Throughout his life, he flew more than 360 different types of aircraft. == Early life and education == Yeager was born February 13, 1923, to farming parents Susie Mae (née Sizemore; 1898–1987) and Albert Hal Yeager (1896–1963) in Myra, West Virginia.
Charles Elwood Yeager ( , February 13, 1923December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army, assigned to the Army Air Forces in 1941.
Throughout his life, he flew more than 360 different types of aircraft. == Early life and education == Yeager was born February 13, 1923, to farming parents Susie Mae (née Sizemore; 1898–1987) and Albert Hal Yeager (1896–1963) in Myra, West Virginia.
He graduated from high school in June 1941. His first experience with the military was as a teen at the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, during the summers of 1939 and 1940.
He graduated from high school in June 1941. His first experience with the military was as a teen at the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, during the summers of 1939 and 1940.
Charles Elwood Yeager ( , February 13, 1923December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army, assigned to the Army Air Forces in 1941.
He graduated from high school in June 1941. His first experience with the military was as a teen at the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, during the summers of 1939 and 1940.
Army Air Forces (USAAF) on September 12, 1941, and became an aircraft mechanic at George Air Force Base, Victorville, California.
After serving as an aircraft mechanic, in September 1942, he entered enlisted pilot training and upon graduation was promoted to the rank of flight officer (the World War II Army Air Force version of the Army's warrant officer), later achieving most of his aerial victories as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot on the Western Front, where he was credited with shooting down 11.5 enemy aircraft (the half credit is from a second pilot assisting him in a single shootdown).
He received his pilot wings and a promotion to flight officer at Luke Field, Arizona, where he graduated from Class 43C on March 10, 1943.
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), and shipped overseas with the group on November 23, 1943. Stationed in the United Kingdom at RAF Leiston, Yeager flew P-51 Mustangs in combat with the 363d Fighter Squadron.
On October 12, 1944, he attained "ace in a day" status, shooting down five enemy aircraft in one mission. After the war, Yeager became a test pilot and flew many types of aircraft, including experimental rocket-powered aircraft for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
Yeager had gained one victory before he was shot down over France in his first aircraft (P-51B-5-NA s/n 43-6763) on March 5, 1944, on his eighth mission.
He escaped to Spain on March 30, 1944 with the help of the Maquis (French Resistance) and returned to England on May 15, 1944.
Eisenhower, on June 12, 1944.
On October 12, 1944, he became the first pilot in his group to make "ace in a day," downing five enemy aircraft in a single mission.
On February 26, 1945, Yeager married Glennis Dickhouse, and the couple had four children.
He named his aircraft Glamorous Glen after his girlfriend, Glennis Faye Dickhouse, who became his wife in February 1945.
He flew his 61st and final mission on January 15, 1945, and returned to the United States in early February 1945.
Charles Elwood Yeager ( , February 13, 1923December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army, assigned to the Army Air Forces in 1941.
Through the NACA program, he became the first human to officially break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, when he flew the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of , for which he won both the Collier and Mackay trophies in 1948.
Ridley rigged up a device, using the end of a broom handle as an extra lever, to allow Yeager to seal the hatch. Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, in level flight while piloting the X-1 Glamorous Glennis at Mach 1.05 at an altitude of over the Rogers Dry Lake of the Mojave Desert in California.
for contributing immeasurably to aerospace science by risking his life in piloting the X-1 research airplane faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947".
Through the NACA program, he became the first human to officially break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, when he flew the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of , for which he won both the Collier and Mackay trophies in 1948.
The success of the mission was not announced to the public until June 1948.
Yeager was awarded the Mackay Trophy and the Collier Trophy in 1948 for his mach-transcending flight, and the Harmon International Trophy in 1954.
Returning to Muroc, during the latter half of 1953, Yeager was involved with the USAF team that was working on the X-1A, an aircraft designed to surpass Mach 2 in level flight.
That year, he flew a chase aircraft for the civilian pilot Jackie Cochran as she became the first woman to fly faster than sound. On November 20, 1953, the U.S.
Not only did they beat Crossfield by setting a new record at Mach 2.44 on December 12, 1953, but they did it in time to spoil a celebration planned for the 50th anniversary of flight in which Crossfield was to be called "the fastest man alive". The new record flight, however, did not entirely go to plan, since shortly after reaching Mach 2.44, Yeager lost control of the X-1A at about due to inertia coupling, a phenomenon largely unknown at the time.
Yeager was awarded the Mackay Trophy and the Collier Trophy in 1948 for his mach-transcending flight, and the Harmon International Trophy in 1954.
For this achievement, Yeager was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) in 1954. ==== Military command ==== Yeager was foremost a fighter pilot and held several squadron and wing commands.
(Yeager himself had only a high school education, so he was not eligible to become an astronaut like those he trained.) In April 1962, Yeager flew for the only time with Neil Armstrong.
[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." In his autobiography, Dwight details how Yeager's leadership led to discriminatory treatment throughout his training at Edwards Air Force base. Between December 1963 and January 1964, Yeager completed five flights in the NASA M2-F1 lifting body.
An accident during a December 1963 test flight in one of the school's NF-104s eventually put an end to his record attempts. In 1966, Yeager took command of the 405th Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base, the Philippines, whose squadrons were deployed on rotational temporary duty (TDY) in South Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
[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." In his autobiography, Dwight details how Yeager's leadership led to discriminatory treatment throughout his training at Edwards Air Force base. Between December 1963 and January 1964, Yeager completed five flights in the NASA M2-F1 lifting body.
An accident during a December 1963 test flight in one of the school's NF-104s eventually put an end to his record attempts. In 1966, Yeager took command of the 405th Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base, the Philippines, whose squadrons were deployed on rotational temporary duty (TDY) in South Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Yeager was also the chairman of Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagle Program from 1994 to 2004, and was named the program's chairman emeritus. In 1966, Yeager was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
In February 1968, Yeager was assigned command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and led the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II wing in South Korea during the Pueblo crisis. Yeager was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. From 1971 to 1973, at the behest of Ambassador Joseph Farland, Yeager was assigned to Pakistan to advise the Pakistan Air Force.
In recognition of his achievements and the outstanding performance ratings of those units, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1969 and inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973, retiring on March 1, 1975.
In February 1968, Yeager was assigned command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and led the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II wing in South Korea during the Pueblo crisis. Yeager was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. From 1971 to 1973, at the behest of Ambassador Joseph Farland, Yeager was assigned to Pakistan to advise the Pakistan Air Force.
In February 1968, Yeager was assigned command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and led the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II wing in South Korea during the Pueblo crisis. Yeager was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. From 1971 to 1973, at the behest of Ambassador Joseph Farland, Yeager was assigned to Pakistan to advise the Pakistan Air Force.
A small passenger aircraft that was assigned by the Pentagon to Yeager was damaged during an air raid by the Indian Air Force at a Pakistani airbase during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
In recognition of his achievements and the outstanding performance ratings of those units, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1969 and inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973, retiring on March 1, 1975.
In February 1968, Yeager was assigned command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, and led the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II wing in South Korea during the Pueblo crisis. Yeager was promoted to brigadier general and was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force. From 1971 to 1973, at the behest of Ambassador Joseph Farland, Yeager was assigned to Pakistan to advise the Pakistan Air Force.
Later that month, he was the recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for his achievements. On October 14, 2012, on the 65th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager did it again at the age of 89, flying as co-pilot in a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle piloted by Captain David Vincent out of Nellis Air Force Base. == Awards and decorations == In 1973, Yeager was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, arguably aviation's highest honor.
In 1974, Yeager received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.
In recognition of his achievements and the outstanding performance ratings of those units, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1969 and inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973, retiring on March 1, 1975.
retaliation. === Post-retirement career === On March 1, 1975, following assignments in West Germany and Pakistan, Yeager retired from the Air Force at Norton Air Force Base, California. Yeager made a cameo appearance in the movie The Right Stuff (1983).
In December 1975, the U.S.
Any airplane I name after you always brings me home." Yeager and Glennis moved to Grass Valley, California, after his retirement from the Air Force in 1975.
President Gerald Ford presented the medal to Yeager in a ceremony at the White House on December 8, 1976. Yeager, who never attended college and was often modest about his background, is considered by many, including Flying Magazine, the California Hall of Fame, the State of West Virginia, National Aviation Hall of Fame, a few U.S.
Sam Shepard portrayed Yeager in the film. For several years in the 1980s, Yeager was connected to General Motors, publicizing ACDelco, the company's automotive parts division.
He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1981.
diplomat who had served as political counselor to Ambassador Farland in Islamabad, recalled this incident in the Washington Monthly of October 1985: "After Yeager's Beechcraft was destroyed during an Indian air raid, he raged to his cowering colleagues that the Indian pilot had been specifically instructed by Indira Gandhi to blast his plane.
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. 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".
In 1986, he was invited to drive the Chevrolet Corvette pace car for the 70th running of the Indianapolis 500.
In 1986, President Reagan appointed Yeager to the Rogers Commission that investigated the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. During this time, Yeager also served as a technical adviser for three Electronic Arts flight simulator video games.
Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer was Electronic Art's top-selling game for 1987. In 2009, Yeager participated in the documentary The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a profile of his friend Pancho Barnes.
In 1988, Yeager was again invited to drive the pace car, this time at the wheel of an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. In 2000, Yeager met actress Victoria Scott D'Angelo on a hiking trail in Nevada County.
Glennis died in 1990. His cousin, Steve Yeager, was a professional baseball catcher. == Career == === World War II === Yeager enlisted as a private in the U.S.
He was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor 1990 inaugural class. Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, is named in his honor.
Glennis Yeager died of ovarian cancer in 1990.
Yeager was also the chairman of Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagle Program from 1994 to 2004, and was named the program's chairman emeritus. In 1966, Yeager was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
The documentary was screened at film festivals, aired on public television in the United States, and won an Emmy Award. 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.
At the end of his speech to the crowd in 1997, Yeager concluded, "All that I am ...
Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. In 2000, Yeager met actress Victoria Scott D'Angelo on a hiking trail in Nevada County.
The pair started dating shortly thereafter, and married in August 2003.
Yeager was also the chairman of Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagle Program from 1994 to 2004, and was named the program's chairman emeritus. In 1966, Yeager was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
On October 19, 2006, the state of West Virginia also honored Yeager with a marker along Corridor G (part of U.S.
Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer was Electronic Art's top-selling game for 1987. In 2009, Yeager participated in the documentary The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a profile of his friend Pancho Barnes.
On August 25, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announced that Yeager would be one of 13 California Hall of Fame inductees in The California Museum's yearlong exhibit.
The induction ceremony was on December 1, 2009, in Sacramento, California.
Yeager's son Mickey (Michael) died unexpectedly in Oregon, on March 26, 2011. Yeager appeared in a Texas advertisement for George H.
Later that month, he was the recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for his achievements. On October 14, 2012, on the 65th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager did it again at the age of 89, flying as co-pilot in a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle piloted by Captain David Vincent out of Nellis Air Force Base. == Awards and decorations == In 1973, Yeager was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, arguably aviation's highest honor.
Flying Magazine ranked Yeager number 5 on its 2013 list of The 51 Heroes of Aviation; for many years, he was the highest-ranked living person on the list. The Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer auxiliary of the USAF, awards the Charles E.
In the 2019 documentary series Chasing the Moon, the filmmakers report that Yeager instructed staff and participants at the school that "Washington is trying to cram the nigger down our throats.
Charles Elwood Yeager ( , February 13, 1923December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army, assigned to the Army Air Forces in 1941.
After Bell Aircraft test pilot Chalmers "Slick" Goodlin demanded US$150,000 (over US$1.7 million in 2020 dollars) to break the sound "barrier", the USAAF selected Yeager to fly the rocket-powered Bell XS-1 in a NACA program to research high-speed flight. 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".
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