• Bottom view of the Bell X-1, a military aircraft, being lifted under a B-29, a larger military aircraft. The B-29 is in flight.
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    To conserve fuel, the X-1 was flown up to 7,620 meters (25,000 ft) and then dropped from the bomb bay of a modified Boeing B-29 bomber. On October 14, 1947, flying this Bell X-1, Capt. Charles 'Chuck’ Yeager, USAF, became the first pilot to fly faster than sound.

  • Bottom view of the Bell X-1, a military aircraft, being lifted under a B-29, a larger military aircraft. The B-29 is in flight.

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NASM-1A08078

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National Air and Space Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution

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