HC Modern Marvels - Breaking the Sound Barrier (2003)

They were trying to do what no one had ever done before, to surpass a barrier that many experts had felt was impenetrable not long before. The test pilots who made history recall one of the great challenges of aviation, risking their lives BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER. Breaking the sound barrier was a dangerous scientific journey that included the building of an airplane like no other, flown by pilots determined to succeed—or die trying. This feat was thought impossible for decades but finally accomplished with post-World War II technology. For decades, the sound barrier loomed as an impenetrable wall against manned flight that buffeted planes with shock waves as they approached the speed of sound. Scientists thought the barrier couldn't be breached–until the development of jet technology and rocket fuel at the end of WWII. This is the dramatic story, told through the eyes of many who were there, of the work leading up to October 10, 1947, when 24-year-old test pilot Chuck Yeager smashed through the sound barrier in a Bell XS-1 aircraft, opening up a new era in aviation. But his historic feat was made possible by the daring and courage of a number of other pilots whose names have been largely forgotten. Through extensive footage, in-depth explanations of the challenges and the recollections of the pilots, fabricators and engineers involved, MODERN MARVELS tells the incredible story of the effort to fly faster than sound. See how Bell Aircraft developed the tiny X-1 aircraft, which required its pilots to accept extraordinary risks in the name of speed, and find out how Yeager relied on a broom handle to make his famous flight possible! From the labs to the skies, trace the ambitious and important effort that propelled aviation into the future. Featuring interviews with Charles E. Yeager, Richard Hallion, Robert A. Hoover and Louis Rotundo.

Written and Produced by Mark Rowland; Produced by Actuality Productions, Inc. for the History Channel

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