Tour the Bell X-1: The First Plane to HIT MACH 1

The 19FortyFive crew visited the National Air and Space Museum and created some amazing videos detailing some key aircraft that have changed aviation history. One of those planes we can take you right up close to thanks to the video below is the Bell X-1.
When it comes to testing airplanes the “X” designation means experimental. The first X aircraft was built in 1945 by Bell in partnership with the U.S. Army Air Forces (later named the Air Force) and NACA (which became NASA). The Bell X-1 was the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. It was flown by famed test pilot Chuck Yeager who was able to coax ultra-high speeds out of the X-1. Yeager pushed the X-1 to a speed of 700 miles per hour (MACH 1.06) to beat the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, at an altitude of 43,000 feet.
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