The X-1’s fuselage was designed to resemble a .50 caliber bullet—one of the only shapes known to have stable flight at ...
Opinion
Millennium 7 * HistoryTech on MSNOpinion

Why fighter jets needed a waist to break the sound barrier

We rewind to the early Cold War and trace how Convair’s F-102 went from a subsonic embarrassment to a Mach-capable interceptor. We break down the failed engines and drag disaster, then show how ...
The man / by Dominick A. Pisano -- The aircraft / by F. Robert van der Linden -- The engine / by Frank H. Winter -- The flights / by F. Robert van der Linden -- The celebrity hero / by Dominick A.