The record-breaking NASA/USAF X-15, the fastest plane ever built, could blaze through the skies at a staggering 4,520mph, which would slash the London to New York journey to a mere 45 minutes.

and NASA, with four of its 12 pilots being Air Force officers. Tragically, one pilot, USAF Maj. Michael J. Adams lost his life in an X-15 crash in 1967. Another X-15 pilot, Neil Armstrong ...