Pilot's Notes from the Ninth Powered Flight of the XS-1

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Description

This document is a first-hand account of United States Air Force Captain Charles “Chuck” Yeager’s accomplishment of breaking the sound barrier in a piloted aircraft on October 14, 1947.

This accomplishment was the culmination of research and the development of aircraft that could withstand the stress and pressures produced at supersonic speeds. This flight also proved that a human body could withstand supersonic flight. Continual research and development of supersonic flight led to advancements in civilian and military aviation and the ability for space exploration.

This document was featured in “Connecting with the Past” in the November/December 2003 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

National Archives Identifier: 295644

Full Citation: Pilot’s Notes from the Ninth Powered Flight of the XS-1; 10/14/1947; X-1 Correspondence; Flight Test Project Files, ca. 1945 – ca. 1959; Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Record Group 255; National Archives at Riverside, Perris, CA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/pilots-notes-from-the-ninth-powered-flight-of-the-xs1/, February 21, 2026]

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