
Nov. 16, 1940, test pilot W. H. McAvoy returning from test flight at Ames, Iowa | Credit to NASA Article
Jet plane right before breaking the sound barrier | Credit to The Telegraph
The Sound Barrier
"As an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, approximately 761 miles per hour, the increased pressure compresses the air into a liquid. That puts stress on the craft."
-"Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Story of Chuck Yeager" by Susan
Harkins p. 9
The Race to Break the Sound Barrier Continued
"Could this be overcome? How? What about the mysterious "Sound Barrier?" Was it something that could be broken or would planes continue to crash against the barrier, sending their pilots to their deaths? "
-NASA Sound Barrier Article
Chuck Yeager the First Human to Break the Sound Barrier, October 14, 1947
"The difficulties (...) did not discourage them. The attempt to reach Mach 1 was scheduled for the ninth test flight, on October 14, 1947."
-"Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier" p.20 by Conrad Stein
Chuck Yeager Breaking the Sound Barrier October 14, 1947, King Rose Archives YouTube
"One of the ground crew also radioed in to report hearing a distant boom that sounded like thunder. Later, they would all come to realize that the ground crew had heard the very first sonic boom."
-"Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Story of Chuck Yeager" p. 8 by Susan Harkins
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The Bell X-1 | Credit to the Library of Congress
Chuck Yeager's Jet - the Bell X-1
"The Bell X-1 airplane (...) had a pointed nose ,with thin, sharp- edged wings that could cut through the compressed air like a knife."
-"Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier" p.15 by R. Conrad Stein
Go back to Development of Faster Planes
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Sky background Personal Photograph
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Cochran knew that breaking the sound barrier was her ultimate goal to make women equal to men. She was determined to achieve this. She chose Chuck Yeager to be her instructor.
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