The Aerospace Valley

With more than 150 "First Flight" records and numerous milestones in flight, the Antelope Valley was home to aerospace throughout the century. Its accomplishments included Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager's breaking of the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 in 1947; Air Force Maj. Arthur "Kitt" Murray becoming the first man to see the curvature of the earth in the Bell X-1A in 1954; Air Force Maj. William J. "Pete" Knight's record as the "Fastest Man Alive" flying at Mach 6.7 (4,520 MPH) in the X-15A-2 in 1967; the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry Lake in 1981 following its first mission; and the manufacturing of the B-2 and B-1B Bombers, F-117 Stealth Fighter, SR-71 Blackbird, and Space Shuttle Orbiters. These and other "First Flight" milestones made the Antelope Valley the world's premier aerospace location.

California · United States