"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
link.net...

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...

Although Yeager is without question one of the finest sticks the United
States military has ever turned out, and he is entitled to many accolades
involving his fine career, the following statement accompanying the
photograph of Gen Yeager from this article is incorrect.

"The first man to break the sound barrier - Brigadier General Charles E
"Chuck" Yeager, USAF."

In fact, Chuck Yeager was the first man to beak the speed of sound in
LEVEL FLIGHT.
His flight in the X1 at Edwards followed by a week the flight of the
first man to actually break the sound barrier. That man was George Welch.
The aircraft was the North American F86 prototype.
Dudley Henriques

Fact? A fact is something known to be true; a verifiable truth known by
actual experience or observation. It is a fact that Yeager exceeded Mach
1 in the X-1, Welch PROBABLY did it earlier in the XF-86, but there is no
verifiable evidence that he did.

Welch's flight the day he went mach 1 was not scheduled as a try for the
barrier. He did it on his own, knowing full well that Yeager was scheduled
the following week to make the attempt in the X1.
There were about 30 people at Pancho's that heard the boom; almost all of
them employees of various aircraft manufactures and military personel
assigned at Edwards for flight test. These people were all quite
knowledgable on the subject of Yeager, Welch, Bell, and the prototype Sabre.
At least 2 of these people knew about Welch making the attempt that day even
though unscheduled.
If you mean by not having proof that Welch's flight didn't make the news and
that it was hushed up by the Air Force, you are absolutely correct. If you
mean that the people I know personally who were there when it happened
were"mistaken", I'm afraid I would tend to allow you your belief and simply
let it go at that :-)
All this having been said, I believe anyone seriously researching deeply
into this event will come up with enough "proof" to choke a horse.
This one is right up there with needing the "proof" that it was Rex Barber
who got Yamamoto and not Lamphier. Given enough time, the Welch flight will
take it's proper place in history.
Dudley Henriques