NASA Adds X-59 Test Pilot

NASA’s X-59 test pilot Mike Lippert stands in front of the agency's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Lippert joins NASA as the third X-59 pilot supporting the Quesst mission, which will eventually fly over U.S. communities to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and collect feedback from the public about the aircraft’s quiet sonic “thump.”

NASA’s X-59 test pilot Mike Lippert stands in front of the agency's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Lippert joins NASA as the third X-59 pilot supporting the Quesst mission, which will eventually fly over U.S. communities to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and collect feedback from the public about the aircraft’s quiet sonic “thump.”

Location AFRC
NASAX-59AviationLow Boom Flight DemonstratorLBFDQuesstQuestTest PilotSupersonicMachSonic BoomQuiet Supersonic TechnologyX-planeAeronauticsLockheed MartinSkunk WorksSpeedAFRCArmstrong Flight Research CenterLangley Research CenterAmes Research CenterGlenn Research CenterSonic ThumpAirplanesCaliforniaEdwards Air Force BaseEAFBFlight Test