WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, Oct. 15 -- The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center issued the following news on Oct. 13, 2021: Air Force test pilot Maj Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to officially exceed the speed of sound (Mach 1) in an aircraft. The improvement of aircraft technology spurred by World War II dramatically increased the actual and potential top speeds of airplanes in the 1940s. All metal aircraft, better knowledge of aerodynamics, and particularly improv  more