RIP Chuck Yeager- dead at 97. A guy that didn't work from home.

[Omega Man]

From the New York Times-

Chuck Yeager, the most famous test pilot of his generation who was the first to break the sound barrier, and, thanks to Tom Wolfe, came to personify the death-defying aviator who possessed the elusive yet unmistakable “right stuff,” died on Monday at a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 97.

His death was announced via his official Twitter account, which cited his wife, Victoria, and confirmed by John Nicoletti, a family friend, by phone.

General Yeager came out of the West Virginia hills with only a high school education and with a drawl that left many a fellow pilot bewildered. The first time he went up in a plane, he was sick to his stomach.

But he became a fighter ace in World War II, shooting down five German planes in a single day and 13 over all. In the decade that followed, he helped usher in the age of military jets and spaceflight. He flew more than 150 military aircraft, logging more than 10,000 hours in the air.

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

"They are not building them like that anymore"- unfortunately.

OM

 

[kthutchinson]

I first met General Yeager in December 1980 when I reported to Edwards AFB to attend Test Pilot School. General Yeager used to give an introductory briefing to each new class. It was the week between Christmas and New Year's, and I went to the Officer's Club for dinner and a couple of beers in the bar. There were only three customers in the bar; me, one at a table, and one at the end of the bar. I sat next to the person at the bar and said "Hi, I'm Karl." The gentleman turned to me and said "Hi, I'm Chuck Yeager." I was amazed. As we nursed a couple of beers we talked about the Air Force, flying in general, and test flying in particular. Later, as I went back to my quarters, I couldn't help but marvel that, despite all his fame and success, General Yeager was still just a good old boy from West Virginia at heart. RIP Chuck.

 

[1957mpd]

EAA Young Eagles Chairman

From 1995 to 2003, General Yeager was the chairman of the Experimental Aviation Association's "Young Eagles" program, created to give children between the ages of 8 and17, the opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The program is offered free of charge with costs covered by the volunteers. It was launched in 1992, and has given airplane rides to more than 2 million children in 90 countries. The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Coast Guard today all have pilots who first tasted flight in this program. I have enjoyed the privilege of taking up hundreds of kids.

 

[bigjohnsd]

A guy that can legitimately be called "A Hero"..

 

[rangerreece]

A guy that can legitimately be called "A Hero"..

I will miss my hero.

 

[skibum69]

godspeed

 

[dieselyoda]

When I was young and fearless, every fall we assembled our plow/sander trucks and took them for a "Yeager".

One time, I took my job out for a "Yeager". 45 tons of Oshkosh with plow and sander and got the right side off the ground.

I changed my gitch (manties, banana hammock,soggy bottoms, granny panties) and announced to the boss, "we be good, just Yaeger'd the girl and good to go move some s--t!"

Pretty hard to not admire a man with a set, like a pair, maybe he had three to be that fearless.

 

[boogerman]

A great American. Godspeed Chuck

 

[jdubick]

He was a WW2 Ace and was only 22 years old at the end of the war. Just ponder that for a minute.

 

[Subman]

In 1983, Sam Shepard played a young Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff; he was 20 years younger than Yeager.

Sam Shepard died three years ago at 73.