August 21st 1961 – A Canadian Pacific Air Lines Douglas DC-8 smashes two world records during a single test flight.
Record 1 - The DC-8 reaches 50,000 feet at a weight of 107,600 pounds. A new altitude record for a loaded transport jet.
Record 2 - Then, as the crew pushed the nose forward into a dive from altitude, the DC-8 proceeded to smash through the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 with a true air speed of 662.5 mph (1,066.8 km/hr) as it passed 39,000 feet, becoming the first airliner to chase that Ol'demon that lives beyond the barrier, and travel faster than the speed of sound.
On that glorious day in August 1961; that DC-8, also known as the Battleship 8, Old Smokey, Greasy8, Death Cruiser, Whiney Bird, Cigarette Jet, Santa Monica Anteater, and the Long Beach Cable Car...went higher, and faster than any other Airliner - And for a brief moment, the crew of that Greasy8 became the greatest pilots anyone had ever seen...
via Sierrahotel.net
