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The Bell X-1: the first aircraft ever to break the sound barrier.

3--2--1--Drop


Have had mild buffet. . . usual instability


Make a note here. Elevator effectiveness regained


Make another note. There's something wrong with this Machmeter. Its gone screwy!


Victory rolls.


Coming in unpowered.


Landing at Rogers Dry Lake painted runway 18 (next to Edwards AFB.

Great!

This aircraft (or a replica) is at the smithsonian Air and Space museum.  This feat is in the movie The Right Stuff.

During the Korean War (one where the F86 was inferior to the Russian Mig 15) Chuck Yeager was quoted as saying "The pilot with more experience will whup your a$$, no matter what you are flying."  To prove his point, he and another pilot went up; one in an F86, and one in a Mig 15.  Then they switched planes and went up again.  Both, times, Chuck Yeager was able to stay on the other pilot's tail.

Just a bit of trivia, in case you're interested.

Is Chuck Yeager still alive, by the way?

Yes he is, he retired from the US Air Force in 1979 after serving a total of 38 years. From 1941 - 1944, he was in the Flying Seargents program. In 1944, he was commisioned as a 2nd Lt., and retired in 1979 as a Brigadier General.

For more information, visit:
http://www.chuckyeager.com/

Nice slice of history!

Cool, but did you know he did that little trick with 3 broken ribs?  He had to use a broom handle to shut the door with, because he couldn't pull it shut with that arm...  :D

Which trick...

Learn something new every day!

The reason he had three broken ribs was that he and his wife had a little too much to drink at Pancho Barnes restaurant and decided to go horseback riding in the moonlight. The horse stopped at a fence, Yeager didn't.
He went to a doctor quite a distance away so that the brass wouldn't find out about it. He knew that if they did, he would be scrubbed from the flight. The door on the X-1 was on the right, the side of his broken ribs. The door was lowered into place, and he had to lock it into place by pulling a handle on the door. He positioned the broomstick between the door and handle, and "reach over with his left hand and whang the thing shut."

Read his book Huh?
I had the pleasure of meeting him a while back, very interesting character! And I do mean character
He kindly autographed a copy of his bio for me

He is the "Old Bold" pilot that people say don't exsist.

Nice to see the old bird again, well done.Happy flying .

Ludo