Bell X-1 – Billeder og video

Fotogalleri af en Klokke X-1B, The Bell X-1, designated originally as XS-1, was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics-U.S. Army Air Forces-U.S. Air Force supersonic research project built by the Bell Aircraft Company. Conceived during 1944 and designed and built during 1945, it achieved a speed of nearly 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km/h; 870 kn) during 1948. A derivative of this same design, the Bell X-1A, having greater fuel capacity and hence longer rocket burning time, exceeded 1,600 miles per hour (2,600 km/h; 1,400 kn) during 1954. The X-1 was the first manned airplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight and was the first of the so-called X-planes, a series of American experimental rocket planes designated for testing of new technologies and often kept secret.

Kilde: Bell X-1 på Wikipedia

The Bell X-1 was a groundbreaking aircraft that achieved the first supersonic flight in history. It was developed by Bell Aircraft Corporation in collaboration with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). The Bell X-1 was powered by a rocket engine that used liquid oxygen and alcohol as propellants. The aircraft was shaped like a bullet and had thin wings to reduce drag at high speeds. The Bell X-1 was carried aloft by a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber and released at an altitude of about 23,000 feet. The pilot then ignited the rocket engine and climbed to the desired speed and altitude. The Bell X-1 made its first powered flight on December 9, 1946, piloted by Chalmers Goodlin. On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in level flight, reaching a speed of 700 miles per hour (Mach 1.06) at 43,000 feet. The Bell X-1 proved that supersonic flight was possible and opened the way for further research and development of faster and more advanced aircraft.