Yeager Breaks The Sound Barrier

(10/14/47) Captain Chuck Yaeger, piloting a Bell X-1 rocket plane, became the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound. This was the dawn of the age of supersonic transportation.

The sound barrier was a substantial barrier for planes to fly faster. The first planes to fly faster then the speed of sound no doubt took place during the dives of planes, but that would often result in the plane crashing. Great Britain began a secret project in 1942 with Miles Aircraft. They developed a prototype called M.52 it was turbojet powered, and it was hope that it would reach 1000 MPH. The project was cancelled, but the design was shared with the United States.

The Bell Aircraft company was given the designs of the M.52, and they designed the Bell X-1. It was similar to the British plane.

On October 14, 1947, Captain Charles “Chuck” Yaeger piloted the X-1 called the Glamorous Glennis. The plane was flown from the bomb bay of a B-29. It flew at a speed of Mach 1.06 before landing.