The Other X-1 Pilot: 
Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin, who lost the ride of a lifetime in the 1940s when he resigned as the Bell X-1 test pilot over a contract dispute, died last month at age 82. Goodlin had made 26 flights in the X-1, but the sound barrier-breaking flight would go to Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager. Goodlin served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and became a US Navy test pilot.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.