/
Article

Faster than sound

OCT 01, 1948
The research that must be done on men and machines in supersonic flight is outlined by the Director of Aeronautical Research for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
Hugh L. Dryden

On October 14, 1947, Captain Charles E. Yeager, U.S. Air Force, became the first man to reach, in a piloted airplane, sustained horizontal flight at a speed faster than sound, marking the dawn of the supersonic age. Since that day many flights of the Bell XS‐I research airplane have been made at supersonic speeds by Captain Yeager and two other Air Force pilots, Major G. E. Lundquist and Captain J. T. Fitzgerald, and by Herbert H. Hoover and the late Howard Lilly, research pilots of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

This article is only available in PDF format

Related content
/
Article
The thermodynamic and quantum mechanical properties of topological insulators provide a path toward scalable energy storage in information-based batteries.
/
Article
At the end of the turbulent 1960s, the postwar funding boom in US physics came to a crashing halt. The lessons learned then may be helpful to today’s physicists.
/
Article
Interviews with 22 successful early-career physical scientists and engineers reveal that networking has been one of the most critical ways to nurture their careers.
/
Article
Myriad solutions emerge in the stressful process of balancing professional ambition and personal happiness.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1948_10.jpeg

Volume 1, Number 6

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.