Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 41

The second X-1, tail number 6063, on the Muroc ramp, with the B-29 mother ship. The aircraft had
no ejection seat. Emergency egress by parachute was by releasing the access door (shown here
removed). Photo courtesy of NASA.

The first Bell X-1, tail number 6062, in
flight under rocket power, photographed
by chase pilot Bob Hoover in 1947. Photo
courtesy of NASA.

in Florida, later to be renamed McCoy Air
Force Base, and now Orlando International
Airport. After 10 flights, the test program
moved to Muroc Army Air Field, now known
as Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave
Desert of California, and by the end of 1946,
there were two X-1s being flown by Bell's
test pilots. According to the contract, Bell
would demonstrate the two aircraft up to
Mach 0.80, and then turn them over to
the Army (by then the U.S. Air Force) for
the high-performance flights. The handoff
was in June 1947, and for the rest of 1947
most of the flying was done by Captain
Charles "Chuck" Yeager and Lieutenant
Herb Hoover-not to be confused with Bob
Hoover, who was Yeager's backup and flew
chase for many X‑1 flights.
The historic supersonic flight, reaching Mach 1.06, was flown by Yeager in the
first of the two X-1s on 14 October 1947.

US Air Force Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager with the first X-1, named Glamorous Glennis in honor
of his wife. Plane and pilot were the first to exceed Mach 1 in October 1947. Photo courtesy of
the U.S. Air Force.

The Collier Trophy, presented annually
since 1911 for the greatest achievement
in aeronautics in America, was awarded to
Yeager (USAF), Larry Bell (Bell Aircraft) and
John Stack (NACA). By 1951, the two aircraft had been flying for five years, providing valuable knowledge about supersonic
flight. They had been flown by 19 different
pilots from Bell, the Air Force and NACA
for a total of 158 flights, sometimes flying
twice in the same day, with the fastest
flight hitting Mach 1.24, and the highest
reaching 71,900 feet.
With one exception, all flights began
with the X-1 being dropped at high altitude

from the belly of a modified Boeing B-29
bomber, or later a B-50. The exception was
one takeoff from the ground with a partial load of fuel. According to Yeager, in
80 seconds from a standing start he was
doing Mach 1.03 at 23,000 feet.
But the X-1s' luck didn't last. A third
plane, with an upgraded rocket motor,
was delivered in 1951, three years behind
schedule. It made just one glide flight,
and before it could make its second it was
demolished on the ground when its propellant tanks exploded, taking the B-50
mother ship with it. Fortunately, there were
no fatalities.
Jetrader  *  Summer 2015 41



Jetrader - Summer 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - Summer 2015

A Message from the President
Calendar/News
Q&A: Raymond Sisson, Chief Executive Officer and President, AWAS
Customer Service and the Passenger Experience
State of the Regions: Asia
ISTAT Asia Draws Record Attendance
Thank You from the ISTAT Foundation
ISTAT Americas 2015
The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Prague
Aviation History
Aircraft Appraisals
ISTAT Foundation
Advertiser.com
Advertiser Index
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - cover1
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - cover2
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 3
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 4
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 5
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 6
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - A Message from the President
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 8
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 9
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Calendar/News
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 11
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Q&A: Raymond Sisson, Chief Executive Officer and President, AWAS
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 13
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 14
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 15
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Customer Service and the Passenger Experience
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 17
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 18
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 19
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - State of the Regions: Asia
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 21
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - ISTAT Asia Draws Record Attendance
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 23
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 24
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 25
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 26
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 27
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 28
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Thank You from the ISTAT Foundation
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - ISTAT Americas 2015
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 31
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 32
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 33
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 34
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 35
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 36
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 37
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Prague
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 39
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Aviation History
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 41
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 42
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 43
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 44
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Aircraft Appraisals
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 46
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 47
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - ISTAT Foundation
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - 49
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - Advertiser Index
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - cover3
Jetrader - Summer 2015 - cover4
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