Aviation History: Jack Ridley worked exclusively with the Bell X-1 program as its chief flight test engineer. What kind of person was Jack?

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Everest: He was a great guy, too. We were neighbors at Edwards Air Force Base and lived two doors away from one another. We saw a lot of each other and played lots of golf. He was one of the finest Air Force engineers. He was reassigned for some reason to Japan, where he was killed in an accident. It’s too bad, because Jack could have done more good for the Air Force with a different assignment.

Aviation History: As I recall, you had numerous problems with the Bell X-1; some were life-threatening. Do you remember what some of those problems were?

Everest: I had engine problems on my third flight and an engine explosion on my fourth flight, when one of the rocket tubes blew up due to a propellant leak. On my seventh flight, the canopy cracked and I lost cabin pressure at 69,000 feet. That was the first time a pressure suit had been used in an emergency.

Aviation History: You also had problems with the rocket igniters, correct?

Everest: Yes, but that’s not a serious problem. If they didn’t ignite, you just wouldn’t go.

Aviation History: How would you describe an altitude flight in the Bell X-1?

Everest: You accelerated so fast that it was tough to follow the flight plan to give you the proper Mach number to climb at and the proper angle to climb. This is because you couldn’t see very well in the little X-1, as it had a flat canopy. So you tried to pick the proper nose-up angle to maintain the established Mach number. When you reached a certain altitude, you’d try to make sure you didn’t end up with the airplane vertical; otherwise, it would be an out-of-control flight. Obviously, at high altitudes your elevator controls were no good, so you used the movable horizontal stabilizer to try and keep the proper attitude on climb, while also trying to maintain the proper climb Mach number. It wasn’t an easy thing to do at high altitudes because the X-1 didn’t respond that fast in a thin atmosphere.

Aviation History: What consideration was given to an emergency exit from the X-1 in flight?

Everest: That would have been a tough job, because the door was on the side of the aircraft. If you did get out, you’d have to contend with avoiding the wings as well as the horizontal tail surfaces. Jack Ridley had a flight in the X-1 and had a small electrical fire inside. Apparently some wire behind the instrument panel shorted out, and he was getting lots of smoke. He started to get a little concerned about bailing out. Yeager was flying in the chase plane that day, and he heard Ridley yell: “I got a fire in here. Something’s burning!” Yeager’s response to him was, “As long as you’re not burning, Jack, don’t worry about it.” Ridley was able to land OK.

Aviation History: None of the X-1 pilots gave serious consideration to bailing out?

Everest: Not really.

Aviation History: Are you saying that if some catastrophe occurred on board the X-1 that the pilot intended to stay with the plane until it crashed?

Everest: Of course not. If you lost control or the airplane blew up or had a serious fire in the cockpit, then obviously you’d try to get out of it. But that never occurred. It was a nice little airplane and very easy to fly except when it was loaded with propellants. It became sloppy then.

Aviation History: Was this because of the propellants sloshing around in the tank and their weight?

Everest: Yes. Once the propellants were halfway gone, the X-1 flew like a decent airplane. When the propellants were completely used, the X-1 flew more like a glider.

Aviation History: In 1950, when Muroc was renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of Captain Glen Edwards, you became assistant chief in the test flight section. How long would a pilot be assigned there?

Everest: Most Air Force assignments only lasted three or four years, but at Edwards you would stay there for about six. It was the heyday of flight testing, with all the different airplanes being developed. We all wanted to stay at Edwards as long as we could.

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