Chuck Yeager: An Aviation Legend

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 05:38 PM

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Key Takeaways:

A look at the extraordinary life and achievements of General Chuck Yeager.

Yeager flew the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1, becoming the first pilot to break the sound barrier.

Yeager in front of the Bell X-1, which he named Glamorous Glennis after his wife.

Yeager in the cockpit of the Bell X-1 supersonic research aircraft.

For the Bell X-1’s historic supersonic flight, the National Aeronautics Association awarded its 1948 Collier Trophy to the three main participants of the program — Captain Yeager for piloting the flights, Larry Bell for Bell Aircraft and John Stack for the contributions of the NACA.

Yeager’s P-51D-20NA, Glamorous Glen III, is the aircraft in which he achieved most of his aerial victories during World War II.

Chuck Yeager became the first commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1962.

Chuck Yeager in the cockpit of an NF-104. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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