Supersonic Flight 75 Years Ago
BG Charles (Chuck) Yeager, USAF
On 14 October 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first pilot in history to break the sound barrier. Four rocket engines shot his X-1 aircraft, Glamorous Glennis, to more than 700 mph breaking the sound barrier above what now is Edwards Air Force Base.
Security clamped down immediately on the event, and Yeager’s achievement went largely unknown until Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book The Right Stuff was published, and then made into the movie.
I doubt this mattered much to Chuck, as he just went on being the World’s Best Fighter Pilot. Bravo Zulu, General.
Category: Air Force, The Warrior Code, Valor
6 November 1944, Lt. Yeager damaged two Me 262s near Bremen. That same day he scored the 357th Fighter Group’s first victory over the Me 262 by bouncing one as it was about to land.
27 November 1944, Lt. Yeager scored a quadruple kill of four FW 190s near Magdeburg.
12 October 1944, Lt. Yeager, as part of a 54 Mustang escort force, tangled with 22 Me 109s near Steinhuder Lake. This is the mission that made him an ace in a day. His first two victories was because the enemy pilots bailed out. Next two were actual shoot downs. His final and fifth victory arose as he shot an Me 109 that was trying to get on the six of other P51s.
These five victories raised Yeager’s total to 6 1/2 and made him the 357th Fighter Group’s twenty-eight ace.
‘Bout Time!!!!!!!!
😉😎
Been waiting ALLLLLL Day for this to be posted and was gettin ready to POUNCE om the story, but patience has its virtures..
The Right Stuff…HECK YEAH!!
(Book is great…never saw the movie…)
Never Mess With Anyone Name Chuck! (Well, we take that back…you can harass Schumer all you want)…
Barbara Eden and Chuck Yeager? Was Col. Yeager on an episode of “I Dream of Jeannie?”
https://avgeekery.com/air-force-col-chuck-yeager-appeared-on-i-dream-of-jeannie/
Relatively early episode, I want to say 1st season. He also appeared on What’s My Line. I have seen both shows.
A Hero’s Hero. Not that it probably mattered to The Good General, but the Chair Force coulda added a star or 3 during his Illustrious Career. Wonder who did the math required to calculate the extry fuel needed to transport him and the Big Brass Ones he had to that speed.
ARMY Air Corps. Need I say more?
Sorry, Junior. It was the United States Air Force by the time Capt. Yeager broke the sound barrier. Just making an observation, seeing as I was a Zoomie once upon a time.
Signed,
Pappy the “Drunken” Engineer
Chair Force wasn’t even a month old, but, yeah, technically that is correct. Howsomeever, he did his Real Hero Warrior Work as a member of the ARMY Air Corps. Still say, Chair Force shoulda given him another Star or 3. In today’s climate, he’d be lucky to make Light Bird.
gabn/gabaf
Just for you…
We live in fame or go down in flames,
Hey, nothing‘ll stop the Army Air Force!
From 1940 to 1947 the air branch of the US Army went from United States Army Air Corps to the United States Army Air Force and finally in 1947 it became its own separate branch as the United States Air Force.
In the same time they went from the P-38 to the F-80.
Yeager used to say that Bob Hoover was the best pilot he knew! Great stories and great men. Coast Guard guys have their own heroes and legends, too.
“largely unknown” until a movie? Nonsense.
I highly recommend the General’s Autobiography. Great read!
https://www.amazon.com/Yeager-Autobiography-Chuck/dp/0553256742/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P5W6DT5JMJH2&keywords=chuck+yeager+autobiography&qid=1665910635&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjM1IiwicXNhIjoiMS4yOCIsInFzcCI6IjEuMzYifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=Yeager+auto%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1