I just heard a genuine American hero passed today. Chuck Yeager was the embodiment of the American spirit. There will never be another like him.
Rest in Peace General Yeager
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He certainly had the right stuff.
R.I.P. General Yeager..........you will be missed.
Don
Don
I used to go every year to the National Air & Space Museum to hear General Yeager speak. Around 1987, I got a great shot of him with my son, and another of him while he was addressing the crowd and answering questions. The following year, I took 8x10 copies of both photos with me, and he graciously autographed them... 
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i got to visit with him a couple times at the Sportmen's shows at Cal Expo, Sacramento, Ca. back in the eighties. He was nice and didn't put on the dog. Very down to earth.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
I loved reading the story of his experiences in the X-15 program. As a test pilot Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier in the X-15, a rocket-powered plane launched from the belly of a B-29 Stratofortress bomber at high altitude.
A day or so prior to the planned flight Yeager was thrown from a horse, breaking his arm. He knew he would be removed from the mission because of the injury so he concealed it, even conceived of a way to lock the cockpit canopy using a piece of broomstick because his broken arm would not allow him to do it in the usual manner.
Completed the flight, set his name into the history books, then drove to the hospital to get his arm taken care of!
At that time Yeager and several others were serving as test pilots, and their military careers were in serious doubt. Following WW2 and Korea the military forces were drawn down severely, and officers without service academy credentials or college degrees had very little hope of remaining on active duty. Yeager's acceptance as a test pilot may have been the only thing that kept him from being discharged and facing a very uncertain future as a civilian.
Worked his way from a teenaged drop-out to the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang fighter, and one of the youngest "Aces" of WW2. No formal education, but became one of the foremost experts in aeronautical engineering.
Truly an inspiring man!
A day or so prior to the planned flight Yeager was thrown from a horse, breaking his arm. He knew he would be removed from the mission because of the injury so he concealed it, even conceived of a way to lock the cockpit canopy using a piece of broomstick because his broken arm would not allow him to do it in the usual manner.
Completed the flight, set his name into the history books, then drove to the hospital to get his arm taken care of!
At that time Yeager and several others were serving as test pilots, and their military careers were in serious doubt. Following WW2 and Korea the military forces were drawn down severely, and officers without service academy credentials or college degrees had very little hope of remaining on active duty. Yeager's acceptance as a test pilot may have been the only thing that kept him from being discharged and facing a very uncertain future as a civilian.
Worked his way from a teenaged drop-out to the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang fighter, and one of the youngest "Aces" of WW2. No formal education, but became one of the foremost experts in aeronautical engineering.
Truly an inspiring man!
Texas Star
US Veteran
I just saw this on YouTube. About a week ago, I checked him on Wiki; how ironic that he passed so soon after, about 9 pm tonight. I think he was 97.
I read his books and those by his friend Col. Clarence Anderson. Thrilling.
America has lost a great man.
I read his books and those by his friend Col. Clarence Anderson. Thrilling.
America has lost a great man.
That was the X-1, not X-15, and broken ribs, not broken arm.
Ah, details. But what a man, what a ride was his life!
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I worked for the National Park Service in the mid 80's to mid 90's.
My direct "supervisor" was a retired Colonel in the Air Force, now working for the Park Service. He was an older gentleman then. He had some great stories and even as a civilian he could be a scary guy.
One of them was about "crazy" Chuck Yeager and how the AF was trying to mount cannons on the P51's. My "supervisor" was directly involved. It seems he, (Yeager,) was "somewhat of an outlaw/maverick" in that was very steadfast in his wants and needs. When he wasn't satisfied he expressed it. After one failed trial he landed the P51 on a California Highway and left it in disgust not even wanting to take her home. Of course nothing happened to him other than making his point. This is just one Yeager story he had. I remember them all.
I can relate to both of their positions. How could a "superior" argue with the experience Yeager had, even back then before all the rest. I believe this was an actual true story.
Jim
My direct "supervisor" was a retired Colonel in the Air Force, now working for the Park Service. He was an older gentleman then. He had some great stories and even as a civilian he could be a scary guy.
One of them was about "crazy" Chuck Yeager and how the AF was trying to mount cannons on the P51's. My "supervisor" was directly involved. It seems he, (Yeager,) was "somewhat of an outlaw/maverick" in that was very steadfast in his wants and needs. When he wasn't satisfied he expressed it. After one failed trial he landed the P51 on a California Highway and left it in disgust not even wanting to take her home. Of course nothing happened to him other than making his point. This is just one Yeager story he had. I remember them all.
I can relate to both of their positions. How could a "superior" argue with the experience Yeager had, even back then before all the rest. I believe this was an actual true story.
Jim
BigBill
Absent Comrade
To be s test pilot you have to be a special breed. Chuck Yeager was that special man. He did a lot for our country. Rip chuck you da man
Talk about beating the odds ..... Any human who did what he did CONSTANTLY could never be expected to reach their 90s. Death "brushed his elbow" innumerable times. After reading his autobiography some years ago, I was amazed anyone could survive all that he had experienced. I knew this day had to be coming. I knew when it did what I would feel. One of my last living heros from the "greatest generation" is gone. What a life he led !
PPS1980
Member
Another of the great ones gone. R. I. P.
Ugly Hombre
Member
RIP General- God bless you, your family and our Republic.
General Yeager was a high school graduate. When he used to speak at the National Air & Space Museum, he always explained that the key to his success was that any time he had an opportunity to better himself, he took advantage of it.
His autobiography is positively inspirational...
Chuck Yeager - Death, Career & Facts - Biography
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bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
That dude made his Guardian Angel work overtime.
Glamorous Glennis is with you again.
RIP sir.
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Glamorous Glennis is with you again.
RIP sir.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
