Chuck Yeager, sound barrier pioneer pilot, dies at 97
- Reference: 1607412545
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/12/08/chuck_yeager_dies/
- Source link:
Yeager was pilot of the first crewed vehicle to exceed Mach 1 and break the sound barrier, a feat he accomplished in 1947 behind the stick of a Bell X-1. A test pilot at the time, Yeager landed the role after displaying exceptional skill as a fighter pilot in World War II.
Despite being beaten to breaking Mach 2, he smashed that record within weeks of it being set by hitting Mach 2.44 in December 1953. He also set altitude records, and flew more than 150 types and models of craft in a celebrated career.
His death was announced by his wife Victoria, who borrowed his Twitter account to reveal the sad news.
Fr [1]@VictoriaYeage11 It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET. An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever. — Chuck Yeager (@GenChuckYeager) [2]December 8, 2020
Appreciations quickly flowed. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine [3]said Yeager was "a legend in his own time."
"Chuck's bravery and accomplishments are a testament to the enduring strength that made him a true American original, and NASA's Aeronautics work owes much to his brilliant contributions to aerospace science," Bridenstine said. "His path blazed a trail for anyone who wanted to push the limits of human potential, and his achievements will guide us for generations to come."
We mourn the passing and celebrate the life and legacy of a pilot who truly had the right stuff, General Chuck Yeager. In 1947, Yeager broke the sound barrier and proved that we can always keep pushing further and faster. [4]pic.twitter.com/pnPMUzMsv4 — National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) [5]December 8, 2020
Yeager remained in the US Air Force until 1975, having served in several other conflicts. He continued flying until well into the 2010s, and in 2012 again broke the sound barrier albeit as an 89-year-old co-pilot.
Yeager's aviation feats, and those of other test pilots of the 1950s and 1960s, inspired the book and film The Right Stuff . Both works depicted Yeager's belief that astronauts did little real flying and ought not to be compared to test pilots who had to exercise exceptional skill day in, day out.
Nonetheless, astronauts, a good number of whom were once [6]test pilots , joined in offering tributes to mark Yeager's passing... ®
Iconic Test Pilot General Chuck Yeager has slipped the surly bonds of earth. A WWII fighter ace and the first human to break the sound barrier.
He was a true legend with the right stuff. Fair winds and following seas, General Yeager. [7]#RIPChuckYeager [8]pic.twitter.com/1MxJA8enFU — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) [9]December 8, 2020
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[1] https://twitter.com/VictoriaYeage11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[2] https://twitter.com/GenChuckYeager/status/1336150145369444352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[3] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-administrator-statement-on-passing-of-gen-chuck-yeager/
[4] https://t.co/pnPMUzMsv4
[5] https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/1336167863741263872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6] https://mikemullane.com/to-become-an-astronaut/
[7] https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPChuckYeager?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8] https://t.co/1MxJA8enFU
[9] https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/1336177364036775937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: ?
There is a film being made (involving the family) of some of his earlier exploits including being shot down in WWII, evading capture etc. I am sure you could find the crowdfunder and chip a few quid in, if you felt so inclined.
if Chuck had been born maybe 20 years later, it is almost certain that instead of breaking the sound barrier he would have been strapping himself in at the top of a rocket bound for orbit. He definitely has The Right Stuff in spades! RIP to an exceptionally brave yet modest man.
Old, bold pilots.
They do exist!
To boldly go where no man has gone before
RIP Mr. Yeager.
[1]Chuck Yeager's Air Combat was one of my favourite games during the 90s
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager%27s_Air_Combat
Re: To boldly go where no man has gone before
My only memory of that is Chuck's smug voice telling me "Good thing this is just a simulator" as I crashed against unbeatable odds. I hated him for that! :)
Re: To boldly go where no man has gone before
[1]Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer was the one for me. My dad was a major flight simulator nut and he bought this for the C64 - to his irritation, I ended up playing it more than he did. The only other flight-related game I ever got into was Microprose's 'Solo Flight'.
Admittedly, CYAFT wasn't going to win any prizes graphically, but the fact that it placed more emphasis on how the different planes handled over looking pretty won me over. Naturally, the man himself had considerable technical input. As an aside, it was also back when EA still made decent games instead of the production line, microtransaction-laden bullshit they peddle today.
However, it seems that like quite a few others here, I was labouring under the misapprehension that Gen. Yeager had died quite a few years ago.
That, kids, is what a real hero looked like.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager%27s_Advanced_Flight_Trainer
According to his autobigraphy...
...Chuck Yeager's great success as pilot was due in large part to his exceptional eye sight. As a squadron leader in WWII Yeager would be heading south across the Channel and spot the German aircraft, ID their makes and models, and have targets assigned to his squadron members a full minute before anyone else could see them. This is while flying at 300+ MPH toward the enemy and them moving at a similar speed toward him.
They are called The Greatest Generation for many reasons.
The right stuff, in some circumstances
Yeager was an exceptional pilot when it comes to aerodynamic flight. No question about it. He did many amazing things.
"Both works depicted Yeager's belief that astronauts did little real flying and ought not to be compared to test pilots who had to exercise exceptional skill day in, day out."
But this right here is exactly why Yeager was passed over for the space/astronaut programs. He didn't "get" non-aerodynamic flight or orbital mechanics so in his mind, astronauts did no flying and were "inferior" to "real" test pilots (not withstanding that many early astronauts were outstanding pilots in their own right, all had completed test pilot school and contributed immensely to the understanding of spaceflight, orbital mechanics and maneuvering nor that many flights were saved only by the astronaut on board. Were they pilots? Not in the traditional sense of the word, but they certainly weren't monkeys along for the ride as Yeager painted them)
A fighter pilot AND test pilot
Who fought in a war, flew bleeding edge aircraft and still lived to 97.
That’s what you call a great run.
At least he hit a good age
RIP
Old and bold
"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots*"
*Except Chuck Yeager
Amazing man, amazing career. To live through through the golden age of aircraft test and live to get your angel wings at 97, is a testament to what a great pilot he was.
The Right Stuff
There was a recent series on Disney+ called The Right Stuff. It managed to write out Chuck Yeager, thus missing one of the main points of Tom Wolfes book, and subsequent 1983 film.
I watched the first episode, but could see it was based more on Astronauts Wives than The Right Stuff, so didn't watch any more.
RIP General Chuck Yeager
I thought this was interesting: [1]Chuck Yeager's 100,000 Foot Zoom Rocket Plane Crash
Apparently, the rocket augmented F104 crash scene in "The Right Stuff" departed some distance from the truth, the linked video tries to give a better idea of what happened.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY23_WBE4Pg
God bless him!
Chuck Yeager became a WW2 ace and broke the sound barrier by the time he was 25 years old! He commanded the U.S. Air Force school that trained astronauts coming from the Air Force in the early 1960s, but could not become one himself because he did not have a college degree. He also was a member of the NASA commission that investigated the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Besides World War II, he actually flew a lot of bomber missions in Vietnam in the first couple years of the war there. Despite his lack of a college education, he rose to the rank of Brigadier General before retiring from the USAF.
RIP to a legendary pilot and American.
I am also reminded of Chuck Yeager's relationship to The Fastest Man on Earth, John Paul Stapp, and their involvement with Edward A. Murphy, the namesake for Murphy's Law.
See https://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.php
?
To my chagrin, I admit I didn't realise General Yeager was still alive.
In the sixties Ias a child I read anything I could about aviation, he was part of the mythical Past.
I was also enamoured of dinosaurs, maybe the notion that all wonders were eons ago cross-fertilised.