Chuck Yeager

[manta22]

Chuck Yeager died yesterday. He was an ace WW II fighter pilot and a top Air Force test pilot who first broke the sound barrier in a Bell X-1A in 1947. A real hero. From CBS News:

Yeager flew an F-80 under a Charleston bridge at 450 mph on Oct. 10, 1948, according to newspaper accounts. When he was asked to repeat the feat for photographers, Yeager replied: "You should never strafe the same place twice 'cause the gunners will be waiting for you."
 
Yeager never forgot his roots and West Virginia named bridges, schools and Charleston's airport after him."

RIP General Chuck Yeager.

[DallasV]

Fitting for him to die on a day that will live in infamy

[sabat]

Great obit here;

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/us/chuck-yeager-dead.html

[manta22]

I posted this on FB:

You may not have heard about it on the TV network news- he wasn?t a celebrity entertainer, politician, or sports figure but last evening a true hero died. He was Chuck Yeager.
 
Back in 1947 at Muroc Dry Lake, he piloted a Bell X-1 rocket plane faster than the speed of sound. For the first time in history, the ?sound barrier? was broken. For a year the Air Force kept it secret but in 1948 it was announced publicly. We were living in Tokyo when my Dad told me about what Captain Yeager had done and he was immensely proud that Yeager was a "West Virginia boy". Since I was building model airplanes then, even I knew that it was big news.
 
Yeager had been an Ace fighter pilot in WW II, flew in Korea and Vietnam as well as having been a USAF test pilot at Muroc (now Edwards AFB) but his name was relatively unknown to the public until Tom Wolfe?s book ?The Right Stuff? and later the movie. His chance to be one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts was denied simply because he did not have a college education.
 
Rest in peace, General Chuck Yeager, USAF (retired)
 
Neil

[aircap]

Chuck was an American badass..... He once said, "The first jet airplane I ever saw I shot down!".

[floydjer]

RIP ya old hot rodder

[SPARKY]

I had the pleasure of meeting him in Dallas about 20 years ago he was the headline speaker for the Safari Club.  We spent about 30-40 minutes talking about 4x4 trucks.  I had his book at home and I took it back with me the next day for him to autograph.  I stalked him nearly 3 hours never interrupting staying at least 10' away--before he finally said to me in disgust  Smith bring that damm thing over here---you just don't know how much I hate doing it form the book signing tours I had to do.  I told him that his was only the 3rd autograph that i had ever asked for and I felt honored that he took the time.  Especially now knowing how he felt about it.  I admit I still held the book out until he took the book and pen and signed it.---yes I was selfish but he was a true
"county boy" American  Hero !