The Quest for Mach One: A First-Person Account of Breaking the Sound Barrier [Hardcover]

Chuck Yeager (Author), Bob Cardenas (Author), Bob Hoover (Author), Jack Russell (Author), James Young (Author), Walter Boyne (Introduction), Jeffrey Ethell (Afterword), Dana Marcotte Kilanowski (Contributor), Mac McKendry (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

On October 14, 1947, flying the Bell X-1 rocket plane, Chuck Yeager burst through the mythical sound barrier at mach 1.0, to become the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager's epic flight was the culmination of hours of work and flying time by a group of dedicated aviation pioneers, and it marked the beginning of flight testing as we know it. Who were these men? What were the aeronautical hurdles they cleared to usher in the space age and manned space flight? In the quest for Mach One, members of the Mach One team come together to chronicle the entire X-1 programme. They are Chuck Yeager, test pilot; Bob Cardenas, mother ship pilot; Bob Hoover, backup and chase pilot; and Jack Russell, Yeager's X-1 crew chief. Theirs is a saga of camaraderie, technical brilliance and heroism.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Studio; 1st edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670874604
• ISBN-13: 978-0670874606
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 10.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 10!Inside story of 1 of world's greatest feats in aviation, October 22, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Palmdale, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quest for Mach One: A First-Person Account of Breaking the Sound Barrier (Hardcover)

For the first time, the exciting inside story of the breaking of the sound barrier as told by Chuck Yeager and his X-1 team members. World renowned stunt pilot Bob Hoover was Yeager's chase pilot that fatefull morning. It is a beautifully illustrated book with 125 photos, many from the authors private collections that have never been seen by the public or published before. It also includes a chapter on famous aviatrix and motion picture stunt pilot Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club. Pancho offered a free steak to the first man to break the sound barrier (Mach One) and Yeager collected that steak on Oct. 14th 1947. Pancho's Club was the fraternity house for the test pilots, where they could share lessons learned in flying the new jets and to celebrate surviving for one more day<p> It is a brilliant saga of dedication to duty, team work, camaraderie, technical brilliance, unmatched flying skills and heroism. These men are true heroes and role models for todays youth.