Chuck Yeager
Biographical Information
Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager was born in Myra, West Virginia, February 13, 1923. He spent his childhood in small West Virginia towns; the largest town was Hamlin, population then around 400. Yeager graduated from Hamlin High School in 1941 and then joined the Army Air Corps. His first military assignment was as an aircraft mechanic before he was accepted into pilot training in September 1942. Yeager graduated as an enlisted flight officer in March 1943 and was assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron, Tonopah, Nevada, flying P-39s. The unit was sent to England in November 1943; Yeager's first combat flights were in a P-51 Mustang. He flew eight missions before being shot down over Occupied France a day after his first enemy kill. Yeager was found by the French Resistance, smuggled into Spain, and eventually rescued by the British Air Force. He returned to action, flying 56 combat missions. October 12, 1944 was the highlight of Yeager's time over Germany - he shot down five German Me 109s in a single mission, a rare feat in the history of air combat.Yeager returned to the United States in February 1945, assigned to Perrin Field, Texas as a basic flying instructor. A few months later, in July, he was assigned as a maintenance officer at the Flight Test Division of Wright Field, Ohio. At Wright, Yeager quickly gained the attention of Col. Albert Boyd, chief of the division, for his remarkable flying skills. He graduated from the Flight Performance School (now the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School) and Wright Field in 1946 and in 1947 received a regular commission as an Air Force Captain. In late summer 1947 he was sent to Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) to test the rocket-powered Bell X-1.
The X-1 was a small plane with four rocket fuel openings in its tail. Other test pilots had already flown the plane at speeds up to eight-tenths of the speed of sound and plans were now underway to attempt to break the "sound barrier." On October 14, 1947, an Air Force B-29 carried the X-1, and Chuck Yeager, into the sky. At 26,000 feet, the B-29 released the smaller plane and Yeager ignited the X-1's first rocket and then the other three rockers at timed intervals. At a height of 40,000 feet, Yeager achieved and passed the speed of sound (reaching a speed of Mach 1.06), the first time a human being had traveled at such a speed and survived. It was not until June of the next year that news of Yeager's historic flight was made to the general public, and to the world at large. Yeager was presented the Mackay Trophy for outstanding military aviation feat of the year by President Harry S. Truman, and later awarded the Collier Trophy as well.
Chuck Yeager continued his career as an Air Force test pilot into the 1950s, including a 1953 test of an Air Force X-1A rocket plane that again made him the "World's Fastest Man." In 1954, he left Edwards Air Force Base to work at the 12th Air Force Headquarters in West Germany, making test flights with nuclear weapons. He returned to the United States in 1957, serving as commander of the 1st Fighter Squadron at George Air Force Base, California. In 1962 he returned to Edwards Air Force Base, with his new rank of Colonel, to become commandant of the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School, responsible for the training of U.S. military astronaut candidates.
After serving time in both Spain and Pakistan, Yeager again answered his country's call to war, flying 127 combat missions during the Vietnam conflict. Yeager retired from the Air Force in 1975 with the rank of Brigadier General, though he continued to serve as a consulting test pilot. At the time of his retirement, after 34 years as a military pilot, Yeager had flown more than 10,000 hours in more than 330 different types and models of aircraft. Yeager made his last flight as a military consultant on October 14, 1997, the fiftieth anniversary of his historic flight in the X-1. He broke the sound barrier again, this time in an F-15 fighter.General Yeager published his autobiography, Yeager, in 1985. The book was a phenomenal success, drawing on the interest in Yeager's exploits that had begun with the 1979 publication of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff and the 1983 release of the motion picture of the same name. He published a second memoir, Press On! Further Adventures in the Good Life, in 1988.
He has received numerous honors, both civilian and military, including being the first and youngest military pilot to be inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame. General Yeager lives in California.
Critical Responses
In the press release for Yeager, Bantam Books wrote, "it is the personal and public story of a man who settled for nothing less than excellence, a one of a kind portrait of a true American hero." Library Journal called the book "the aviation event of the year," and Diana Hirsch of School Library Journal remarked, "He tells his story vividly and pulls no punches in describing the events and the people who made history with them." Yeager tells his stories with enthusiasm, humor, and sincerity, attracting not only readers interested in aviation history, but those interested in the experience of being human, and a part of history.
Works Published
- Yeager: An Autobiography
- Press On! Further Adventures in the Good Life
Selected Bibliography
Bagne, Paul. Interview: Chuck Yeager. Omni, August 1986. 8, 66.
"I don't see myself as a hero," An Interview with Test Pilot Charles Yeager. US News and World Report, January 13, 1986. 100, 65.
Lane, Mel D. Press On! Further Adventures in the Good Life (book review). Library Journal, November 15, 1988. 113(19), 70.
Leerhsen, Charles. Right stuff? Hell, It's Just Luck. Newsweek, July 1, 1985. 106, 56.
Lurie, Theodora. The High-Flying Legend. Macleans, July 29, 1985. 98, 6.
Vizard, Frank. The Last Hero Pilot. Popular Science, January 1998. 252(1), 70.
Yeager: An Autobiography (book review). Library Journal, March 1, 1986. pp.51.
Author Website
Not an official site, but still contains very useful information. The site describes itself as "Chuckyeager.com is solely a fan created site, and has no support, affiliation, recognition, or sponsorship from Brig. Gen. Charles Yeager. Its purpose is to disseminate factual information about Chuck Yeager, the X1 program, and the events and people surrounding his legacy.
This site is intended for anyone wishing to educate themselves and others and to spread knowledge worldwide. It encourages discussion and introspection, and hopefully, ultimately, to inspire others to achieve greatness in their own lives.