October 14, 1947

Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:03 am

Easy...

Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:09 am

It's the same old stuff. It's one thing to say that you are not a fan of someone, but another to try and take away accomplishments of something they did. Like him or not, it's just not a cool thing to do. This isn't aimed at any one person.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:12 pm

Pappy Boyington was first across the sound barrier. Well his fist was anyway.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:13 pm

Pappy Boyington is Chuck Norris's dad.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:16 pm

I know Chuck Norris and he is no Pappy Boyington!

:lol:

Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:22 pm

Chuck Norris once round house kicked someone so hard that his foot went back in time and struck Amelia Earhart while she was flying across the pacific.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:28 pm

Now THAT is funny! I was just trying to decide how to work Ameila in and BAM. Really though I'm on Yeager's side in this one. What the heck I might as well choose. Oct. of 1947 was a good month for the new Air Force that is for sure.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:52 pm

I like the B-29...

Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:55 pm

CY once said ... "show me a bum and I'll prove he's a hero" .... :wink:

Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:12 pm

Now guys, I'm no CY basher like Jack, and there's no doubt he was the first to exceed the speed of sound in level flight and under official recording conditions, but from the reading I've done, it does seem very likely that Welch DID break the sound barrier in the F-86... I don't think it has to take anything away from CY's courage, or skill as a pilot to say that Welch may have beaten him... Oh, and it's fun to think that a North American Aviation product beat the Bell to the honor.

Ducks! :hide:

Ryan

Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:35 pm

It may have is the key word. But what no one says is that the X-1 and the Bell team were ready to fly months ahead of October but THE RULES set fourth by NACA were that they had the only true recording equipment therefore if anyone flew and broke the sound barrier without it, it would not count. So Bell flew tests up to the sound barrier but did not exceeed it. This isn't hard. No NACA equipment no sound barrier. The frst flight that had the NACA equipment there on hand was Yeager's X-1 flight. Therefore he was first. There really is no aargument. People say that others observed Welch flying and heard a loud boom. Chances are he may have broken it, but without the NACA equipment we just don't know. And without NACA equipment he doesn't get the record.

Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:43 pm

mustangdriver wrote:It may have is the key word. But what no one says is that the X-1 and the Bell team were ready to fly months ahead of October but THE RULES set fourth by NACA were that they had the only true recording equipment therefore if anyone flew and broke the sound barrier without it, it would not count. So Bell flew tests up to the sound barrier but did not exceeed it. This isn't hard. No NACA equipment no sound barrier. The frst flight that had the NACA equipment there on hand was Yeager's X-1 flight. Therefore he was first. There really is no aargument. People say that others observed Welch flying and heard a loud boom. Chances are he may have broken it, but without the NACA equipment we just don't know. And without NACA equipment he doesn't get the record.

If a tree falls in the forest but nobody sees it... does it make a sound?

:wink:

Ryan