Yeager was first to break Mach in Level flight
Some say that F 86 in steep dive could exceed Mach 1
Yeager did it with several broken ribs after fall from horse …...
I was going to comment on the same. I don't know if that was ever proven. But after Chuck made it official, and the implications and symptoms were revealed, it is said that some pilots of the F-86 made that claim. It seems plausible but is worth noting. The F-86 was not designed for that speed and I do not recall the claims ever being affirmed by engineers. I'd be curious to know, however.
I had a dear friend in Camdenton Missouri (Juanita McKee) that had a signed picture of Chuck Yeager standing next to a fighter in his flight suit. She explained that she and her late husband Tom had met in Pensacola Beach Florida. During his Military career, he introduced her to Chuck Yeager. It was definitely an interesting story.
I had a dear friend in Camdenton Missouri (Juanita McKee) that had a signed picture of Chuck Yeager standing next to a fighter in his flight suit. She explained that she and her late husband Tom had met in Pensacola Beach Florida. During his Military career, he introduced her to Chuck Yeager. It was definitely an interesting story.
“Loan me a stick of Beemans, I’ll pay ya back.”
“Yeager was first to break Mach in Level flight. Some say that F 86 in steep dive could exceed Mach 1...” [njslim, post 2]
Yeager flew Bell’s X-1 to Mach 1.07 on 14 October 1947.
North American’s F-86 did not make its first flight until 1 October 1947. So it had no chance to exceed Mach 1 until long after Yeager’s exploit.
When I entered the Air Force in 1971, old heads told stories about jets exceeding Mach during dives. Many aircraft did so; various models of F-86 were among them. “Breaking the sound barrier” was done as a stunt during open houses and other air shows, in the 1950s.