Yeager was a rare aviator, someone who understood planes in ways that other pilots just don't. Missions featured several of Yeager's accomplishments and let players attempt to top his records. Yeager shot down 13 German planes on 64 missions during World War II, including five on a single mission. 1 of 2. His first wife, the former Glennis Dickhouse, with whom he had four children, died in 1990. He was 97. Watch Chuck Yeager's historic flight in 1947. In a tweet, Victoria Yeager wrote: "It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET.". They had four children: Donald, Michael, Sharon and Susan. [121] Subsequent to the commencement of their relationship, a bitter dispute arose between Yeager, his children and D'Angelo. In 1941, soon after graduating from high school and shortly before the United States entered World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, later to become the US Air Force. [83], On October 14, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his historic flight past Mach 1, he flew a new Glamorous Glennis III, an F-15D Eagle, past Mach 1. He commanded a fighter wing during the Vietnam War while holding the rank of colonel and flew 127 missions, mainly piloting Martin B-57 light bombers in attacking enemy troops and their supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Susan Yeager and Sharon Yeager Flick; and a son, Don. His decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star. This is apparently a unique award, as the law that created it states it is equivalent to a noncombat Medal of Honor. Yeager started from humble beginnings in Myra, W.Va., and many people didn't really learn about him until decades after he broke the sound barrier all because of a book and popular 1983 movie called The Right Stuff. Yeager retired from the Air Force in 1975 and moved to a ranch in Cedar Ridge in Northern California where he continued working as a consultant to the Air Force and Northrop Corp. and became well known to younger generations as a television pitchman for automotive parts and heat pumps. But you dont let that affect your job., The modest Yeager said in 1947 he could have gone even faster had the plane carried more fuel. It concluded with Yeager, 16 years on from his exploits in Harry Trumans America, in the 1963 of JFKs new frontier. I live just down the street from his mother, said Gene Brewer, retired publisher of the weekly Lincoln Journal. WATCH: Memorial service for retired Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, WW II ace At least that was my perspective when I was young. In 1947 Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier; and, in hitting Mach 1, he set the US on a path that was to lead to Neil Armstrongs 1969 moon landing. Such was the difficulty of this task that the answer to many of the inherent challenges was along the lines of "Yeager better have paid-up insurance". Flying F-15 planes, he broke the sound barrier again on the 50th and 55th anniversaries of his pioneering flight, and he was a passenger on an F-15 plane in another breaking of the sound barrier to commemorate the 65th anniversary. When he left home his father advised him never to gamble or buy a pick-up truck that was not built by General Motors. Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager (/jer/ YAY-gr, February 13, 1923 December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in October 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager had unusually sharp vision (a visual acuity rated 20/10), which once enabled him to shoot a deer at 600yd (550m). Van der Linden says Yeager became a fighter ace, shooting down five enemy aircraft in a single mission and four others on a different day. The retired brigadier-general's wife, Victoria Yeager, confirmed the news of his death on . [19], Despite a regulation prohibiting "evaders" (escaped pilots) from flying over enemy territory again, the purpose of which was to prevent resistance groups from being compromised by giving the enemy a second chance to possibly capture him, Yeager was reinstated to flying combat. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, a military test pilot who was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound and live to tell about it, died Dec. 7. He was once shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans. Chuck Yeager, 1st to break sound barrier, dies at 97 ", "Pilot Chuck Yeager's resolve to break the sound barrier was made of the right stuff", "This day in history: Yeager breaks the sound barrier", "Harmon Prizes go for 2 Air "Firsts"; Vertical-Flight Test Pilot and Airship Endurance Captain Are 1955 Winners", "BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES E. "CHUCK" YEAGER", "Yeager (n.d.). Yeager went into the history books after his flight in the Bell X-1 experimental rocket plane in 1947. General Chuck Yeager dies at 97 | KRON4 Chuck Yeager's death was announced on Twitter on Monday night by his second wife Victoria Yeager was the son of farmers from West Virginia and he became one of the world's finest fighter. In 1950, General Yeagers X-1 plane, which he christened Glamorous Glennis, honoring his wife, went on display at the SmithsonianInstitution in Washington. Aviation Remembers Chuck Yeager - AVweb [80] In 1986, he was invited to drive the Chevrolet Corvette pace car for the 70th running of the Indianapolis 500. [81], During this time, Yeager also served as a technical adviser for three Electronic Arts flight simulator video games. His exploits were told in Tom Wolfes book The Right Stuff, and the 1983 film it inspired. He was also a consultant on several Yeager-themed video games. [21] "I raised so much hell that General Eisenhower finally let me go back to my squadron" Yeager said. Chuck Yeager, 1st pilot to break the sound barrier, is dead at 97 He was 97. In 2000, Yeager met actress Victoria Scott D'Angelo on a hiking trail in Nevada County. Chuck Yeager, who has died aged 97, stands alongside the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh in the history of American aviation. He retired from the Air Force in 1975 after logging more than 10,000 hours of flight time in roughly 360 different military aircraft models. In 1945, after earning ace status for downing 13 German warplanes in World War II, including five Me-109 fighters in one day, Yeager was posted as a maintenance officer at the Air Force's Flight Test Division at Wright Field, Ohio. Living to a ripe old age is not an end in itself. You do it because its duty. Gen. Charles "Chuck" Yeager, the World War II fighter pilot ace and quintessential test pilot who showed he had the "right stuff" when in 1947 he became the first person. [119], Yeager appeared in a Texas advertisement for George H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. Gen. Charles "Chuck" Yeager, the World War II fighter pilot ace and quintessential test pilot who showed he had the "right stuff" when in 1947 he became the first. Sure, I was apprehensive, he said in 1968. If youre willing to bleed, Uncle Sam will give you all the planes you want.. He even lobbied to change one of the plane's control surfaces so that it could safely exceed Mach 1. When Yeager left Hamlin, he was already known as a daredevil. Ive flown 341 types of military planes in every country in the world and logged about 18,000 hours, he said in an interview in the January 2009 issue of Mens Journal. Assigned to the 357th Fighter Group at Tonopah, Nevada, he initially trained as a fighter pilot, flying Bell P-39 Airacobras (being grounded for seven days for clipping a farmer's tree during a training flight),[13] and shipped overseas with the group on November 23, 1943. Yeager died Monday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement, calling the death "a tremendous loss to our nation.". Flying legend Chuck Yeager, who made noise on behalf of Pakistan his death was announced on his official Twitter account. Yeager remained in the U.S. Army Air Forces after the war, becoming a test pilot at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base), following graduation from Air Materiel Command Flight Performance School (Class 46C). I live just down the street from his mother, said Gene Brewer, retired publisher of the weekly Lincoln Journal. Video, 'Trump or bust' - grassroots Republicans are still loyal, "It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET. We've received your submission. [96], Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, is named in his honor. US Air Force / The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images file. During his stay with the Maquis, Yeager assisted the guerrillas in duties that did not involve direct combat; he helped construct bombs for the group, a skill that he had learned from his father. He helped pave the way for the American space program by flying at Mach 1.05 roughly 805 mph at an altitude of 45,000 feet. She was 82. Ive flown 341 types of military planes in every country in the world and logged about 18,000 hours, he said in an interview in the January 2009 issue of Mens Journal. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Woman kicked off flight for refusing to wear face mask, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Sick trolls leak gruesome Maggie Murdaugh autopsy photo after it was accidentally shown on livestream, Madonna watches new boyfriend Joshua Poppers fight in New York City, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61 after brain aneurysm, How Ariana Madix discovered Tom Sandoval was cheating on her with Raquel Leviss, Max Scherzer's first look at the new pitch clock, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. At enlistment, Yeager was not eligible for flight training because of his age and educational background, but the entry of the U.S. into World War II less than three months later prompted the USAAF to alter its recruiting standards. [53][e], Yeager was foremost a fighter pilot and held several squadron and wing commands. The Interstate 64/Interstate 77 bridge over the Kanawha River in Charleston is named in his honor. Escaping via resistance networks to Spain, he was back in England by May, and resumed flying. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [94] He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1981. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. Sure, I was apprehensive, he said in 1968. Yeager, from a small town in the hills of West Virginia, flew for more than 60 years, including piloting an X-15 to near 1,000 mph at Edwards in October 2002 at age 79. After several turns, and an altitude loss of approximately 95,000 feet, Yeager ejected from the plane. Chuck Yeager spent the last years of his life doing what he truly loved: flying airplanes, speaking to aviation groups and fishing for golden trout in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. The pilot later commanded fighter squadrons in Germany and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and was promoted to brigadier general in 1969. He was guided to safety by the French Resistance over the Pyrenees mountains. Renowned test pilot Chuck Yeager dies Published Dec. 9, 2020 By 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Famed test pilot, retired Brig. But you dont let that affect your job., The modest Yeager said in 1947 he could have gone even faster had the plane carried more fuel. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces out of high school in September 1941, becoming an airplane mechanic. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. His Dutch-German family the surname was an anglicised version of Jger (hunter) had settled there in the 1800s. Ridley rigged up a device, using the end of a broom handle as an extra lever, to allow Yeager to seal the hatch. He finished the war with 11.5 official victories, including one of the first air-to-air victories over a jet fighter, a German Messerschmitt Me 262 that he shot down as it was on final approach for landing. But it is there, on the record and in my memory". Throughout his life, he flew more than 360 different types of aircraft over a 70-year period, and continued to fly for two decades after retirement as a consultant pilot for the United States Air Force. Chuck Yeager obituary | US military | The Guardian On 14 October 1947, Yeager's plane - nicknamed Glamorous Glennis, in honour of his first wife - was dropped from the bomb bay of a B-29 aircraft above the Mojave Desert in the south-western US. Chuck Yeager, a folksy, hard-living daredevil who was the first aviator to break the sound barrier and became a symbol of bravery for generations of test pilots, astronauts and average Americans . As Armstrong suggested that they do a touch-and-go, Yeager advised against it, telling him "You may touch, but you ain't gonna go!" We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. [11], At the time of his flight training acceptance, he was a crew chief on an AT-11. [63], Yeager made a cameo appearance in the movie The Right Stuff (1983). My accomplishments as a test pilot tell more about luck, happenstance and a persons destiny. [25][26], In his 1986 memoirs, Yeager recalled with disgust that "atrocities were committed by both sides", and said he went on a mission with orders from the Eighth Air Force to "strafe anything that moved". He said the ride was nice, just like riding fast in a car.. Chuck Yeager dies at 97, Air Force pilot who first broke speed of sound. Chuck Yeager, Air Force officer who broke speed of sound, dies at 97 [63], Yeager was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. Two of these victories were scored without firing a single shot: when he flew into firing position against a Messerschmitt Bf 109, the pilot of the aircraft panicked, breaking to port and colliding with his wingman. As popularized in The Right Stuff, Yeager broke the sound barrier on Oct. 14, 1947, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. She and the four children of his first marriage survive him. The secret to my success was that somehow I always managed to live to fly another day.. He started off as an aircraft mechanic and, despite becoming severely airsick during his first airplane ride, signed up for a program that allowed enlisted men to become pilots. In 2011, Yeager told NPR that the lack of publicity never much mattered to him. [President] Kennedy is using this to make 'racial equality,' so do not speak to him, do not socialize with him, do not drink with him, do not invite him over to your house, and in six months he'll be gone. Anyone can read what you share. "[79], For several years in the 1980s, Yeager was connected to General Motors, publicizing ACDelco, the company's automotive parts division. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, 'Trump or bust' - grassroots Republicans are still loyal. He then went on to break several other speed and altitude records in the following years. , Police arrest man linked to sexual assault of child, Mountain lion causes school to shelter in place, Martinez residents warned not to eat food grown in, Video: Benches clear in fight at high school hoops, SF police officers pose as prostitutes, bust 30 Johns, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In 2005 President George W Bush promoted him to major-general. [52], On November 20, 1953, the U.S. Navy program involving the D-558-II Skyrocket and its pilot, Scott Crossfield, became the first team to reach twice the speed of sound. The actor Sam Shepard, left, and General Yeager on the set of the 1983 film The Right Stuff, in which Mr. Shepard played General Yeager. Chuck Yeager, standing next to the "Glamorous Glennis," the Bell X-1 experimental plane with which he first broke the sound barrier. You concentrate on results. Yeager nicknamed the rocket plane, and all his other aircraft, Glamorous Glennis for his wife, who died in 1990. "It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET. Pence to escort widow of Chuck Yeager to funeral Chuck Yeager, the historic test pilot portrayed in the movie " The Right Stuff ," is dead at the age of 97, according to a tweet posted on his account late Monday. In an age of media-made heroes, he is the real deal, Edwards Air Force Base historian Jim Young said in August 2006 at the unveiling of a bronze statue of Yeager. Vice President Mike Pence said he will escort Victoria Yeager, the widow of retired Air Force Brig.