Public excitement over jet travel helped make David Lean’s 1952 British feature a big hit, though its science doesn’t wash and its majestic aerial sequences are uneasily wedded to a starchy familial ...

Tony, a successful World War II fighter pilot, marries into the family of a wealthy oil magnate who also designs airplanes. The movie traces the company's attempt to break the sound barrier, as well ...

The X-1’s fuselage was designed to resemble a .50 caliber bullet—one of the only shapes known to have stable flight at supersonic speeds. The Bell X-1 hangs today from the ceiling of the National Air ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...