Retired US Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager (rear) and Brig. Gen. Robert C. Nolan II, the commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, prepare for takeoff in an F-16 on 14 October 2011. During the flight, the duo reached Mach 1.3 in honor of Yeager's historic, sound barrier-breaking flight in the X-1 research aircraft sixty-four years ago to the day. The flight also served to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Flight Test Center.
