Chuck Yeager Quotes

Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager was born in Myra, West Virginia. He is a retired brigadier general in the United States Air Force and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot confirmed to have traveled faster than sound. Yeager's career began in World War II as a private in the United States Army Air Forces. After serving as an aircraft mechanic, in September 1942 he entered enlisted pilot training and upon graduation was promoted to the rank of flight officer and became a P-51 fighter pilot. In the 1980s, he was prominently featured in Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff and in its 1983 film adaptation, in which he has a cameo role as bartender Fred.