A Brief History
On September 27, 1956, US Air Force test pilot, Capt. Milburn Apt, flew into history when he piloted his Bell X-2 rocket powered experimental airplane to a speed of 2094 mph, the first man to fly at or over Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound).
Digging Deeper
Capt. Apt would not live to enjoy his record flight of Mach 3.2, as moments later the rocket plane tumbled out of control, causing Apt to eject.
The X-2 program was retired after this deadly incident, but another first had been set by the X-2, that being the first piloted aircraft to exceed 100,000 feet. Only 2 of the record setting X-2’s had been built. The North American rocket plane, the X-15, became America’s main high speed and high altitude test plane after the X-2, serving from 1959 to 1968. Only 3 X-15’s were built. One X-15 test pilot was killed when his rocket plane went into a spin at Mach 5, causing the aircraft to disintegrate in flight at 60,000 feet, scattering debris over 50 miles. The X-15 flew as high as 67 miles and as fast as 4519 mph!
Being a test pilot has always been an attractive challenge for the best of pilots, though one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Billionaire Howard Hughes suffered terrible injuries test flying an XF-11. Said to be the richest man in the world, Hughes often risked his life test flying prototype or experimental planes, and set several speed records during the 1930’s. He is the only person to ever pilot his H-4 Hercules wooden flying boat, better known as the “Spruce Goose.” The top American flying ace of World War II (and all time so far), Richard Bong, died while test flying a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star on its acceptance flight in August of 1945.
Charles “Chuck” Yeager became one of the most famous test pilots of all time when he became the first person to fly an airplane at a documented speed above the speed of sound (Mach 1) in 1947. This colorful character was so famous he was able to work making television commercials into the 21st Century. Part of his story includes the name of his Bell X-1 that he broke the sound barrier in, “Glamorous Glennis,” named after his wife.
Another famous test pilot, Wiley Post, died with famed comedian Will Rogers in 1935 on a flight that was not even a test flight, although it was in an airplane Post had modified for extended range made of parts of 2 different types of aircraft.
Record setting aviatrix Amelia Earhart flew into the annals of history in 1937 while on an around the world flight, creating an ongoing mystery about her fate and the fate of her fellow aviator, Fred Noonan. Despite Earhart being arguably the most famous aviatrix, another female test pilot, Jackie Cochrane actually set many more aviation firsts and records than Earhart did, including becoming the first woman to fly supersonic.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hall, Charles L., Walter C. Williams, et al. Bell X-1: Breaking the Sound Barrier (The X-Plane Series Book 2). Cia Publishing, 2013.