This silent, raw film shows preparations for rocket sled tests on December 10, 1954 at Holloman Air Force Base with the Sonic Wind 1, under the guidance of Col. John Paul Stapp and the Northrop Aircraft Co. Stapp is seen throughout the footage wearing a flight suit and a regulation cap. At 3:37 he is seen standing next to the Sonic Wind; motion picture cameras are visible on the end of the sled pointing to the passenger chair. These would record acceleration and deceleration effects on Dr. Stapp.

The Sonic Wind 1 was powered by nine solid fuel rockets with 40,000 pounds total thrust for five seconds. Air Force Lt. Col. John Stapp first rode the sled on March 19, 1954, at Holloman and reached a speed of 613 feet per second. During acceleration, he was subjected to a force of 22 times that of gravity (22 g’s). He made his second run on the sled on August 20, 1954 attaining a speed of 735 feet per second.

On December 10, 1954 (when this film was shot), Stapp made his last and most notable ride on the sled reaching a speed of 632 miles per hour. Stapp underwent a force of 40 g’s, the highest g force any human had endured to that time. The sled rides helped determine the effects of extreme acceleration on the human body, data that was very useful in aerospace medicine.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com