"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.