Gear -- 5 days ago
Words: Violet
On October 14th 1947 an incredible record was broken pushing the limits of what humans believed was possible in aviation further than ever before. Capt Charles E ‘Chuck’ Yeager flew to a rocketing speed of Mach 1.07 making him the first person ever to fly faster than the speed of sound.
Prior to this remarkable record being set, the act of getting aeroplanes to fly at super fast speeds was being plagued by an assortment of issues. The aircrafts simply couldn’t handle it. The 1930s saw several types of planes – including the Lockhead P-38 and the Republic P-47 -attempt the high speeds but each time they did they experienced control problems. This was until the Bell X-1 came along piloted by a very special man.
The Bell X-1 was developed for research purposes, testing speeds just above and below the speed of sound and its pilot, Yeager, was a Captain of the US Air Force. Once Yeager had nicknamed his plane (a crucial step) ‘Glamourous Glennis’ after his wife, he set about his first powered flight on August 29th. Over the next few months, Yeager creeped closer to the sound barrier, the crucial changes being made each time to the horizontal tail controls.
When Oct 14th came, despite having two broken ribs from a horse riding accident, Yeager finally did it. His team, who were watching from the ground, heard a clatter which was described as sounding like distant thunder. It was the first sonic boom ever created by an aircraft and pilot. An incredible moment in aviation history.
30 Greatest Moments In Aviation – Capt Chuck Yeager – in association with Breitling, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the timeless Chronomat
For more information visit breitling.com or follow them on Twitter
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