Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis – First To [MACH-1!]

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis - First To [MACH-1!]

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis

Bell X-1 Glamourous Glennis FlyingThe Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis was originally designated as the XS-1 and was a joint National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics–U.S. Army Air Forces–U.S. Air Force supersonic research project. The aircraft was designed in 1944 and built by Bell Aircraft in 1945.

The Bell X-1 is a rocket engine–powered aircraft and was piloted by a LEGENDARY pilot named Chuck Yeager. This was the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level flight on October 14, 1947 and forever changed the course of aviation history! Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier which most engineers believed to be unbreakable.

First Supersonic Flight 🚀 “Breaking the Sound Barrier” 1947 USAF 🚀 Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1

There were many attempts made before this historic flight that almost ended in catastrophe. Every time the X-1 approached Mach-1, which is the speed of sound. The X-1’s elevator became inoperable at Mach 0.94 because of aerodynamics which caused Chuck Yeager to actually lose control of the aircraft. He was able to regain control of the X-1 and live to fly another day.

The engineers went back to work and figured out how to overcome the problem with the elevator once the X-1 approached Mach-1. To solve this problem, the engineers changed the tail configuration into an all flying tail, connecting the stabilizer directly to the stick. This is the same configuration most supersonic aircraft still fly with today.

Bell X-1 Aircraft

There were 6 variants of the Bell X-1 Aircraft which were the X-1, X-1A, X-1B, X-1C, X-1D and the X-1E. These were the first X-Planes that started it all which helped pave the way for legendary aircraft like the AMAZING North American X-15 and the super-fast SR-71 Blackbird which literally flew “Faster Than A Speeding Bullet!”.

Bell X-1 Washington DC

The Bell X-1 was piloted by Captain Charles “Chuck” Yeager the day that man flew faster than sound for the very first time. It was October 14, 1947 when Yeager flew into history but it didn’t just happen overnight. There were a lot of engineering problems to solve and Chuck Yeager was the BEST man for the job to fly this thing.

There was nothing routine about an X-1 flight so Captain Yeager was literally flying by the seat of his pants. Flying faster than sound presented the engineers with all kinds of obstacles to overcome. They needed a test pilot with nerves of steel to fly the X-1 because there were a lot of unknown variables.

Bell X-1 Cut Away

Captain Chuck Yeager arguably saved the X-Plane program when he was trying to break the sound barrier one day. As he approached Mach 1, the X-1 started to violently shutter and Yeager lost control of the aircraft. If it wasn’t for his incredible flying skills, the X-1 would have been lost and it would have been a major setback for the X-1 Program.

The Bell X-1 was shaped like a bullet with wings and closely resembles a Browning .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun bullet which was known to be stable in supersonic flight at that time. The X-1 Program was a tremendous success and achieved its goal to fly faster than sound and paved the way for the exotic aircraft technology we have today.

Bell X-1 Rocket Plane

Most people don’t realize the the Bell X-1 was indeed a rocket plane. At the time, there were no jet engines powerful enough at altitude to power the Bell X-1 Rocket Plane so the only alternative engineers could come up with was using a rocket engine. It wasn’t any ordinary rocket engine either, it was specially built for the Bell X-1.

It was a marriage made in heaven right from the start! The XLR-11 rocket engine which is pictured below was state-of-the-art at the time and boasted a hefty 7,000 lbs (3,175 kg) of thrust giving it more than enough speed to finally break the sound barrier. The X-1 itself and the amount of fuel it could carry were the only limitations to the XLR-11 rocket engine.

Bell X-1 Rocket Plane

During early test flights of the Bell X-1, it was revealed there some flaws in the design which needed to be corrected if they were ever going achieve their goal. Those design flaws were corrected and the rest as they say is history! The Bell X-1 does fit into the category of “legendary aircraft” and changed the way we fly forever.

The Bell X-1 was originally designed to take-off like conventional aircraft from a runway because it was thought that this aircraft would become a fighter plane. As research and development began, the end of World War II was on the horizon so the B-29 Super-fortress became available for drop launching the Bell X-1 from around 29,000 feet (8,800 m).

Chuck Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier

Chuck Yeager 1947

On October 14, 1947 Chuck Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier in the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis. Captain Chuck Yeager named the X-1 after his lovely wife Glennis. This was just after World War II so it was common for pilots to name their aircraft after their girlfriends, wives and mothers.

The day before this historic flight, Chuck was horseback riding with his wife in the dessert when he was thrown from his horse. The accident ended up breaking a few ribs putting his historic flight in jeopardy! The problem was that Captain Yeager had to reach to his right in order to lock the hatch.

Bell X-1 First Supersonic Flight

Desperate not to miss this flight, Chuck kept his injury a secret and he came up with a genius plan with the help of a janitors broom. Chuck got the idea to cut off part of the broom handle and use it to lock the hatch. As history would have it no other way, it worked like a charm and the flight went on as planned.

Just after the Bell X-1 dropped from the B-29’s cargo bay, Captain Yeager hit the throttle and the X-1 took off like a bat out of hell. There was a loud sonic boom that could be heard across the desert. No one knew what to make of that sound because it was never heard before. The world wouldn’t find out for two more months because of a leaked article featured on the front page of The Los Angeles Times on December 22, 1947.

Bell X-1 Cockpit

Bell X-1 Cockpit

As you can see in the Bell X-1 Cockpit photograph above, the cockpit was not designed for those that are claustrophobic. If you’re looking for comfort, the X-1 is not for you. The pilot seat is literally on the floor of the aircraft and the flight controls are right in your face.

You have to keep in mind that the X-1 was an experimental aircraft so not much thought went into the cockpit. However, the engineers at Bell Aircraft made sure everything the pilot needed was in the cockpit. Take a look at the photo below and get a first person view of what it would look like from inside the Bell X-1 Cockpit.

Bell X-1 Cockpit 2

That is the same view Chuck Yeager had when he broke the sound barrier. It is also the same view from the exact plane that flew that day! As you look out of the front canopy, look to your bottom right. You’ll see the hatch I was talking about earlier. The hatch had to be locked from the inside by the pilot.

Could you imagine what it must of felt like sitting in that thing? It was an experimental aircraft so anything could go wrong. Captain Chuck Yeager gave it no second thought! He was the right man for the job that had “The Right Stuff” too! It takes a special breed of pilot to be a test pilot in the X-Plane Program.

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis ✈️ Eighty-Nine Year Old Chuck Yeager ✈️ F-15 Eagle Honor Flight

In honor of the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, the LEGENDARY rocket plane that broke the sound barrier. 65 years later to the exact day and time. General Charles “Chuck” Yeager climbs aboard an F-15 Eagle as part of an honor flight to celebrate this historic day. This flight took place at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada on October 14, 2012.

Go ahead and take a few minutes to watch the General fly this historic flight again over the Nevada dessert. There is even some footage from inside the cockpit too! This is a MUST SEE video for flight enthusiasts so make sure everything else is turned off and your sound is turned on. You’re not going to want to miss a word the General has too say!

Bell X-1 At Smithsonian

I really hoped you enjoyed General Chuck Yeager’s flight to commemorate the 65th anniversary of mans first supersonic flight. General Chuck Yeager is a national treasure and so is the Bell X-1. You can see the ORIGINAL X-1 at the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. It’s definitely worth the trip!

There is only one Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis and you can find it alongside the Spirit of St. Louis and SpaceShipOne. The X-1 was presented to what was then known as the American National Air Museum in 1950. She arrived beneath a B-29 Super fortress which is only fitting considering they both made history together on that fateful day in October of 1947.

Break The Sound Barrier Again Aboard The Bell X-1 NOW!

Fly The Bell X-1Now that you know all about the Bell X-1 and her historic flight. How would you like to fly into history yourself? You can actually fly faster than the speed of sound by clicking on the orange button below now! This ain’t your daddy’s flight simulator game so you need to buckle up pilots!

You are moments away from a bone rattling ride aboard the LEGENDARY Bell X-1 which you can only fly inside Virtual Pilot 3D. “The World’s MOST REALISTIC Flight Simulator!” This is flying the way it was truly meant to be and with its superior flight modeling system. You are in for a flight experience that is second to none, GUARANTEED!

Virtual Pilot 3D rivals other flight simulator games like Microsoft and Flight Simulator X. Those flight simulator games are GREAT! However, Virtual Pilot 3D is even better with over 200 real-life airplanes and helicopters to fly. No other flight simulator game in the industry has this many aircraft to fly, NONE!

Go ahead and fly into history with the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis now! All you have to do is click on the button below and I’ll see you on the next page. Believe me, you’re in for one hell of a flight! If you have any comments or questions about the Bell X-1 or Virtual Pilot 3D. Please leave them below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m done flying this historic X-Plane myself.

I’ll see you on the next page pilot!

Lt Jack ICEMAN Taylor 2019

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