Legendary pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, dead at 97
Chuck Yeager during a press conference at Edwards Air Force Base during the 50th anniversary celebration of his October 14, 1947 Bell X-1 flight, in which he became the first man to break the sound barrier. Yeager again flew at the speed of sound, on
FOX 2 - Chuck Yeager, the historic test pilot portrayed in the movie “The Right Stuff,” is dead at the age of 97, according to a tweet posted on his account late Monday.
"It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET," said the tweet, attributed to his wife, actress Victoria Scott D'Angelo. "An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever."
The legendary pilot and retired brigadier general became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound on Oct. 14, 1947.
The flight in the Bell X-1, which saw him travel to 700 miles per hour, launched the Space Age. But for Yeager, then 24, it was just another job for a young test pilot.
(Original Caption) 8/25/1958- Picture shows Lt. Col. Charles "Chuch" Yeager, first man on earth to fly faster than sound, led members of his first Tactical Fighter Squadron from George AFB, CA, non-stop across the Atlantic last week.
The rocket-propelled orange airplane was called the "Glamorous Glennis" after Yeager's first wife, who passed away in 1990. The aviation feat, meanwhile, was kept secret for months.
He later received widespread recognition because of Tom Wolfe’s book, ″The Right Stuff,″ and the movie based on it, where he was portrayed by actor Sam Shepard.
It told the story of the first astronauts.
"I was the 1st Commandant of ARPS 1st school for training 1st astronauts," Yeager wrote. "I am fully aware of US goals: Presidents Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson & Nixon: US will get to the moon 1st. & we did. 1st step was getting above MACH 1. We did that 1st, too."
Yeager was born on February 13, 1923, in Myra, W.Va. His family moved to Hamlin, a town of 400 people when he was five, according to his website. He graduated in 1941 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps that September.
EDWARDS, CA - CIRCA 1986: General Chuck Yeager poses during a portrait session circa 1986 at Edwards Air Force Base near Edwards, California. Yeager became the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. (Photo by David Ma
In 1987, he returned to his hometown to mark the 40th anniversary of his sound barrier feat.
″Little did I realize when I left this town to join the Army Air Corps in September 1941 ... that I would come back here to see a statue of myself in front of Hamlin High School, where I spent so many wicked days,″ said Yeager.
Yeager entered combat in February 1944 and claimed to have shot down one German aircraft, before being shot down himself, on his eighth combat mission on Mar. 5. He evaded capture and rejoined his unit in England.
Blessed with exceptional vision, he totaled 12.5 aerial victories, "including five Me109s on 12 October and four FW 190s on 27 November," his website added.
“That day was a fighter pilot’s dream. In the midst of a wild sky, I knew that dogfighting was what I was born to do," he said of the battles on Nov. 27.
FOX News contributed to this report.