On this date in 1953, Major Chuck Yeager flew his Bell X-1A to 80,000 feet while reaching 1,650 mph, a speed record that would stand for three years. His plane then spun out of control. Over the next 51 seconds, the X-1A fell more than 50,000 feet before Yeager finally regained control, pulling out of an inverted (upside-down) spin.
During the fall, the movements of the plane were so violent that Yeager's helmet hit the cockpit canopy, cracking it. At times, Yeager was subjected to forces of 8Gs (eight times the force of gravity).
Here's what it looked like from inside the plane.
12 December 1953. Chuck Yeager’s X1-A tumbled about all three axis as it fell more than 40,000 feet before recovering level flight. pic.twitter.com/QGPzHk3ymM
— Ron Eisele (@ron_eisele) December 11, 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment