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The legacy of Brigadier-General Chuck Yeager

The Legacy of Brigadier-General Chuck Yeager

Cadet Technical Sgt. Nazmul M. High
 

Chuck Yeager was the first Pilot in history confirmed to break the sound barrier in Oct 1947, he was known as the fastest man alive. 

He was born in 1923 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 he was only 18, over the course of WW2, he flew 64 missions and shot down 13 German Planes. In March of 1944, on his 8th mission, Yeager was shot down over France and was able to evade capture with the help of the French underground. He returned to the U.S. in 1945.

After the war, he became a flight instructor and test pilot, soon after he was performing in airshows and conducting service trials for new airplanes, according to his website. 

In 1946, Col. Albert body was chief of the Flight Test Division and hand selected Yeager to be a student at the new test pilot school at Wright Field. Col. Boyd chose Yeager to be the first to fly the rocket-powered Bell X-1.

After months of flights with the X-1, Yeager broke the sound barrier with his aircraft, which he named the Glamorous Glennis on October 14, 1947, over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California.

The X-1 reached Mach 1.06 or 700 mph, making Yeager the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound and earning him the title of "Fastest Man Alive."

He continued testing air crafts and pushing the limits and breaking records after he broke the sound barrier. As Colonel in 1962, he became Commandant of the Aerospace Research Pilot school. His position in the Air Force took him to many countries like Philippines and Thailand.

Yeager retired from the Air Force with the rank of Brigadier General in 1975, having flown 10,131.6 hours in some 361 different types and models of military aircraft over the course of his career, according to the website. 

On December 07, 2020, he passed away. His legacy will live on forever.

Credits to CNN and www.chuckyeager.com

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