We got your attention. We truly wish somebody would try to rebuild Chuck Yeager’s mighty Bell X-1, perhaps it’s asking too much…
The San Diego Air & Space Museum has hung a BELL X-1 replica in the museum’s rotunda.The aircraft was a two-year restoration project that involved over a dozen volunteers from both the Museum and their Gillespie Field Annex in El Cajon. The Bell X-1 is painted exactly like the original flown by Capt. Chuck Yeager in 1947 when he broke the sound barrier.
AL Vades, curator of the collections for the museum has sent us the picture above showing this icon aircraft hanging from the ceiling of the museum.The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and it was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
It was not restored, it was built from scratch, starting with flat sheets of aluminum.