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Old 26th December 2007 | 19:59
  #43 (permalink)  
ChristiaanJ
 
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,315
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From: France
Bell X-1 and F-104 have straight wings, yes, but they DO have thin airfoil profiles (which doesn't help with low-speed performance... the F-104 has blown flaps to at least mitigate that effect).

To go back a moment to the initial question, I think we can state.... :
yes, most or all of the big 'uns (and probably most of the smaller spamcans) CAN reach Mach 1 and slightly over. Some have done so deliberately (such as the DC-8), some due to circumstances outside their volition....

Just don't try this at home, kids. You may end up having to explain a bent airframe.

And while we're on the subject...
I suppose you know that the critical Mach number of the Spitfire is M0.92?
And that it's quite plausible that at least one Me-262 broke the sound barrier towards the end of WWII?
And that it's most likely that George Welch went over Mach 1 in the XP-86 Sabre, weeks before Chuck Yeager did the "Right Stuff" ?

I like cans of worms....
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