Chuck Yeager Still Alive?

[Texas Star]

I wondered, and thought many of you might, so checked Wiki.

Seems he's 97 and still with us, a great flying legend.

I hope he's well and in good spirits. The nation owes him a lot.

 

[Rudi]

I hope he's still with us. I love his quote, "I've been shot at, shot up, and shot down." A great American.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

In The Right Stuff,
Sam Shepard (RIP ) played Chuck Yeager.
Chuck Yeager played Fred the Bartender.
What?

 

[dscampbell]

I actually got to meet him. He was visiting one of his cousins who was a friend of mine. He was a gentleman and so was his cousin.


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[Beemerguy53]

Back in the 1980s, Chuck Yeager used to speak annually at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., around the anniversary (October 14) of his sound barrier flight. Afterward, he would sign autographs.

I have both his autobiography "Yeager" and his second book "Press On" signed by him. But my favorite Yeager autographs are the ones below...

My son Adam was about 5 or 6 (he's 38 now) and General Yeager let me take a photo with Adam standing next to him. The next year, I took that photo, and another one I took, enlarged to 8x10s, back to the Museum so General Yeager could autograph them...

 

[rwsmith]

Yes and what a mess...

The General is still going.

I read that he met an actress when hiking named Victoria Scott D'Angelo in 2000 and in a few year they got married.
His children started raising Cain that she was a gold digger and after his money. Yeager had to take his daughter to court for diverting millions of his assets and won, the court saying she had breached her duty as a trustee.

The saga continued in 2014 when a federal judge was forced to appoint a guardian ad litem and his wife wasn't considered eligible.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I actually got to meet him.

So have I, at Brooks AFB (now closed) in San Antonio. Our class of Flight Nurses listened to a talk he made at an aerospace medicine conference, and we invited him to the O. Club that evening for a beer. Or two. Or three.

I was a young 1LT. then, back in 1988. He was an old Brigadier General, but could probably have drank us all under the table.

 

[rwsmith]

Yeah, had a few short cameos.....

In The Right Stuff,
Sam Shepard (RIP ) played Chuck Yeager.
Chuck Yeager played Fred the Bartender.
What?

I think the most time, he was serving a steaks to a table of guys at Pancho's. Makes me wonder if there was a real 'Fred'.

 

[AzShooter]

I interviewed him in 1974 when he visited Luke AFB. I was a Public Relations Specialist and wrote for the base newspaper. General Yeager is one of our greatest heroes and was very kind to me.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Met him twice in the early 80’s. First at the Flight Simulator and second on the flight line at Beale AFB. I had two stripes. It wasn’t a common occurrence to talk to a general like he was one of the guys. He loved flying the T-38 because it was fast and nimble.

 

[windypoint]

When i was a helicopter pilot in Alaska, Chuck Yeager was touring and our company took him up to a glacier in S E Alaska. (not me sadly). I heard a great story from one of his party, They were fishing in Central Alaska when a game warden approached and asked to see their licenses. As he looked at Yeager's he said "Yeager huh, like Chuck" Yeager replied no like General.

 

[Beemerguy53]

When i was a helicopter pilot in Alaska, Chuck Yeager was touring and our company took him up to a glacier in S E Alaska. (not me sadly). I heard a great story from one of his party, They were fishing in Central Alaska when a game warden approached and asked to see their licenses. As he looked at Yeager's he said "Yeager huh, like Chuck" Yeager replied no like General.

That sure sounds like Yeager! He has a great wit and sense of humor.

His autobiography is simply terrific, a true story of a Depression Kid who grew up poor, and took advantage of every opportunity he had to better himself.

For those who aren't aware of it, Yeager was shot down over occupied France in the early spring of 1944, and with the help of the French underground, he became one of the first American airmen to evade capture and get back to England.

He literally escaped by running through the Pyrenees Mountains into neutral Spain, carrying a wounded comrade, while a German patrol was chasing him and shooting at him. At one of his appearances at the National Air & Space Museum years ago, an audience member asked him how on earth he was able to do that?

His answer: "There ain't a German born who can catch a West Virginian in the woods!"

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Here’s Chuck back in the day with his good friend Triple Ace Bud Anderson.
Bud flew the Original Old Crow Mustang.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Here’s Chuck back in the day with his good friend Triple Ace Bud Anderson.
Bud flew the Original Old Crow Mustang.

Bud Anderson is also still with us... His autobiography, "To Fly and Fight", is a terrific read...highly recommended.

Bud Anderson's P-51 Mustang "Old Crow" Web Page

 

[Hair Trigger]

Here’s Chuck back in the day with his good friend Triple Ace Bud Anderson.
Bud flew the Original Old Crow Mustang.

That's another guy I was privileged to meet. Saw him in 2014 at Oshkosh. He talked for over an hour about flying the Mustang in combat, and had an awesome slide show to go with the talk. He stayed for a while after his presentation, signing autographs and answering questions. These are obviously not the original aircraft in the picture. The "old Crow" in the picture is a P-51C model, note the razorback fuselage and Malcolm canopy.

The "Gentleman Jim" P-51 was flown by Capt. James Browning, a squadron mate of Anderson. He was killed during a dogfight on 2/9/45 when his plane collided with a ME-262.

 

[CALREB]

Met him years ago , he was at the range with either Air Support or SWAT, I think it was AS , before 1911s were approved for anyone but SWAT. They said they had a retired General with them that wanted to fire a 1911. I never hustled up a gun that fast for any Chief or cared about the movie stars that showed up at the academy.
One of my favorite heroes of all time, love the Right Stuff and his book.
He stayed about an hour just talking regular guy stuff, and was very nice to all of us.

 

[jpage]

Enlisted as an E1, if memory serves. Quite an accomplished life.

 

[NYlakesider]

Enlisted as an E1, if memory serves. Quite an accomplished life.

Mustang to the max! A great man no doubt!

 

[JJEH]

Such a legend. He's still active on Twitter.

 

[Rustyt1953]

From Twitter: