Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier: Supersonic Flight
Chuck Yeager broke two ribs falling off a horse two days before his scheduled flight and told only his wife and a fellow pilot, Jack Ridley, who rigged a broomstick handle so Yeager could seal the X-1's hatch with one hand. On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis dropped from the bomb bay of a B-29 at 26,000 feet. Yeager ignited the four rocket chambers one at a time and climbed to 43,000 feet, accelerating through Mach 0.95 where the controls began shaking violently, then suddenly smoothed out at Mach 1.06. The sonic boom rolled across the Mojave Desert, startling residents of nearby Victorville. The Air Force classified the achievement for months. Yeager received $150 per month in flight pay and never earned royalties. He was 24 years old.
October 14, 1947
79 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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