On this day in aviation history, January 19, 1946, the Bell X-1 high-speed research aircraft, made its first flight. While this first flight was in fact a gliding test, the X-1 would become the first ...
The X-1’s fuselage was designed to resemble a .50 caliber bullet—one of the only shapes known to have stable flight at supersonic speeds. The Bell X-1 hangs today from the ceiling of the National Air ...
Supersonic flight : the story of the Bell X-1 and Douglas D-558 / Richard Hallion. Introduction by Michael Collins and Melvin B. Zisfein. Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution ...