On August 16, 1963, NASA’s M2‑F1, a wingless lifting-body aircraft known as the “flying bathtub,” completed its first flight. It was retired exactly three years later on August 16, 1966. Lifting-body aircraft were designed for atmospheric reentry—no wings meant fewer surfaces vulnerable to heat and friction.
The maiden flight on August 16th was a triumph of grassroots engineering. Built from lightweight tubular steel and a smooth plywood shell crafted by local sailplane builders, the aircraft had to be towed into the sky behind a souped-up Pontiac convertible before transitioning to a B‑52 bomber tow.
Test pilot Milt Thompson relied entirely on the fuselage’s aerodynamic shape to generate lift. He navigated the unstable, unpowered descent with absolute nerve, proving that a wingless spacecraft could glide safely to a runway landing. The data gathered over its three-year career validated the lifting-body concept and laid the blueprint for the Space Shuttle and modern reusable spacecraft.
Photo: The wingless NASA M2‑F1 glider in flight over the California desert during its August 16th maiden run via Wikimedia Commons, public domain worldwide
