- Born
- Died
- Birth nameCharles Elwood Yeager
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- The first pilot to break the sound barrier, born in Myra, West Virginia. He trained as a fighter pilot, flying over 60 missions in Europe. On March 5, 1944, Yeager was shot down over France, fought with the Maquis, escaped over the Pyrenees carrying a wounded airman. On 14 October 1947, Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket research aircraft past Mach 1, "thus breaking the sound barrier". This was the first step into space. In 1953, in the Bell X-1A, he flew at more then 2.5 times the speed of the sound. He later commanded the USAF. AeroSpace Research Pilot School, and the 4th TAC Fighter Bomber Wing. The subject of the book and film "The Right Stuff", General Yeager did all the flying in the movie The Right Stuff as well as played the bartender.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Lester A Dinerstein <lester1@earthkink.net>
- SpousesVictoria Scott(August 22, 2003 - December 7, 2020) (his death)Glennis Dickhouse(February 26, 1945 - December 22, 1990) (her death, 4 children)
- Glamorous Glennis
- Glamorous Glen III
- Chuck Yeager
- Became an ace (shot down at least five enemy planes) during World War Two.
- General Yeager has written two best-selling books.
- General Yeager still holds many aviation records - time to climb - FAI.
- Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan.
- In 1976 he received a unique Congressional Silver Medal, "equivalent to a noncombat Medal of Honor, for contributing immeasurably to aerospace science by risking his life in piloting the X S - 1 research airplane faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947." (U.S. Public Law 94-179, December 23, 1975).
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