How This Illustration Fueled My Obsession With The Bell X-1

The Bell X-1 is one of aviation history's most important—and interesting—aircraft. Everyone knows Chuck Yeager flew it to establish the first record-breaking flight beyond Mach 1, but there's much more to the airplane than that. In this long-form video, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli uses a fantastic drawing of the X-1 panel by aviation artist Jean-Luc Beghin to explain the X-1's systems and details. Stunning imagery from the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum fills in many of the fascinating details.