posted 12-07-2020 09:36 PM               

From his widow, Victoria (via Twitter):

It is with profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9 p.m. EST. An incredible life well lived, America's greatest pilot and a legacy of strength, adventure and patriotism will be remembered forever.

Charles E. (Chuck) Yeager (1923-2020) enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1941 at the age of eighteen. He worked as an aircraft mechanic and pilot before going over the Atlantic to fight in World War II. Upon returning from war, he entered test pilot school and so impressed his superiors that he was selected to fly the X-1 from over 125 senior pilots.

On October 14, 1947, Yeager broke the sound barrier over the town of Victorville, California. Six years later, on another test flight, Yeager pushed his plane, the X-1A, to new heights, but almost lost his life as his plane came within feet of crashing.

During the fifties, he flew several experimental aircraft for the Air Force and investigated various accidents. In 1960, he was appointed director of the Space School at Edwards Air Force Base. He went to Vietnam as a wing commander in 1966 and flew over 120 combat missions.

In 1986, Yeager was appointed to the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger accident.

posted 12-07-2020 09:36 PM               

NASA Administrator Statement on Passing of Gen. Chuck Yeager

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on the passing of Gen. Chuck Yeager:

"Today's passing of Gen. Chuck Yeager is a tremendous loss to our nation. Gen. Yeager's pioneering and innovative spirit advanced America's abilities in the sky and set our nation's dreams soaring into the jet age and the space age. He said, 'You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.'

"Among many firsts in more than 60 years in aviation, Chuck was the first man to fly at the speed of sound, and his achievements rival any of our greatest firsts in space. Not content to rest on his laurels, he went on to break his own record and travel at Mach 2.44. But even before that he was serving his country heroically in World War II. Long after he became a legend in his own time, he continued to serve his country through the military and later in his ongoing work to test new aircraft.

"Chuck's bravery and accomplishments are a testament to the enduring strength that made him a true American original, and NASA's Aeronautics work owes much to his brilliant contributions to aerospace science. As a young naval aviator, I was one of many around the world who looked up to Chuck Yeager and his amazing feats as a test pilot. His path blazed a trail for anyone who wanted to push the limits of human potential, and his achievements will guide us for generations to come."