{"id":5910146,"date":"2026-07-17T11:49:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?p=5910146"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:49:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:49:32","slug":"douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/","title":{"rendered":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>Ask anyone which airliner first broke the sound barrier and they will say Concorde. They will be wrong by seven years \u2014 and by one very ordinary-looking Douglas jetliner that most people have completely forgotten.<\/p><p>On 21 August 1961, a standard Douglas DC-8 \u2014 the same four-engine airliner that carried holidaymakers across the Atlantic \u2014 was deliberately pushed past Mach 1 in a screaming dive over the California desert. It remains the only conventional airliner ever to go supersonic on purpose, other than Concorde and the Soviet Tu-144.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.03em;color:#111\">Kurzinfo<\/p><table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Datum<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">21 August 1961<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Flugzeug<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Douglas DC-8-43, registration N9604Z (\"Empress of Montreal\")<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">H\u00f6chstgeschwindigkeit<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Mach 1.012 (~660 mph) at ~41,000 ft, in a dive<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Time supersonic<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">~16 seconds<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Pilot<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">William M. Magruder (Douglas chief test pilot)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Operator<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines, November 1961<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A test, not a stunt<\/h2><p>The flight had a serious purpose. Douglas wanted flight-test data on a new wing leading-edge design, and pushing the DC-8 to its limits was the way to get it. But there was showmanship in it too: Magruder wanted to prove his airliner could survive Mach 1 \u2014 and grab some publicity from arch-rival Boeing\u2019s 707.<\/p><p>The plan was audacious. Take a brand-new airliner up to around 52,000 feet \u2014 itself a record altitude for a commercial transport \u2014 then roll it over into a dive and let gravity do the rest. Chase planes came along to film it, including an F-104 Starfighter reportedly flown by Magruder\u2019s old friend Chuck Yeager.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/22JxpglgRuY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1872460769  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/f-104-starfighter-chase-plane.jpg\" alt=\"F-104 Starfighter chase plane\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F-104 Starfighter of the type that flew chase on the supersonic DC-8, reportedly with Chuck Yeager at the controls. Photo: NASA \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Sixteen seconds \u2014 and a scare<\/h2><p>As the DC-8 plunged, the Mach needle crept past 1.0 and held there for about 16 seconds. Flight-test engineer Richard Edwards, aboard the aircraft, remembered the moment vividly decades later.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid  #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;In the dive, at about 45,000 feet, it went to Mach 1.01 for maybe 16 seconds, then he recovered. But the recovery was a little scary.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Richard H. Edwards<\/strong> &mdash; DC-8 flight-test engineer, Smithsonian Air & Space (2011)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Scary is the right word. In the dive the elevators lost their bite and the stabilizer motor stalled against the enormous aerodynamic load \u2014 for a few seconds the airliner did not want to pull out. Magruder\u2019s solution was pure test-pilot nerve: he pushed <em>further<\/em> into the dive to unload the tailplane, which restored control and let him haul the DC-8 level. Throughout, his manner was famously unflappable.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid  #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Well, we can take off with no flaps and the airplane will be all right \u2014 if we don\u2019t lose an engine.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>William Magruder<\/strong> &mdash; Douglas chief test pilot, via Smithsonian Air & Space<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=2048646420  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-43-variant.jpg\" alt=\"A Douglas DC-8-43\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Douglas DC-8-43 \u2014 the same variant as N9604Z, the aircraft that went supersonic. Nothing about it looks like a record-breaker. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three months later, N9604Z was delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines, renamed <em>Empress of Montreal<\/em>, and spent the next two decades doing exactly what every other DC-8 did: carrying passengers. Its supersonic record stood until the Tu-144 flew in 1969.<\/p><p>No airline ever built a business on supersonic DC-8s, of course. But the next time someone tells you Concorde was the first airliner through the sound barrier, you can gently correct them \u2014 and tell them about the day an ordinary jetliner went looking for Mach 1, and found it.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pmlXT2edbqM\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><em>Sources: Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine; HistoryNet; This Day in Aviation; Wikipedia.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">\u00c4hnliche Beitr\u00e4ge<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/mach-2-60000-feet-and-a-view-of-the-curved-earth-the-legend-of-concorde\/\">Mach 2, 60,000 Feet: The Legend of Concorde<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de-havilland-comet-metal-fatigue-square-windows-investigation-1954\/\">The de Havilland Comet: The Beautiful Jet That Taught Us How Aircraft Break<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5909981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5910146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":585,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Aviation World\",\"History &amp; Legends\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","og_description":"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier","datePublished":"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/"},"wordCount":585,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg","articleSection":["Aviation World","History &amp; Legends"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/","name":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T09:49:32+00:00","description":"Seven years before Concorde, a standard Douglas DC-8 was deliberately dived past Mach 1 \u2014 the only conventional airliner ever to break the sound barrier.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:dTi5.c68e\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/douglas-dc-8-in-flight.jpg","width":1280,"height":1024,"caption":"DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/douglas-dc-8-first-airliner-broke-sound-barrier-1961\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Only Airliner Ever to Break the Sound Barrier"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner \u2013 MiGFlugs Magazin","description":"F\u00fcr alle, die sich f\u00fcr das Fliegen von Milit\u00e4rjets und verwandte Luftfahrtthemen interessieren.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr schreibt die l\u00e4ngeren Artikel f\u00fcr MiGFlug \u2013 Luftfahrtgeschichte, Erkl\u00e4rungen zur Funktionsweise der Luftfahrt und die Geschichten hinter den Schlagzeilen.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5910146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5910146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5910146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5910160,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5910146\/revisions\/5910160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5909981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5910146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5910146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5910146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}