Wikipedia

Chuck Yeager

Brigadier GeneralCharles Elwood Yeager(/ˈjeɪɡər/YAY-gər,February 13, 1923 – December 7, 2020) was aUnited States Air Forceofficer,flying ace,and record-settingtest pilotwho in October 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded thespeed of soundin level flight.

Chuck Yeager
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Birth nameCharles Elwood Yeager
Born(1923-02-13)February 13, 1923
Myra, West Virginia,U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 2020(2020-12-07)(aged 97)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1941–1947 (Army Air Forces)
  • 1947–1975 (Air Force)
RankBrigadier general
Battles/wars
Awards
Spouse(s)
Glennis Dickhouse
​
​
(m.1945; died 1990)​
Victoria Scott D'Angelo
​
​
(m.2003)​
Children4
RelationsSteve Yeager(cousin)
Other work
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Yeager was raised inHamlin, West Virginia.His career began inWorld War IIas aprivatein theUnited States Army,assigned to theArmy Air Forcesin 1941.[a]After serving as an aircraft mechanic, in September 1942, he enteredenlistedpilot training and upon graduation was promoted to the rank offlight officer(the World War II Army Air Force version of the Army'swarrant officer), later achieving most of his aerial victories as aP-51 Mustangfighter piloton theWestern 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). 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 theNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics(NACA). Through the NACA program, he became the first human to officially break thesound barrieron October 14, 1947, when he flew the experimentalBell X-1atMach 1at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m), for which he won both theCollierandMackaytrophies in 1948. He then went on to break several other speed and altitude records in the following years. In 1962, he became the first commandant of theUSAF Aerospace Research Pilot School,which trained and producedastronautsforNASAand the Air Force.

Yeager later commanded fighter squadrons and wings in Germany, as well as in Southeast Asia during theVietnam War.In recognition of his achievements and the outstanding performance ratings of those units, he was promoted tobrigadier generalin 1969 and inducted into theNational Aviation Hall of Famein 1973, retiring on March 1, 1975. His three-war active-duty flying career spanned more than 30 years and took him to many parts of the world, including theKorean Warzone and theSoviet Unionduring the height of theCold War.

Yeager is referred to by many as one of the greatest pilots of all time, and was ranked fifth onFlying'slist of the 51 Heroes of Aviation in 2013. 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.

Early life and education

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Yeager was born February 13, 1923, inMyra, West Virginia,[2]to farming parents Albert Hal Yeager (1896–1963) and Susie Mae Yeager (néeSizemore;1898–1987).[3]When he was five years old, his family moved toHamlin, West Virginia.Yeager had two brothers, Roy and Hal Jr., and two sisters, Doris Ann (accidentally killed at age one by four-year-old Roy playing with a firearm)[4][5][6]and Pansy Lee.

He attended Hamlin High School, where he playedbasketballandfootball,receiving his best grades ingeometryandtyping.He graduated from high school in June 1941.[7]

His first experience with the military was as a teen at theCitizens Military Training CampatFort Benjamin Harrison,Indianapolis,Indiana, during the summers of 1939 and 1940. On February 26, 1945, Yeager married Glennis Dickhouse, and the couple had four children. Glennis Yeager died in 1990, predeceasing her husband by 30 years.[8]

His cousin,Steve Yeager,was aprofessional baseballcatcher.[9][b]

Career

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World War II

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Yeager enlisted as a private in theU.S. Army Air Forces(USAAF) on September 12, 1941, and became an aircraft mechanic atGeorge Air Force Base,Victorville, California.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. Yeager had unusually sharp vision (avisual acuityrated 20/10), which once enabled him to shoot a deer at 600 yd (550 m).[11]

At the time of his flight training acceptance, he was a crew chief on anAT-11.[12]He received hispilot wingsand a promotion toflight officeratLuke Field,Arizona,where he graduated from Class 43C on March 10, 1943. Assigned to the357th Fighter GroupatTonopah, Nevada,he initially trained as a fighter pilot, flyingBell 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.[14]

Yeager inc. 1944was a youngcaptainin theUnited States Army Air Forces.

Stationed in the United Kingdom atRAF Leiston,Yeager flewP-51 Mustangsin combat with the363d Fighter Squadron.He named his aircraftGlamorous Glen[15][16]after his girlfriend, Glennis Faye Dickhouse, who became his wife in February 1945. 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.[17]He escaped to Spain on March 30, 1944, with the help of theMaquis(French Resistance) and returned to England on May 15, 1944. During his stay with theMaquis,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.[18]He was awarded theBronze Starfor helping a navigator, Omar M. "Pat" Patterson, Jr., to cross thePyrenees.[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. He had joined another evader, fellow P-51 pilot 1st Lt Fred Glover,[20]in speaking directly to theSupreme Allied Commander,GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower,on June 12, 1944.[21]"I raised so much hell that General Eisenhower finally let me go back to my squadron" Yeager said. "He cleared me for combat afterD Day,because all the free Frenchmen – Maquis and people like that – had surfaced ".[22]Eisenhower, after gaining permission from the War Department to decide the requests, concurred with Yeager and Glover.[23]In the meantime, Yeager shot down his second enemy aircraft, a GermanJunkers Ju 88bomber, over theEnglish Channel.[23]

P-51D-20NA,Glamorous Glen III,is the aircraft in which Yeager achieved most of his aerial victories.

Yeager demonstrated outstanding flying skills and combat leadership. 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. Two of these victories were scored without firing a single shot: when he flew into firing position against aMesserschmitt Bf 109,the pilot of the aircraft panicked, breaking to port and colliding with his wingman.[24]Yeager said both pilots bailed out. He finished the war with 11.5 official victories, including one of the first air-to-air victories over a jet fighter, a GermanMesserschmitt Me 262that he shot down as it was on final approach for landing.[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 theEighth Air Forceto "strafe anything that moved".[27][28]During the mission briefing, he whispered to MajorDonald H. Bochkay,"If we are going to do things like this, we sure as hell better make sure we are on the winning side".[27][28]Yeager said, "I'm certainly not proud of that particular strafing mission against civilians. But it is there, on the record and in my memory".[29]He also expressed bitterness at his treatment in England during World War II, prompting descriptions of the British as "arrogant" and "nasty" on Twitter.[30]

Yeager was commissioned asecond lieutenantwhile atLeiston,and was promoted tocaptainbefore the end of his tour. He flew his 61st and final mission on January 15, 1945, and returned to the United States in early February 1945. As an evader, he received his choice of assignments and, because his new wife was pregnant, choseWright Fieldto be near his home inWest Virginia.His high number of flight hours and maintenance experience qualified him to become a functional test pilot of repaired aircraft, which brought him under the command of ColonelAlbert Boyd,head of the Aeronautical Systems Flight Test Division.[31]

Post-World War II

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Test pilot – breaking the sound barrier

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Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, in the X-1.

Yeager remained in theU.S. Army Air Forcesafter the war, becoming a test pilot at Muroc Army Air Field (nowEdwards Air Force Base), following graduation fromAir Materiel Command Flight Performance School(Class 46C).[32]AfterBell Aircrafttest pilotChalmers "Slick" GoodlindemandedUS$150,000(equivalent to $2,050,000 in 2023) to break the sound "barrier", the USAAF selected the 24-year-old Yeager to fly the rocket-poweredBell XS-1in aNACAprogram to research high-speed flight.[33][34]Under theNational Security Act of 1947,the USAAF became theUnited States Air Force(USAF) on September 18.

Yeager stands in front of theBell X-1namedGlamorous Glennis.He named all of his assigned aircraft in some variation after his wife.
Yeager is in the Bell X-1 cockpit.

Such was the difficulty, that the answers to many of the inherent challenges were like "Yeager better have paid-up insurance".[35]Two nights before the scheduled flight date, Yeager broke two ribs when he fell from a horse. He was worried that the injury would remove him from the mission and reported that he went to a civilian doctor in nearbyRosamond,who taped his ribs.[36][c]Besides his wife who was riding with him, Yeager told only his friend and fellow project pilotJack Ridleyabout the accident. On the day of the flight, Yeager was in such pain that he could not seal the X-1's hatch by himself. Ridley rigged up a device, using the end of a broom handle as an extra lever, to allow Yeager to seal the hatch.[37]

Yeager broke thesound barrieron October 14, 1947, in level flight while piloting the X-1Glamorous GlennisatMach 1.05at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m)[38][d]over theRogers Dry Lakeof theMojave Desertin California.[42]The success of the mission was not announced to the public for nearly eight months, until June 10, 1948.[43][44]Yeager was awarded theMackay Trophyand theCollier Trophyin 1948 for his mach-transcending flight,[45][46]and theHarmon International Trophyin 1954.[47]The X-1 he flew that day was later put on permanent display at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum.[48]During 1952, he attended theAir Command and Staff College.[49]

Yeager in 1950

Yeager continued to break many speed and altitude records. He was one of the first American pilots to fly aMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15,after its pilot,No Kum-sok,defected toSouth Korea.[50][51]Returning to Muroc, during the latter half of 1953, Yeager was involved with the USAF team that was working on theX-1A,an aircraft designed to surpass Mach 2 in level flight. That year, he flew achase aircraftfor the civilian pilotJackie Cochranas she became the first woman to fly faster than sound.[52]

On November 20, 1953, theU.S. Navyprogram involving theD-558-II Skyrocketand its pilot,Scott Crossfield,became the first team to reach twice the speed of sound. After they were bested, Ridley and Yeager decided to beat rival Crossfield's speed record in a series of test flights that they dubbed "Operation NACA Weep". 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 the50th anniversary of flightin which Crossfield was to be called "the fastest man alive".[52]

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 80,000 ft (24,000 m) due toinertia coupling,a phenomenon largely unknown at the time. With the aircraft simultaneously rolling, pitching, and yawing out of control, Yeager dropped 51,000 ft (16,000 m) in less than a minute before regaining control at around 29,000 ft (8,800 m). He then managed to land without further incident.[52]For this feat, Yeager was awarded theDistinguished Service Medal(DSM) in 1954.[53][e]

Military command

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Yeager was Commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, with a model of theNorth American X-15in 1959.

Yeager was foremost a fighter pilot and held several squadron and wing commands. From 1954 to 1957, he commanded theF-86H Sabre-equipped 417th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (50th Fighter-Bomber Wing) atHahn AB,West Germany,and Toul-Rosieres Air Base,France;and from 1957 to 1960 theF-100D Super Sabre-equipped1st Fighter Day SquadronatGeorge Air Force Base,California, andMorón Air Base,Spain.[54]

He was a full colonel in 1962,[55]after completion of a year's studies and final thesis onSTOLaircraft[56]at theAir War College.He became the first commandant of theUSAF Aerospace Research Pilot School,which producedastronautsforNASAand theUSAF,after its redesignation from the USAF Flight Test Pilot School. He had only a high school education, so he was not eligible to become an astronaut like those he trained. In April 1962, Yeager made his only flight withNeil Armstrong.Their job, flying aT-33,was to evaluate Smith Ranch Dry Lake inNevadafor use as an emergency landing site for theNorth American X-15.In his autobiography, he wrote that he knew the lake bed was unsuitable for landings after recent rains, but Armstrong insisted on flying out anyway. As Armstrong suggested that they do atouch-and-go,Yeager advised against it, telling him "You may touch, but you ain't gonna go!" When Armstrong did touch down, the wheels became stuck in the mud, bringing the plane to a sudden stop and provoking Yeager to fits of laughter. They had to wait for rescue.[6]

Yeager's participation in the test pilot training program forNASAincluded controversial behavior. Yeager reportedly did not believe thatEd Dwight,the first African American pilot admitted into the program, should be a part of it. In the 2019 documentary seriesChasing the Moon,the filmmakers made the claim that Yeager instructed staff and participants at the school that "Washington is trying to cram the nigger down our throats. [President]Kennedyis 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. "[57][58]In his autobiography, Dwight details how Yeager's leadership led to discriminatory treatment throughout his training at Edwards Air Force Base.[59]

Between December 1963 and January 1964, Yeager completed five flights in theNASA M2-F1lifting body.An accident during aDecember 1963 test flightin one of the school'sNF-104sresulted in serious injuries. After climbing to a near-record altitude, the plane's controls became ineffective, and it entered aflat spin.After several turns, and an altitude loss of approximately 95,000 feet, Yeager ejected from the plane. During the ejection, the seat straps released normally, but the seat base slammed into Yeager, with the still-hot rocket motor breaking his helmet's plastic faceplate and causing his emergency oxygen supply to catch fire. The resulting burns to his face required extensive and agonizing medical care. This was Yeager's last attempt at setting test-flying records.[60][61][62][f]

In 1966, Yeager took command of the 405th Tactical Fighter Wing atClark Air Base,thePhilippines,whose squadrons were deployed on rotational temporary duty (TDY) inSouth Vietnamand elsewhere in Southeast Asia. There he flew 127 missions. In February 1968, Yeager was assigned command of the4th Tactical Fighter WingatSeymour Johnson Air Force Base,North Carolina,and led theMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIwing inSouth Koreaduring thePueblocrisis.[63]

Yeager was promoted tobrigadier generaland was assigned in July 1969 as the vice-commander of theSeventeenth Air Force.[64]

From 1971 to 1973, at the behest of AmbassadorJoseph Farland,Yeager was assigned as theAir AttacheinPakistanto advise thePakistan Air Forcewhich was led byAbdur Rahim Khan(the first Pakistani to break the sound barrier).[65][66][67]He arrived in Pakistan at a time when tensions with India were at a high level. One of Yeager's jobs during this time was to assist Pakistani technicians in installingAIM-9 Sidewinderson PAF'sShenyang F-6fighters. He also had a keen interest in interacting with PAF personnel fromvarious Pakistani Squadronsand helping them developcombat tactics.[67]In one instance in 1972, while visiting theNo. 15 Squadron "Cobras"atPeshawar Airbase,the Squadron'sOCWing Commander Najeeb Khanescorted him toK2in a pair ofF-86Fsafter Yeager requested a visit to the second highest mountain on Earth.[68][69]Afterhostilities broke out in 1971,he decided to stay inWest Pakistanand continued overseeing the PAF's operations.[65][67]Yeager recalled "the Pakistanis whipped the Indians' asses in the sky... the Pakistanis scored a three-to-one kill ratio, knocking out 102 Russian-made Indian jets and losing 34 airplanes of their own".[70]During the war, he flew around the western front in ahelicopterdocumenting wreckages ofIndian aircraftof Soviet origin which includedSukhoi Su-7sandMiG-21s.These aircraft were transported to theUnited Statesafter the war for analysis.[65][67][71]Yeager also flew around in hisBeechcraft Queen Air,a small passenger aircraft that was assigned to him by thePentagon,picking up shot-down Indian fighter pilots.[67][72]The Beechcraft was later destroyed during an air raid by the IAF at a Pakistani airbase when Yeager was not present.[73][74]Edward C. Ingraham, a U.S. diplomat who had served as political counselor to Ambassador Farland inIslamabad,recalled this incident in theWashington Monthlyof October 1985: "After Yeager'sBeechcraftwas destroyed during an Indian air raid, he raged to his cowering colleagues that the Indian pilot had been specifically instructed byIndira Gandhito blast his plane. 'It was', he later wrote, 'the Indian way of givingUncle Samthe finger' ".[75]Yeager was incensed over the incident and demanded U.S. retaliation.[65][76]

Post-retirement and in popular culture

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Brigadier General Yeager in 2000

On March 1, 1975, Yeager retired from the Air Force atNorton Air Force Base,California.[63]

Yeager made acameo appearancein the movieThe Right Stuff(1983). He played "Fred", a bartender at"Pancho's Place",which was most appropriate, because he said, "if all the hours were ever totaled, I reckon I spent more time at her place than in a cockpit over those years".[77]Sam Shepardportrayed Yeager in the film, which chronicles in part his famous 1947 record-breaking flight.[78]

Yeager has been referenced several times in the sharedStar Trekuniverse, including having a namesake fictional type of starship, a dangerous starshipformation-maneuver named after him called the "Yeager Loop" (most notably mentioned in theStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode "The First Duty"), and appearing in archival footage within the opening title sequence for the seriesStar Trek: Enterprise(2001–2005). ForEnterprise,executive producerRick Bermansaid that he envisaged the lead character, CaptainJonathan Archer,as being "halfway between Chuck Yeager andHan Solo".[79]

For several years in the 1980s, Yeager was connected toGeneral Motors,publicizingACDelco,the company'sautomotive partsdivision.[80]In 1986, he was invited to drive theChevrolet Corvettepace carfor the70th running of the Indianapolis 500.In1988,Yeager was again invited to drive the pace car, this time at the wheel of anOldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.In 1986, President Reagan appointed Yeager to theRogers Commissionthat investigated the explosion of theSpace ShuttleChallenger.[81]

During this time, Yeager also served as a technical adviser for three Electronic Artsflight simulatorvideo games. The games includeChuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer,Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer 2.0,andChuck Yeager's Air Combat.The game manuals feature quotes and anecdotes from Yeager and were well received by players. Missions feature several of Yeager's accomplishments and let players challenge his records.Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainerwas Electronic Art's top-selling game for 1987.[82]

In 2009, Yeager participated in the documentaryThe Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club,a profile of his friendPancho Barnes.The documentary was screened at film festivals, aired on public television in the United States, and won anEmmy Award.[83]

On October 14, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of his historic flight past Mach 1, he flew a newGlamorous Glennis III,anF-15D Eagle,past Mach 1.[84]The chase plane for the flight was anF-16 Fighting Falconpiloted byBob Hoover,a longtime test, fighter, andaerobaticpilot who had been Yeager's wingman for the first supersonic flight.[85]At the end of his speech to the crowd in 1997, Yeager concluded, "All that I am... I owe to the Air Force".[86]Later that month, he was the recipient of theTony Jannus Awardfor his achievements.[87]

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 aMcDonnell Douglas F-15 Eaglepiloted by Captain David Vincent out ofNellis Air Force Base.[88]

Awards and decorations

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The Special Congressional Silver Medal was awarded to Yeager in 1976.

In 1973, Yeager was inducted into theNational Aviation Hall of Fame,arguably aviation's highest honor. In 1974, Yeager received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[89]In December 1975, theU.S. Congressawarded Yeager a silver medal "equivalent to a noncombatMedal of Honor... 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 ". PresidentGerald Fordpresented the medal to Yeager in a ceremony at theWhite Houseon December 8, 1976.[90][g]

Yeager never attended college and was often modest about his background, but is considered by many, includingFlying Magazine,the California Hall of Fame, the State of West Virginia, National Aviation Hall of Fame, a few U.S. presidents, and the United States Army Air Force, to be one of the greatest pilots of all time.Air & Space/Smithsonianmagazine ranked him the fifth greatest pilot of all time in 2003.[92]Regardless of his lack of higher education, West Virginia'sMarshall Universitynamed its highest academic scholarship theSociety of Yeager Scholarsin his honor. He was the chairman ofExperimental Aircraft Association(EAA)'sYoung Eagle Programfrom 1994 to 2004, and was named the program's chairman emeritus.[93]

In 1966, Yeager was inducted into theInternational Air & Space Hall of Fame.[94]He was inducted into theInternational Space Hall of Famein 1981.[95]He was inducted into theAerospace Walk of Honor1990 inaugural class.[96]

Yeager AirportinCharleston, West Virginia,is named in his honor. TheInterstate 64/Interstate 77bridge over theKanawha Riverin Charleston is named in his honor. He also flew directly under the Kanawha Bridge and West Virginia named it the Chuck E. Yeager Bridge. On October 19, 2006, the state ofWest Virginiaalso honored Yeager with a marker alongCorridor G(part ofU.S. Highway 119) in his homeLincoln County,and also renamed part of it theYeager Highway.[97]

Yeager was an honorary board member of the humanitarian organizationWings of Hope.[98]On August 25, 2009, GovernorArnold SchwarzeneggerandMaria Shriverannounced that Yeager would be one of 13California Hall of Fameinductees inThe California Museum's yearlong exhibit. The induction ceremony was on December 1, 2009, inSacramento, California.Flying Magazineranked 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.[99]

TheCivil Air Patrol,the volunteer auxiliary of theUSAF,awards the Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Award to its senior members as part of its Aerospace Education program.[100]

Badges, patches and tabs
U.S. Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Personal decorations
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal(retirement award in 1975)
Distinguished Service Medal(Army design awarded in 1954)
Silver Starwith bronzeoak leaf cluster(for shooting down five Messerschmitt Bf 109s in one day[101])
Legion of Meritwith bronze oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Crosswith two bronze oak leaf clusters (for a Messerschmitt Me 262 kill[102]and first to break the sound barrier)
Bronze Star Medalwith bronzevalor device(for helping rescue a fellow airman from Occupied France[18])
Purple Heart
Air Medalwith two silver oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Unit awards
Presidential Unit Citationwith bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Campaign and service medals
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalwith silver and one bronzeservice star
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medalwith "Germany" clasp
National Defense Service Medalwith star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medalwith two campaign stars
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbonwith one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Foreign awards
Tongil Medal of theSouth Korean Order of National Security Merit
Chevalier of theFrench Legion of Honour[103]
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Other achievements

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Old emblem of the General Chuck Yeager Cadet Squadron (formerly of theCivil Air Patrol)

Dates of rank

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Insignia Rank Service and Component Date
no insignia at the time Private United States Army

Regular Army
(Army Air Corps)

September 12, 1941[109]

Private first classtocorporal United States Army

Regular Army
(Army Air Forces)

1941 to March 9, 1943[109]
Flight officer United States Army

Army of the United States
(Army Air Forces)

March 10, 1943[109]
Second lieutenant United States Army

Army of the United States
(Army Air Forces)

July 6, 1944[109]
First lieutenant United States Army

Army of the United States
(Army Air Forces)

September 4, 1944[109]
Captain United States Army

Army of the United States
(Army Air Forces)

October 24, 1944[109]
Second lieutenant United States Army

Regular Army
(Army Air Forces)

February 10, 1947
(accepted February 25, 1947, rank from July 6, 1944)[109]
First lieutenant United States Army

Regular Army
(Army Air Forces)

July 6, 1947[109]
Captain United States Air Force July 6, 1951[110]
Major United States Air Force February 15, 1951 (temporary)[110]
July 6, 1958 (permanent)[111]
Lieutenant colonel United States Air Force March 22, 1956 (temporary)[112]
August 1, 1964 (permanent)[113]
Colonel United States Air Force March 14, 1961 (temporary)[114]
September 20, 1967 (permanent)[115]
Brigadier general United States Air Force June 22, 1969

[109][110][112][111][114][113][115]

Aerial victory credits

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Date # Type Location Aircraft flown Unit Assigned
March 4, 1944 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Kassel,Germany P-51 363 FS, 357 FG
September 13, 1944 0.5 Bf 109 Kassel, Germany P-51 363 FS, 357 FG
October 12, 1944 5 Bf 109 Hanover,Germany P-51 363 FS, 357 FG
November 6, 1944 1 Messerschmitt Me 262 Assen, Germany P-51 363 FS, 357 FG
November 27, 1944 4 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Magdeburg,Germany P-51 363 FS, 357 FG

[116]

Personal life

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On October 14, 2012, Yeager co-piloted a newGlamorous Glennis IIIF-15D Eagleto commemorate the 65th anniversary of his historic flight.

Yeager named his plane after his wife, Glennis, as a good-luck charm: "You're my good-luck charm, hon. Any airplane I name after you always brings me home."[117]Yeager and Glennis moved toGrass Valley, California,after his retirement from the Air Force in 1975. The couple prospered as a result of Yeager's best-selling autobiography, speaking engagements, and commercial ventures.[118]Glennis Yeager died ofovarian cancerin 1990. They had four children (Susan, Don, Mickey, and Sharon).[119]Yeager's son Mickey (Michael) died unexpectedly in Oregon, on March 26, 2011.[120]

Yeager appeared in aTexasadvertisement forGeorge H. W. Bush's1988presidential campaign.[121] 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.[122]A bitter dispute arose between Yeager, his children, and D'Angelo. The children contended that she, at least 35 years Yeager's junior, had married him for his fortune. Yeager and D'Angelo both denied the charge. Litigation ensued, in which his children accused D'Angelo of "undue influence" on Yeager, and Yeager accused his children of diverting millions of dollars from his assets.[123]In August 2008, theCalifornia Court of Appealruled for Yeager, finding that his daughter Susan had breached her duty as trustee.[124][125]

Yeager lived in Grass Valley,Northern Californiaand died in the afternoon of December 7, 2020 (National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day), at age 97, in a Los Angeles hospital.[126][127]Following his death, PresidentDonald Trumpissued a statement of condolences stating Yeager "was one of the greatest pilots in history, a proud West Virginian, and an American original who relentlessly pushed the boundaries of human achievement".[128]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Yeager had not been in an airplane prior to January 1942, when his Engineering Officer invited him on a test flight after maintenance of anAT-11.He related that he became very sick on the flight: "After puking all over myself I said, 'Yeager, you made a big mistake'".[1]
  2. ^Chuck Yeager is not related toJeana Yeager,one of the two pilots of theRutan Voyageraircraft, which circled the world without landing or refueling.[10]
  3. ^In some versions of the story, the doctor was a veterinarian; however, local residents have noted that Rosamond was so small that it had neither a medical doctor nor a veterinarian.[36]
  4. ^Yeager was the first confirmed to break the sound barrier, and the first by any measure to do it in level flight. Other pilots who have been suggested as unproven possibilities to have exceeded the sound barrier before Yeager were all flying in a steep dive for the supposed occurrence. There is anecdotal evidence that American pilotGeorge Welchmay have broken the sound barrier two weeks before Yeager, while diving anXP-86 Sabreon October 1, 1947, and again on October 14, just 30 minutes before Yeager's X-1 flight. However, the precision instruments used to carefully document the speed of Yeager's flight were not used during Welch's flights.[39]Even earlier, German pilotLothar Sieberwas estimated to have broken the speed of sound during his fatal test-flight of the rocket-poweredBachem Natteron March 1, 1945, although the speed was not officially measured.[40]In his 1990 bookMe-163,formerMesserschmitt Me 163 Kometpilot Mano Ziegler claims that his friend, test pilotHeini Dittmar,broke the sound barrier and that on July 6, 1944, he reached 1,130 km/h in dive, and that several people on the ground heard the sonic booms. There was also a disputed claim by German pilotHans Guido Mutkethat he was the first person to break the sound barrier, on April 9, 1945, in aMesserschmitt Me 262.[41]
  5. ^Yeager received the DSM in the Army design, since theAir Force Distinguished Service Medalwas not awarded until 1965.
  6. ^The movieThe Right Stuffimplies that Yeager took the NF-104 on a spur-of-the-moment, unauthorized flight. In reality, it was a part of a scheduled series of test flights.
  7. ^This is apparently a unique award, as the law that created it states it is equivalent to a noncombat Medal of Honor. It is referred to as a Special Congressional Silver Medal in the President's Daily Diary, which also has a list of ceremony attendees.[91]

References

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