The Bell X-1 is an American rocket powered experimental aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Forces and NACA, in which test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first person confirmed to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight, on 14 October 1947. Shaped like a .50 caliber machine gun bullet to withstand the aerodynamic stresses expected near the sound barrier, it opened the postwar era of dedicated supersonic research aircraft.
Facts
SignificanceThe Bell X-1, flown by Chuck Yeager, was the first piloted airplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight, on 14 October 1947 over the Mojave Desert, and was the first of the American X-plane research aircraft series. 1 Manufacturer or Builder FAQs
Why was the Bell X-1 called Glamorous Glennis?
Chuck Yeager named it Glamorous Glennis in tribute to his wife.
Chuck Yeager, the pilot who flew the X-1 faster than sound on 14 October 1947, named the airplane Glamorous Glennis in tribute to his wife.
How did the Bell X-1 get into the air?
A Boeing B-29 carried it up and released it from the bomb bay.
It did not take off under its own power. The X-1 was air-launched at an altitude of 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) from the bomb bay of a Boeing B-29, and then used its rocket engine to climb to its test altitude.
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Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Bell X-1
WikipediaInfobox aircraft, manufacturer field
manufacturer = Bell Aircraft
Mach 1 flight section, paragraph 1
The first manned supersonic flight occurred on 14 October 1947, over the Mojave Desert in California
Lead section, sentence 2
was the first piloted airplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight and was the first of the X-planes, a series of American experimental rocket planes (and non-rocket planes) designed for testing new technologies.
In Group: Rocket-Powered and Hypersonic Research Aircraft, Lead sentence
The Bell X-1 (Bell Model 44) is a rocket engine-powered aircraft, designated originally as the XS-1, and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics-U.S.
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