Bell X-1 in the Aircraft Building, South Yard

Summary

The Bell X-1 on display in the Aircraft Building in the South Yard as part of the National Air and Space Museum. On October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, the X-1 reached a speed of 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) per hour, Mach 1.06, at an altitude of 13,000 meters (43,000 feet). Yeager named the airplane "Glamorous Glennis" in tribute to his wife.

Subject

• Bell X-1 (Airplane)
• National Air and Space Museum
• South Yard

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

Original negative number is 46679-A or A46679-A, but that negative has been lost.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 41, Folder 21

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

c. 1950s?

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

• Exhibitions
• Glamorous Glennis (Airplane)
• Aircraft Building
• Yeager, Charles E. "Chuck"

Form/Genre

• Photographic print
• Exhibit

ID Number

2002-12190

Physical description

Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Exhibit; Medium: Photographic print

Full Record

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