimental flight testing. The change was not unprecedented, as early jet
3 Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989, p. 284.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 6)
aircraft had been tested at Muroc/Edwards AFB during the 1940s. In April 1946, training
activities at South Base ended and the facility was designated a research and development
center. Later that year, South Base and North Base facilities were assigned a uniform
primary mission of conducting experimental flight testing.
By 1955, more than 20
different flight test programs were conducted at South Base.
Organizations that
conducted testing at South Base included the Air Force, the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, later the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration [NASA]), the U.S. Navy and numerous private contractors.
Experimental Aircraft Research and the X-1 Program
Dealing with the compressibility issues was part of NACA's responsibility during World
War II. Wind tunnel testing was not an option, as the facilities of the day could not create
natural conditions near the speed of sound. These factors led to some at NACA to
advocate the design and construction of an experimental aircraft as early as 1941. A
series of conferences dedicated to the subject of compressibility were held in March and
May of 1944. At these conferences, NACA, the Army Air Force, the U. S. Navy, and
industry representatives agreed to sponsor the development of transonic and supersonic
aircraft. NACA proposed that the Army Air Force and the Navy acquire several aircraft
to be devoted to NACA research. These planes would be capable of studying buffeting
problems, stability and control issues, and design requirements for transonic flight, and
would be heavily instrumented to obtain flight data to provide the basis for the design of
production military aircraft.4
As planning for the program progressed, it became clear that NACA and AAF had
different opinions design of the experimental plane.
While NACA favored a
conservative transonic, turbo-jet powered, ground take-off capable aircraft, the AAF
opted for a more radical supersonic, rocket-powered aircraft to be air-launched from a
mother ship.
NACA expressed concerns about the reliability and safety of rocket
engines. The AAF acknowledged that these were concerns but insisted that rocket power
would be necessary to break the sound barrier.5
Though Bell Aircraft volunteered to build the experimental aircraft in November 1944,
the AAF chose to put the project out for bids. Bell and McDonnell Aircraft bid on the
contract. Bell won the contract because McDonnell proposed a diving flight technique,
which was deemed too dangerous. 6
4 Young, Meeting the Challenge, 1997; Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989.
5 Young, Meeting the Challenge, 1997; Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989.
6 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, (Edwards AFB: Dryden Flight Research Center), n.d.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 7)
Three aircraft were commissioned from Bell. Consultations with Bell resulted in the
following requirements.
•
The aircraft would be capable of 10 minutes of powered flight.
•
Tests would be conducted in level or climbing flight.
•
The aircraft design would allow the pilot to be seated, not prone.
•
The aircraft would be capable of achieving Mach 0.8 and pulling 8 gs.
•
The aircraft would complete 20 flights.
•
The aircraft would be constructed within one year of the project award.
The contract was signed on March 16, 1945. Bell would complete the detailed design of
the aircraft, build the plane, and fly it in acceptance testing. Transonic issues would be
addressed in a follow-on contract to be negotiated at a later date.7
The X-1 was 30 feet, 11 inches long, 10 feet, 10 inches high and shaped like a .50 caliber
bullet. It weighed 6,511 pounds empty and 12,050 pounds loaded. It was to use the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress as a mother ship and launch at approximately 25,000 feet.
The first of the three aircraft was ready on December 27, 1945. Each of the three planes
was slightly different. 8
Reaction Motors, Inc. (RMI) was under a separate contract to design and build the XLR-
11 rocket engine for the X-1. The XLR-11 motor was a 4-chamber unit, capable of a
total of 6,000 pounds of thrust. Though the engine was not throttleable, the chambers
could be engaged separately, providing four 1,500-pound increments ofthrust. 9
The first three X-1 aircraft were similar, but had slight differences. For instance, the X-1-
1 had wings with an 8 percent thickness/cord ration. The X-1-2 had slightly thicker
wings (10 percent).
The thicker wings meant that the second aircraft would never
achieve the speeds that the X-1-1 was capable of reaching. The X-1-3 had a turbine fuel
pump, as opposed to the high-pressure nitrogen gas system used in the first two aircraft. 10
The X-1 program was classified confidential and all the performance data was labeled
secret. The X-1 was the first high-speed aircraft built purely for aviation research with no
intention of production. The research techniques employed for the X-1 program became
the pattern for all subsequent X-plane research. The project defined and solidified post-
war cooperative union between military and industrial sectors of the aviation
community. 11
7 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d.
8 Young, Meeting the Challenge, 1997, p. 18; NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d.
9 Young, Meeting the Challenge, 1997, p. 14; Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989.
10 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d ..
11 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 8)
Between January 25 and March 6, 1946, the first X-1 (X-1-1) made its first 10 flights
unpowered at Pinecastle AFB in Orlando, Florida. P. V. "Jack" Woo lams was the test
pilot and test site manager. The first ten flights were conducted by Bell and were to
confirm the airworthiness and handling characteristics of the plane in the absence of a
rocket engine. The X-1-1 was unveiled to the public at a special exhibition at Wright
Field, Ohio on May 17, 1946. It arrived for flight testing at Muroc in April 1947 with
new thinner wings, a new tail, and the XLR-11 rocket engine. 12
On December 9, 1946 at Muroc, the second X-1 (X-1-2) was the first X-1 to make a
powered flight, and Bell test pilot Chalmers "Slick" Goodlin was at the helm. Prior to
December, the X-1-2 made 16 contractor flights at Muroc AAF.
A powered flight
entailed launching the X-1 from beneath a B-29 Super-Fortress at 25,000 feet and firing
the rocket engine. While the engine was firing the X-1 would accelerate and ascend until
it ran out of fuel, at which point the X-1 became a high-speed glider and would glide to
the airstrip to land. The amount of fuel on board limited the powered flight time to
approximately 2 Y2 minutes. The X-1-1 made its first powered flight on April 10, 1947.13
Completion of the third X-1 was delayed by the development of a turbopump fuel
system. The X-1-3 was delivered to NACA in April 1951, three years late. It completed
one glide flight and exploded under its mother ship in November 1951 while attempting
•
•
.c,
114
to Jettison 1ue .
The follow-on contract was not successfully negotiated. In May 1947, NACA and the
AAF assumed program flight responsibilities, and the X-1 aircraft were released to the
AAF in June 1947.
The contractor flights of the X-1-1 and X-1-2 exceeded the
contractual obligations, completing a total of 14 glide flights and 23 powered flights,
reaching a top speed of Mach 0.82 and pulling 8.7gs. 15
After the transfer of the X-1 program, the AAF developed an accelerated program to
utilize the speed potential using the X-1-1. NACA continued to collect and analyze data.
The AFF personnel for this program consisted of Major R. L. "Bob" Cardenas (project
manager), Captain Jack L. Ridley (project engineer), Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager
(test pilot), and Lieutenant Robert A. Hoover (back-up pilot). Future programs would
focus on altitude studies. Yeager piloted the X-1-1 and broke the sound barrier on
12 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d.
13 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d; Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989.
14 Hallion, "American Rocket Aircraft," 1989.
15 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, n.d.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 9)
October 14, 1947. The plane reached Mach 1.06 at 45,000 feet. 16
The X-1-1 was
formally retired on August 26, 1950 after 82 flights, powered and glide, and is currently
located at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. The X-1-2 made
its final flight on October 23, 1951, the last of 74 flights.
In 1955, the X-1-2 was
modified and redesignated the X-lE. 17
In November 1947, the Army Air Force authorized studies that led to a contract with Bell
for four improved X-1 aircraft (X-lA, X-lB, X-lC, and X-lD). Only three were actually
built; the X-lC was cancelled. The remaining three aircraft were ready for operations in
1950. The X-lA arrived at Edwards AFB in January 1953. It had turbo-driven fuel
pumps, a new cockpit canopy, a longer fuselage, and increased fuel capacity. During its
testing regimen, the X-lA reached a top speed of Mach 2.44 a maximuml altitude of
90,440 feet. The X-lA was destroyed on August 8, 1955 by an explosion that occurred
during captive flight. The X-lB was similar to the X-lA, except that it had a slightly
different wing. The X-lB made its first flight in August 1955 after being turned over the
NACA, and it was used to explore issues of aerodynamic heating and to test experimental
reaction control systems. The plane was retired in December 1958, due to stress cracks
in its fuel tank. The X-lC was cancelled during the mock up phase. The X-lD was
designed to continue the research of the X-1 in high speed and high altitude flight. This
aircraft was destroyed in August 1951 when it was jettisoned from its mothership
following an explosion. 18
The X-lE was the remodeled second X-1 aircraft. The wings had been replaced with
narrower wings, and turbo driven fuel pumps were installed.
The windscreen was
changed as well. The X-lE was flown only by NACA and was intended to provide
information about high-speed wing performance. It achieved a top speed of Mach 2.24
and a high altitude of 73,458 feet. The first flight with ventral fins was accomplished by
the X-lE. Two NACA pilots took the X-lE on 26 flights. The aircraft was retired on
November 6, 1958 and is currently on display at the NASA-Dryden Research Center at
Edwards Air Force Base. 19
The X-1 program broke the so-called sound barrier and provided necessary data to carry
on flight research.
The aircraft were used to investigate flight characteristics at
supersonic and transonic speeds.
They yielded data on structural and physiological
phenomena at high speeds and provided a stepping stone for future research regarding
16 For a detailed and engaging account of this historic flight, see Young, Meeting the Challenge, 1997, pp.
56-59.
17 Cotterman, et al., Final Inventory and Evalution at South Base, 1997; NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research
Airplane, 1989.
18 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, 1989; NASA, "Summary of the X-Planes Program," table
located on the NASA website: www.hg.nasa.gov, 2001.
19 NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, 1989; NASA, "Summary of the X-Planes Program," 2001.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 10)
flight at even faster speeds and higher altitudes.
The X-ls set the stage for later
experimental flight research and represent the first step in a series of accomplishments
that culminated with space flight.
X-1 research proved that high-speed travel was
possible, and that space flight might be possible. The program boosted the prestige of
NACA as a research agency and allowed for the development of new production aircraft
for the Air Force. The processes and relationships established during the X-1 program
set the standard for future research.
Of particular importance were the cooperation
between the military, civilian research organizations, and industrial interests.
HISTORY OF THE X-1 LOADING PIT
One of the difficulties in testing the X-1 was attaching it to the B-29 Superfortress, which
was low to the ground. Even with the bomb-bay doors removed, there was little room to
maneuver beneath the aircraft.
This problem was first addressed at Pinecastle and
Buffalo, where unpowered test flights had taken place, through construction of a
cruciform pit. The X-1 was pulled into the pit, and the B-29 taxied over it. After the X-1
was attached, the B-29 and its cargo were ready for flight.
In March 1946 P. V. "Jack" Woolams, the chief test pilot on the XP-59A (America's first
jet aircraft) came to Muroc Army Air Field to ready the facility for the X-1 program,
which was being transferred from Pinecastle. Muroc Army Airfield was an ideal location
for experimental flights. The population was sparse; the clear, dry desert air was usually
good for flying; and the South Base facility had recently been devoted to research and
development as other missions became less important after the end of the war.20
Woolams' goal was to avoid any delays in testing upon the X-l's arrival at Muroc.
Facilities established for the X-1 at South Base were not complex. Woolams contracted
for two tanks to be built on the airfield, a large tank for liquid oxygen and a smaller tank
for liquid nitrogen. An army fuel trailer was modified to serve as a mixing tank for water
and alcohol. A loading pit, similar to the one at Pinecastle AFB was constructed. A
railroad spur was constructed to enable a liquid oxygen tank car to approach the X-1
aircraft during loading. Additionally, W oolams arranged for office space, and off-base
residences for the X-1 personnel. The construction of this facility was completed in a
little more than one month.21
In September 1946, the engineers, instrument technicians, and technical observers for the
X-1 program arrived at Muroc. During October, the X-1-2 was brought to Muroc (the X-
20 Rotundo, Louis, unpublished X-1 manuscript on file at Edwards AFB, AFFTC History Office, X-1 Misc.
file, n.d.
21 Rotundo, unpublished, n.d.

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Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 11)
1-1, which completed the first supersonic flight arrived in April 194 7), and in December,
flight testing of the X-1 began at Muroc.22
The X-1 loading pit at Pinecastle AAF in Florida is no longer extant. The location of the
loading pit is now part of the Orlando International Airport, constructed in the 1970s.
The loading pit was paved over during that construction.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Cotterman, Cary D., Scott M. Hudlow, Linda Auten, Christopher 0. Hurst, Dena S.
Komporlides, and Susan L. Bupp, Final Inventory and Evaluation of Selected
Military Period Structures at South Base, Edwards Air Force Base, California,
Volumes I and II, prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., San Bernardino, California,
manuscript on file at AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1997.
Earth Tech, Inc., Phase I Report, Cultural Resources Survey of South Base High-Speed
Sled Track for Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, South Base Operable
Unit 2, Edwards Air Force Base, California, prepared by Earth Tech, Inc., Long
Beach, CA, manuscript on file at AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, California, 1996.
Hallion, R. P., American Rocket Aircraft: Precursors to Manned Flight Beyond the
Atmosphere, Chapter 18, pp 283-313 in History of Rocketry and Astronautics,
edited by Kristan R. Lattu, (Univelt: San Diego), 1989.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], "Summary of the X-Planes
Program," table located on the NASA website: www.hq.nasa.gov, 2001.
NASA-Dryden, The X-1 Research Airplane, (Edwards AFB, CA: Dryden Flight
Research Center), n.d.
Reeder, Jack, The X-1 Story, unpublished manuscript on file at Edwards AFB, AFFTC
History Office, 1957.
Rotundo, Louis, unpublished X-1 manuscript on file at Edwards AFB, AFFTC History
Office, X-1 Misc. file, n.d.
U. S. Air Force, "History of Muroc Air Force Base, 1 January 1948 to 30 June 1948,"
manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1948.
22 Reeder, Jack, "The X-1 Story," unpublished manuscript on file at Edwards AFB, AFFTC History Office,
1957.

Page 13

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 12)
_____ ,"History of Muroc Air Force Base, 1July1948 to 31December1948,"
manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1949.
_____ , "History of Muroc Air Force Base, 1 January 1949 to 30 June 1949.,"
manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1949.
_____ , "Edwards Air Force Base, California: History, 1 July through 30
December 1949," manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards
AFB, CA, 1950.
_____ , "Edwards Air Force Base, Muroc, California: Data and Information
Prepared for Research and Development Task Force, Office of the Secretary of
Defense, Washington, D.C." Manuscript on file at the History Office,
AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1950.
_____ , "History of Edwards Air Force Base for Period 1 January 1950 through
30 June 1950," manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards
AFB, CA, 1950.
_____ ,"History of Edwards Air Force Base, Muroc, California for Period 1 July
[19]50 through 31 December [19]50," manuscript on file at the History Office,
AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1951.
_____ ,"History of Edward Air Force Base, Muroc, California, 1 January 1951
through 30 April 1951," manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM,
Edwards AFB, CA, 1951.
_____ , "History of Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base,
Muroc, California, 2 April through 30 June 1951," manuscript on file at the
History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1951.
_____ , "History of Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base,
Edwards, California, 1 July through 31 December 1951," manuscript on file at the
History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1952.
_____ , "History of Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base,
Edwards, California, 1 January through 30 June 1952," manuscript on file at the
History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1952.

Page 14

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 13)
_____ , "History of Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base,
Edwards, California, 1 July through 30 December 1952," manuscript on file at the
History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA, 1953.
U.S. Army Air Force, aerial photograph of Muroc Army Air Field, on file at the History
Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards Air Force Base, CA, 1945.
_______ , "History of Muroc Army Air Field, 1 January 1947 to 30 June
1947," manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA,
1947.
_______ , "History of Muroc Army Air Field, 1 July 1947 to 31 December
1947," manuscript on file at the History Office, AFFTC/EM, Edwards AFB, CA,
1948.
Young, James 0., Meeting the Challenge of Supersonic Flight, (Edwards AFB, CA: Air
Force Flight Test Center History Office), 1997.
Supplemental Material
Project vicinity and location maps follow this page. In addition, xerographic photocopies
of historic photographs follow the maps.
Prints and negatives of those images are
archived at the AFFTC History Office. Because documentation of the status of the
photographs as public domain is not available at this time, photographic copies are not
included in this recordation.
PROJECT INFORMATION
This report has been prepared to mitigate potential adverse effects caused by base
activities and general deterioration. The X-1 Loading Pit is no longer in use and is
subject to the elements. A previous inventory study recommended the resource eligible
for listing in the National Register of Historic Place under Criteria A and B, for its
association with the historically significant X-1 research program and with persons
significant to that program.

Page 15

N A
Not to Scale
Source: Adapted from EarthTech 1996.
Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 14)
Fort Irwin
Military
Reservation
MTS.
Project Vicinity Map, Edwards AFB, California

Page 16

1,000
2,000
3,000
feet
Scale = 1 :24,000
Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 15)
4,000
5,000
Base map: USGS 7.5'-series Edwards and
Rogers Lake North, California, quadrangles (1992)
~-------
Location of X-1 Loading Pit

Page 17

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 16)
The Loading Pit, Two XS-1 Aircraft and a B-29 Transport.
View to the Southeast. 1947.

Page 18

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-1 Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 17)
Ramp End of Loading Pit, XS-1 Aircraft and Fuel Tanks.
View to the Northwest. Circa 1950.

Page 19

Edwards Air Force Base, South Base, X-I Loading Pit
HAER No. CA-308-A
(page 18)
XS-I Aircraft in Loading Pit, B-29 Transport in Background.
View to the Southwest. Circa 1950.

Record

Author / institution: Library of Congress, Historic American Engineering Record
Date: Undated
Source type: Historical engineering report
Used for: CASE-081 base context; cites Muroc AAF history manuscripts for Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec 1947
Limitations: Context images only, not UFO photographs; no sighting connection established

Link

https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca3100/ca3124/data/ca3124data.pdf