Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier

U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Có thể là hình ảnh về 3 người, máy bay và văn bản

Yeager, born in Myra, West Virginia, in 1923, was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe.

On this day: Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier

He shot down 13 German planes and was himself shot down over France, but he escaped capture with the assistance of the French Underground. After the war, he was among several volunteers chosen to test-fly the experimental X-1 rocket plane, built by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the possibility of supersonic flight.

For years, many aviators believed that man was not meant to fly faster than the speed of sound, theorizing that transonic drag rise would tear any aircraft apart. All that changed on October 14, 1947, when Yeager flew the X-1 over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California. The X-1 was lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a B-29 aircraft and then released through the bomb bay, rocketing to 40,000 feet and exceeding 662 miles per hour (the sound barrier at that altitude). The rocket plane, nicknamed “Glamorous Glennis” (after Yeager’s wife), was designed with thin, unswept wings and a streamlined fuselage modeled after a .50-caliber bullet.

Reports of the flight leaked to the press in December 1947, but because of the secrecy of the project, Bell and Yeager’s achievement was not officially confirmed until June 1948. Yeager continued to serve as a test pilot, and in 1953 he flew 1,650 miles per hour in an X-1A rocket plane. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975 with the rank of brigadier general. Yeager died on December 7, 2020, at age 97.

Related Posts

Meghan Markle’s ex best pal ‘fearful’ as ‘powerful’ Duchess could make huge move

Duchess Meghan and Jess Mulroney were once inseparable, but in recent years, things seem to have become pretty frosty between the two women, with new reports claiming…

Frail Katie Price looks thinner than ever after shock hospital dash

Katie Price has been forced to undergo a series of blood tests after she sparked concern among her fans by revealing she has been losing weight and…

Exclusive: Janice Dickinson sues ITV over I’m A Celebrity accident while walking to the loo

American supermodel Janice Dickinson, 70, tripped over a cable in the Kruger National Par while filming the All Stars series of I’m A Celebrity – falling face-first…

Sarah Ferguson ‘in hell’ as pal shares response to charity axe over Epstein emails

Lizzie Cundy appeared on The Jeremy Vine Show today to defend her friend Sarah Ferguson as pressure mounts on Prince Andrew’s ex-wife to be stripped of her…

Dani Dyer quits Strictly after breaking ankle in training with heartbreaking statement

Strictly Come Dancing has been hit with a massive blow after a celebrity was forced to withdraw through injury before the live shows begin Strictly Come Dancing has…

This Morning’s Ben Shephard forced to apologise as Lulu swears during sad admission

This Morning’s Ben Shepard had to apologise when Lulu swore live on air and dropped the F-bomb during her appearance on Wednesday’s edition of the ITV magazine…