"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
10/14/2014 at 10:04 • Filed to: planelopnik
6
17|
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
10/14/2014 at 10:04 • Filed to: planelopnik | 6
| 17 |
On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager piloted the Bell X-1 to Mach 1.07 at an altitude of 40,000 feet, officially becoming the first person to break the sound barrier. Yeager was awarded both the McKay and Collier Trophies in 1948 for his flight. The Bell X-1 that Yeager flew is now on permanent display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
ly2v8-Brian
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:06 |
|
67 years ago.
|
ttyymmnn
> ly2v8-Brian
10/14/2014 at 10:08 |
|
It's early. I fixed it. Thanks.
|
ly2v8-Brian
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:09 |
|
it's all good. Nice write up and pics.
Krieger (@FSKrieger22)
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:10 |
|
I once had a paper plane of the X-1 that could actually fly (it was their tagline, ballast was involved).
And then it got trashed thanks to my mother's brilliant storage ideas. :(
|
ttyymmnn
> ly2v8-Brian
10/14/2014 at 10:11 |
|
I could have written a lot more, but I've learned that the more you write the less people read.
DoYouEvenShift
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:14 |
|
Go X1!
jariten1781
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:18 |
|
I liked engineering back then.
Goal: man past speed of sound
What do we got that already does that? The tip of a whip and bullets.
Well, can't design a giant whip with a human inside so a bullet it is. Strap some wings and a rocket on and let's see what happens.
|
ttyymmnn
> jariten1781
10/14/2014 at 10:21 |
|
Pretty much.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> jariten1781
10/14/2014 at 10:31 |
|
The fuselage was based on a .50 caliber bullet IIRC. Wikipedia backs me up on that claiming they based it on the .50 BMG because it was known to be stable in supersonic flight. That seems strange to me as the bullet would be gyroscopically stabilized, but the plane clearly wouldn't be. I have heard other versions that claim they went with the .50 BMG shape because it was aerodynamically efficient at supersonic speeds.
Alfalfa
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:36 |
|
With some broken ribs, to boot.
|
ttyymmnn
> Alfalfa
10/14/2014 at 10:42 |
|
Would you have passed on that flight? Makes him even more of a mensch .
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 10:49 |
|
And he did it with broken ribs. Why? Because Yeager's a badass.
sebdel
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 11:02 |
|
I've never been to the US, but my one reason to go one day is so I can go to the Air and Space museum, I have to see the x1 and the x15 someday. Good article and thanks for the reminder, Chuck should never be forgotten!
|
ttyymmnn
> sebdel
10/14/2014 at 11:15 |
|
The A&S Museum is fantastic. I was there when it opened in the summer of 1976. It's an amazing place, but it's also very crowded. If you ever make the trip to DC, you must also go to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Int'l Airport. It was opened in 2003 as a place to display the incredible collection of aircraft the Smithsonian had amassed but could not fit in the original space on the Mall. I have been there a couple of times, most recently in June of this year. Here are some of the photos I took there.
|
sebdel
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 11:57 |
|
Awesome pictures, thanks for the link, I have to go there too. For us ecuadorians the process of getting a visa to visit the US is just humiliating, but I'll swallow my pride and try it in a couple of years. I thinks is worth it.
user314
> ttyymmnn
10/14/2014 at 12:04 |
|
Way back in the day, I remember seeing this on either A&E (back when they had shows that were Art and/or Entertaining) or Discovery. The Rocket Pilots - An American Adventure, made in 1981, details the X Planes from 1 to 15 (mostly the X-15). I managed to tape over it at some point, but some kind soul found another copy and added it to YouTube.
|
ttyymmnn
> sebdel
10/14/2014 at 12:10 |
|
Thanks. I'm sorry it's such a hassle. Good luck!