Bell X-1 supersonic aircraft. The Bell X-1 was flown by Charles 'Chuck' Yeager on 14th October 1947 and was the first aircraft to break the speed of s

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Bell X-1 supersonic aircraft. The Bell X-1 was flown by Charles 'Chuck' Yeager on 14th October 1947 and was the first aircraft to break the speed of sound. It was carried into the air under a converted B-29 bomber, and released at 6800 metres altitude over Muroc, California, USA. The X-1 was powered by a four-chamber XLR-11 rocket engine that generated kilonewtons of thrust. This pushed the aircraft to a speed of 1078 kilometres per hour at an altitude of 12,800 metres - equivalent to times the speed of sound. Yeager unofficially named the aircraft 'Glamorous Glennis' after his wife. It is now displayed in a museum in Washington DC, USA.

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Size: 4193px × 4193px
Photo credit: © DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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