The New York Times bestselling writer of Viper Pilot chronicles another thrilling chapter in American aviation history: the race to break the sound barrier.

In the aftermath of World War II, america accelerated the development of technologies that would give it an advantage over the Soviet Union. Airpower, coupled with nuclear weapons, offered a formidable check on Soviet hostility. In 1947, the United States Air Push was established. On the other hand, scientists and engineers were about Chasing the Demon: A Secret History of the Quest for the Sound Barrier, and the Music group of American Aces Who Conquered It pioneering a innovative new type of aircraft which could perform what no other machine experienced ever completed: reach mach 1-a acceleration faster than the motion of sound-which pilots called ‘the demon.’

Chasing after the Demon recreates a time of excitement and danger, adventure and innovation, when the continuing future of the free world was on the line and American ingenuity required the world in the postwar years to the area age. As the pressure to succeed was high, it was unknown whether man or machine could survive such huge speeds.

A decorated military pilot with many years of encounter soaring supersonic fighter jets, Dan Hampton reveals in-depth the many potential risks that emerged with the Air flow Force’s test plane tickets: controls broke down, engines flamed away, wings snapped, and planes and pilots disintegrated as they crashed into the desert ground. He also introduces the males who pushed the envelope taking the cockpits of these jets, including World Battle II ace Major Dick Bong and twenty-four-year-old Captain Chuck Yeager, who made history flying the Bell X-1 aircraft faster than the speed of audio on October 14, 1947.

Running after the Demon recalls this era of the emerging Cold War and the brave adventurers pursing the final frontier in aviation.