what is the fastest aircraft ever to fly and what speed did it reach?

Answer 1

Well, I'm pretty sure this isn't what you meant, but the Space Shuttle is technically an aircraft as well as a spacecraft and often hits speeds in excess of Mach 30 (30 times the speed of sound).

Escape velocity being something like Mach 35, it would have to at least hit that to get into space.

Answer 2

North American X-15A

While the Bell X-1 was the first to break the sound barrier, the X-15 has the distinction of being the most successful research airplane ever flown. It made the first manned probes into the lower edges of space. It was designed for speeds of up to 4,000 mph and altitudes of 50 miles, but these goals were exceeded on numerous occasions. Several X-15 pilots earned an "astronaut" rating by attaining altitudes above 50 miles and the X-15 flight program contributed significantly to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.
Scott Crossfield participated in the first glided flight from 38,000 ft. on June 8, 1959 and the first powered flight on September 17, 1959. Other significant milestones include mach 3.2 by Joseph A. Walker on May 12, 1960 and the first man to take the X-15 past mach 4, 5, and 6 was Major Robert M. White. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was also an X-15 test pilot. The final unofficial speed and altitude records for the X-15 were 4,520 mph (mach 6.7) and 354,200 feet (67.08 miles). Three X-15s were built. One was destroyed in a crash. The other two are at the National Air and Space Museum and the U.S. Air Force Museum. The X-43A is faster but is an unmanned prototype. Hope this is helpfull

Answer 3

You could say that Apollo 17 was the fastest aircraft since it also could fly in the atmosphere (with a terrible glide ratio a bit worse than the shuttle) and it flew at 24792 MPH, the fastest speed a human has EVER gone.

But both aren't aircraft. I'd go with the X-43 answer.

Answer 4

The shuttle is supposedly the fastest aircraft, gliding at about 15000 - 17000 mph during reentry, but other requirements for being the fastest is unknown to me.

Note: Even though the shuttle is rocket powered, it is still capable of atmospheric flight. This means that the shuttle IS an aircraft.

However, if the shuttle is not qualified, then the X-43A is the fastest aircraft. It reached speeds of mach 9.8 (7000 mph).

Answer 5

X 15

Answer 6

how about the x-43, i believe it hit mach 10 on one of its flights this was with the use of a scramjet engine... i don't think they ever produced a full scale version but it was a plane nonetheless. by the way this is the fastest jet powered aircraft in the world... the space shuttle doesnt apply because it is rocket powered...

*note* the aircraft was rocket propelled to about mach 3 or 4 before the scramjet was able to work since it works on air pressure in the inlet, then compresses it and adds vaporized super heated fuel with a single ignition source, it also has no moving parts inside the engine.

Answer 7

My idea of an aircraft, and I may be a little conservative in my definition, is one you can get on and go somewhere on a sustainable mission. In other words you get on and go around the world, and land anywhere you choose. Rocket planes and space shuttles do not qualify from definition because you can only plan one landing.
The SR 71 Blackbird is the undisputed champ for speed and duration of flight and the maximum airspeed is still classified.

Answer 8

Fastest unmanned aircraft : X-43 Mach 9.8 Max. altitude@110,000 ft.
Fastest manned aircraft : X-15 Mach 6.72 Max. altitude@354,200 ft.
Fastest manned airplane : SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3.2+ Max. altitude@85,000+ ft.

Answer 9

the fastest service aircraft was the blackbird, it was so fast that in Vietnam when they got shot at by Sam's the pilots just put the throttle down and out run them.

Answer 10

The one that was mass prodced was the concorde jet liner, the fastest jet whould be the SR71 "Black Bird"