Chuck Yeager

Brigadier General Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager (born February 13, 1923 Myra, West Virginia) is an American World War II ace and test pilot. Charles Yeager achieved the rank of Brigadier General in the Air Force. He is most famous for being the first person to travel faster than Mach 1, the speed of sound, in level flight.

On October 14, 1947, Yeager broke the sound barrier flying the Bell X-1 at an altitude of 45,000 feet.

The X-1 was an experimental rocket plane, nicknamed the Glamorous Glennis after Yeager's wife. This aircraft is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air And Space Museum[?].

Yeager's career started when he signed up to join the military in 1939. On his first flight, he actually got sick but soon learned to love flying. He served in the military all the way through the Vietnam War. He never did go to college and often was modest about his background but is considered to be one of the most talented pilots that ever served the United States.

Yeager went on to break other records for speed and altitude.

Further Reading

• Chuck Yeager, Leo Janos: Yeager: An Autobiography (Bantam Books, 1986) (ISBN 0-553-256742)
• Chuck Yeager, Charles Leerhsen: Press on! Further Adventures in the Good Life (Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub, 1988) (ISBN 0-553-053337)

External Links

• Official Website (http://www.generalchuckyeager.com)