On this day in history, October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier

Chuck Yeager was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe

PUBLISHED OCT 14, 2023

Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1 cockpit (Wikimedia Commons)

MYRA, WEST VIRGINIA: On October 14, 1947, US Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Born in Myra, West Virginia, in 1923, Yeager had a distinguished military career, serving as a combat fighter during World War II.

Chuck Yeager posing with the Bell X-1 aircraft (nicknamed “Glamorous Glennis” in reference to his wife) on the day he became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, October 14, 1947 (U.S. Air Force) — Chuck Yeager standing with the Bell X-1 aircraft on the day he became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound (US Air Force)

How many missions did Chuck Yeager fly?

During World War II, Yeager flew a total of 64 missions over Europe, where he successfully shot down 13 German planes.

Yeager faced the perils of war when he was shot down over France, but he managed to escape capture with the help of the French underground.

Chuck Yeager as a young captain in 1944 (USAF)

Post-World War II, Yeager's contributions extended to experimental aviation.

He was selected as one of several volunteers to test-fly the X-1 rocket plane, an experimental aircraft developed by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the potential of supersonic flight.

Jacqueline Cochran in the F-86 she piloted in 1953 when she became the first woman to break the sound barrier. She is talking with Chuck Yeager, who, in 1947, became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound.
(Air Force Flight Test Center History Office/Air Force Link via Wikipedia) — Jacqueline Cochran talks with Chuck Yeager in the F-86. She piloted the aircraft in 1953 when she became the first woman to break the sound barrier (Wikimedia Commons)

For a considerable period, many aviators held the belief that surpassing the speed of sound was beyond the realm of possibility, theorizing that transonic drag rise would lead to the destruction of any aircraft.

This perception underwent a significant shift on October 14, 1947, when Chuck Yeager piloted the X-1 over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California.

Later, it was Jacqueline Cochran who in 1953 became the first woman to break the sound barrier.

How high did Chuck Yeager fly?

Lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a B-29 aircraft and then released, the rocket plane soared to 40,000 feet, breaking the sound barrier at that altitude by exceeding 662 miles per hour.

Yeager, as Commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School with a model of the North American X-15, 1959 (USAF) — Chuck Yeager, as Commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School with a model of the North American X-15 in 1959 (USAF)

Dubbed 'Glamorous Glennis' after Yeager's wife, the X-1 featured thin, unswept wings and a streamlined fuselage modeled after a .50-caliber bullet.

While reports of the groundbreaking flight surfaced in December 1947, the secrecy surrounding the project meant that Bell and Yeager's accomplishment was officially confirmed only in June 1948.

How many planes did Chuck Yeager fly?

General Yeager boasts an impressive aviation record, having piloted 201 different types of military aircraft and accumulated over 14,000 flying hours.

Of these hours, more than 13,000 were spent in fighter aircraft.

Yeager continued his service as a test pilot, reaching a speed of 1,650 miles per hour in a 1953 flight with the X-1A rocket plane.

Brigadier General Yeager in 2000 (U.S. Air Force via Wikipedia) — Brigadier General Chuck Yeager in 2000 (US Air Force via Wikipedia)

Yeager retired from the US Air Force in 1975 as brigadier general.

Chuck Yeager passed away on December 7, 2020, at the age of 97.