There have been many stars in the field of aviation, but none shines brighter than that of Chuck Yeager, who at age twenty-four in 1947 was the first man to successfully break the “Sound Barrier” over the Mojave Desert in California.  Yeager was already known as a fighter pilot “Ace” in WW-II, after shooting down eleven German aircraft over the Western Front.

He accomplished the feat flying the Bell X-1, an experimental aircraft whose design closely followed the profile of a fifty caliber machine gun bullet.  With stubby wings and small tail surfaces, the X-1 was hardly a stable aircraft.  There was no autopilot, so Yeager would have to hand fly it up to, and through Mach One, which was the designation given to the speed of sound.  Several pilots had already died attempting to do it prior to Yeager’s success.

While the flight was a major sequence in the 1984 movie “The Right Stuff”, Yeager’s life encompassed much, much more.  He rose to the rank of Major General in the Air Force, and continued flying well past the age when others gave it up for easier, safer pursuits.  His outlook on life was probably summed up in the following quote.

“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up, but you don’t give up.”

Chuck Yeager was a hero to many young aspiring pilots of my generation, myself included.  There will probably never be another quite like him.  So, General Yeager, as you fly west, I hope you are soon reunited with “Glamorous Glennis”.   Your loving wife of forty-five years that is, not the airplane that brought you so much fame.  Well, on second thought, maybe that too.  Flying it once again through clear blue skies would be your earned Valhalla. RIP.