Bell X-1 January 1946
The Bell X-1 was the first piloted plane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Flown by USAF Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager, the Bell X-1 rocketed to supersonic speeds for the first time on October 14, 1947, over Muroc Air Base (now Edwards Air Force Base) in the Mojave Desert. Prior to this historic flight, many people thought that any plane trying to fly faster than the speed of sound would break apart once it reached the "sound barrier"—and indeed, many planes that hadn't been properly designed for such high speeds were destroyed as they neared Mach 1. But the unique .50 caliber bullet shape of the Bell X-1, paired with its strong, super-thin wings and an adjustible horizontal stabilizer, made it a perfect vehicle for supersonic travel. As the Bell X-1 flight proved, the speed of sound isn't a barrier at all.

When describing the experience of the first supersonic flight, Yeager said, "Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach—then it tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade."

A total of three X-1s were made, but by far the most famous was the X-1-1 (#46-062), which was used in the first supersonic flight. Captain Yeager, who named the X-1-1 "Glamorous Glennis" after his wife, piloted it to its top speed, Mach 1.45. Another USAF pilot, Lt. Col. Frank Everest, Jr., took the X-1-1 to its highest altitude of 71,902 feet. Ten different pilots flew the Bell X-1-1 on a total of 82 flights before the plane was retired on May 12, 1950.

Design Features:
Many important structural and aerodynamic advances were first employed in the Bell X-1, including extremely thin yet exceptionally strong wing sections and a horizontal stabilizer that could be adjusted up and down to improve control, especially at transonic (near the speed of sound) speeds. Because of the stabilizer's success, later transonic military aircraft were designed with all moving horizontal stabilizers as standard equipment.
The X-1's fuselage was shaped like a .50 caliber bullet. Even the windscreen was specially flaired to retain the bullet shape. The X-1 carried more than 230 kilograms (500 pounds) of flight test instruments.
Wingspan:     8.5 m (28 ft)
Length:     9.4 m (30 ft 11 in)
Height:     3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Weight, gross:     5,557 kg (12,250 lb)
Engine:     Reaction Motors, Inc., XLR-11-RM-3 (model A6000C4) 4-chamber rocket engine, rated at 26,500 newtons (6,000 lb) static thrust
Manufacturer:     Bell Aircraft Co., Buffalo, N.Y., 1946