Bell X-1 Book Review
By Rachel E. Veres
| Date of Review | December 2016 | Title | Bell X-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Peter E. Davies | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2016 | ISBN | 9781472814647 |
| Format | 80 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $20.00 |
Review
The advent of jet and rocket propulsion, swept wings and regularly broken speed records caught the post-World War II public's imagination.
The challenges necessitated military research aircraft for achieving "transonic" speeds. Now Bell X-1 – first in Osprey's new "X Planes" series – chronicles the first and best known of these: Bell's XS-1, a design modeled on a .50 caliber bullet and the vehicle in which Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager broke the "sound barrier" in 1947.
After a brief introduction, author Peter E. Davies recaps X-1 program history from its origins to developments giving the aircraft critical controllability at supersonic speeds. He concludes with variants aimed at exploring Mach 2 flight régimes.
Over sixty photographs, color profiles and cutaways by Jim Laurier, and artwork by Gareth Hector complement Davies' narrative. A selected bibliography and index complete contents.
Highly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!