Chuck Yeager passed away today

[luckyman]

He and Jerry West were the 2 iconic West Virginians when I was growing up.

[TC215]

Watching him land his own P-51D at Oshkosh in his 70s (this was in 2000) convinced me that he was all that.

Godspeed, General.

I don't think he ever owned one. He flew a P-51 a lot that was painted up to look like "Glamorous Glen III", though it owned by someone else. It was destroyed in a crash in 2001, on its way to a 357th FG reunion (Yeager's group).

Yeager definitely had the "right stuff" and was an American hero, but history sometimes forgets that Bob Hoover ("The Pilot's Pilot-- probably the second greatest pilot to ever live) was originally going to do the flight to break the sound barrier. Hoover got busted making a couple inverted passes in a P-80, and the flight went to Yeager. Hoover ended up flying the chase plane and took photographs.

Yeager flew an F-15 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier. No big deal:

[rayrevolver]

RIP Chuck Yeager

I saw him break the sound barrier to open the Edwards Air Show in 1996. It was pretty cool to see him hop out of the F-15.

A friend from Grass Valley, CA said she used to see him as child. Said he lived in "Rough and Ready" California.

[Xrslug]

I remember reading as a kid that he shot down a Messerschmidt 262 while flying a P-51 and being amazed that a prop plane (even a Mustang!) could shoot down a jet fighter. Incredible life.

[Suvorov]

Like many here - he was a boyhood hero of mine and helped shape how I perceive the world.

Memory Eternal.

[TC215]

I remember reading as a kid that he shot down a Messerschmidt 262 while flying a P-51 and being amazed that a prop plane (even a Mustang!) could shoot down a jet fighter. Incredible life.

“The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down.”

Classic.

[Borderland]

Yeager's autobiography is a very good book. I'm going to read it again.

A true patriot and hero. RIP sir.

[LHS]

When I hear the last verse of the Highwayman, I always thought of Yeager. Even more now. That dude was hard as woodpecker lips, and had no fucks left to give.

[Half Moon]

I remember reading as a kid that he shot down a Messerschmidt 262 while flying a P-51 and being amazed that a prop plane (even a Mustang!) could shoot down a jet fighter. Incredible life.

Not to take away from Yeager at all (like for many here, he's one of my heroes) but, if I recall correctly the ME 262 was on landing approach when he shot it down. Which brings in Erich Hartmann's observation (via Jeff Cooper):

Eric Hartmann, the world's foremost air-to-air fighting man, has stated that in his opinion 80% of his victims never knew he was in the same sky with them. When he came in from his first contact with the allied Mustang fighter he was asked if the performance of this renowned airplane was as good as its reputation. His anwer was, "I couldn't say. None of the four I got today was on full-throttle.

So roughly, tactics trump hardware or, maybe, it's the Indian not the arrow...

Back on topic, Yeager's passing diminishes us.

[TC215]

Not to take away from Yeager at all (like for many here, he's one of my heroes) but, if I recall correctly the ME 262 was on landing approach when he shot it down. Which brings in Erich Hartmann's observation (via Jeff Cooper):



So roughly, tactics trump hardware or, maybe, it's the Indian not the arrow...

Back on topic, Yeager's passing diminishes us.

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