The Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were a series of liquid cooled 27 litre {1649 in3) 60° V12
piston aircraft engines built during World War ll by Rolls-Royce (Derby, Crewe, and Glasgow),
by Ford in Trafford Park, Manchester and under licence in the United States by
Packard.They are widely considered to be among the most successful aero engines
produced during World War ll, and perhaps the finest piston engines ever built for aviation.
Merlins are highly sought-after by aviation enthusiasts even today.
Major applications: P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, De Havilland
Mosquito, Avro Lancaster, Curtiss P-40.
The Bell X-1, originally designated XS-1, was a supersonic research project and the first
aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled, level flight. This resulted in the first of
the so-called X-planes, an American series of experimental aircraft designated for testing of
new technologies and usually kept highly secret.
On October 14. 1947, the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of
sound. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Capt, Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, the X-1 reached a speed
of 1.127 kilometers (700 miles) per hour. Mach 1.06. at an altitude of 13.000 meters (43.000
feet). Yeager named the airplane "Glamorous Glennis" in tribute to his wife.
