Posted on 10/12/2021 9:54:01 AM PDT by DFG
On October 14, 1947, a unique, terrifying sound pierced the air above California's Mojave desert.
US Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager had carried out a feat which some believed to be impossible: he had broken the sound barrier by flying above Mach 1 (767mph), causing a sonic boom.
The brilliant pilot did so in 'Glamorous Glennis', the experimental Bell X-1 plane which was named after his wife.
Now, ahead of the anniversary of his famous accomplishment, an upcoming TV documentary sheds further light on how the pilot came extremely close to death when his plane spun out control on a previous test flight.
He was only saved by quick-thinking which saw him turn off his engines to slow himself down and regain control.
Breaking The Sound Barrier, which airs in the UK and US tonight on the Smithsonian Channel, hears from aviation experts and reveals newly-colourised footage of the famous flight.
Yeager, who passed away in December last year, had previously shot down at least 11 enemy aircraft in the Second World War.
His 1947 feat pipped other countries – including the UK – in the race to fly faster than the speed of sound and sparked off the global development of both commercial and military aircraft capable of flying at supersonic speeds.
A little over six years later, the US Navy's Skyrocket plane reached a new speed of Mach 2 (1,500mph), before Yeager became top dog again by flying at 1,600mph.
And, within less than 20 years of Yeager's flight, the Concorde supersonic airliner had taken to the skies, ushering in a revolution in commercial transatlantic travel.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Glenn was Spam in a Can and just expected to lie there.
The article refers to a “Flying Tail” but was in fact using the elevator trim tab for pitch control. The flying tail came later. Jack Ridley and Yeager figured out how to use the trim to control the aircraft.
It was Jack Ridley (I think I may have me a stick), who actually invented the flying tail used by most supersonic aircraft today. He should have been a very rich man for that brilliant invention. His insight into using the trim for control enabled the supersonic control.
That one might know one another in both darkness and light...
Colossal balls!!
Not too many like him.
Sort of wonder why he was not part of the astronaut ranks.
Yeager did not have a college degree.
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