Who first flew faster than sound?

Answer 1

The first pilot to officially fly faster than sound was Chuck Yaeger, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Behind that successful attempt was another project, known as "The Miles Project," which began in the UK, headed by the de Havilland aircraft company. Unfortuanetly, a political decision was made which pulled the funding, and the project was abandoned, but not before it was ordered that the research be sent to the Bell aircraft company in America.

With characteristic modesty, Bell personnel would stick to the line that it was their invention and their technology, but the reality is, the swinging tail-fins were a British invention which made supersonic-flight possible. Furthermore, the jet-engine, which makes all such flights possible (at least without a rocket-engine), was also a British invention designed by Sir Frank Whittle, and which was handed to the Americans on a plate.

Without being over partisan, it would be fair to say that money won the day, and the Americans had the money to finish off what others had started and almost accomplished.

The reason for supersonic flight was in response to know German attempts to achieve the same, and of course, in rocket technology, the Germans led the world.

Once again, it was the Americans who took that technology and the leading scientist, von Braun, and threw money and resources at it, before finally put men on the moon, even though the Russians had first put a man into space.

It all derived from the technology of wartime, and the genius of many British designers, who shared that knowledge with the Americans.

To put things into perspective, the Anglo-French Concorde and the aborted TSR2 project in England, were the offshoot of that early lead in supersonic know-how, and it was all done long before the days of computers, when people used slide-rules and engineering skills.

Perhaps the real question that should be asked, is whether anyone has ever made anything so beautiful and perfect as the first supersonic passenger plane, which performed without fault or incident for a quarter of a century, and brought supersonic speeds to the (wealthy) man in the street.

Of course, whilst not wanting to fly the flag too much, the curent land-speed record is with the British, who went supersonic on the ground.

Answer 2

Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager (born on February 13, 1923, in Lincoln County, West Virginia) is an American former general officer in the United States Air Force and a noted test pilot.

His career began in World War II as a U.S. Army Air Force P-51 fighter pilot, and after the war, he remained in the Air Force and became a test pilot of many kinds of aircraft and rocket planes. He is considered a living legend of aviation, for he became the first pilot to travel faster than sound Mach 1 in level and ascent. Though Scott Crossfield was the first man to fly faster than Mach 2, Yeager shortly thereafter exceeded Mach 2.4.[1] He later commanded fighter squadrons and wings in Germany and in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, then was promoted to Brigadier General. Yeager's flying career spans more than sixty years and has taken him to every corner of the globe, even into the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.

Answer 3

Chuck Yaeger

Answer 4

Chuck Yaeger. Brave test pilot who flew the x-series rocket, despite his injuries.

Answer 5

Yaeger

Answer 6

You get what's called a Mach cone interior the form of an "oblique shockwave". the cost of sound relies upon on the temperature of the air. So it modifications from one region to a various.

Answer 7

Chuck Yeager broken ribs and all.

Answer 8

Superman!!

Answer 9

Was it Chuck Yeager ?

Answer 10

that bloke on top gear