Chuck Yeager: America's Supersonic Man 

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I had the privilege to meet Chuck Yeager and Bob Hoover at a fighter squadron reunion in Ohio that my grandfather was apart of when I was a kid. He was a great and classy man with great stories. I will always thank the universe for letting our paths cross. 🇺🇸

I didn’t actually find this out until like 3 years before he died but chuck is my great great grandpa. My moms maiden name is Yeager . Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to meet him because I’m a military kid so I was all over the place all the time, but it’s still pretty cool in my opinion lol

In 1988 while working as a manager at the national air and space Museum in Washington DC, I had the great honor of meeting General Yeager in person. He was there doing an after hours lecture around the time of the release of his book. Earlier that day The Air Force had “loaned“ him an F4 phantom so he could make a flyby during the dedication ceremony of a statue of him in Charleston West Virginia. Upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base, he came to the museum. After the lecture was over the speakers and guests were milling around the floor of the now closed museum. I had the incredible honor of escorting the general through some of the displays including standing under his Glamorous Glennis 1 on 1 and hearing him personally recount his flight including some details I never knew before. This was definitely one of the highlights of my life as a amateur aviation historian. He was truly the definition of “bigger than life“! RIP Chuck

I met Chuck Yeager a few years back when he came to South Africa. I felt like I had actually met a real life superhero that I read about as a kid!

“You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done” Chuck Yeager

Born in 1962 into a technologically minded farming family, General Yeager has always been a personal hero of mine. It was not until his death in 2020 that i learned his final home was only about 20 miles away! He remained active in aviation right up to his passing. A truly great American, he deserves to be remembered! Rest in Peace General Yeager

"The Right Stuff" movie is one of my favorites but it's full of inaccuracies about those events. For instance, Yeager wasn't recruited for the supersonic flight the day before in Pancho's bar. He actually had been recruited by Larry Bell of Bell Aircraft along with other men to develop the X-1 plane and eventually break the sound barrier. Yeager had been in that program for several months and had flown the X-1 a number of times, reporting on its performance each time they flew it.

RIP Chuck Yeager... 😿 As a child I built every (available) model Aircraft he flew/tested. Because of him I joined the Marine Corps after graduating in 1993, sadly, I didn't have "The Right Stuff"...

I'm surprised that no one said anything about Eren Jaeger manipulating his life

My grand father was a mechanic for Yeager and the sr-71 black bird we have a written letter from Yeager telling my grandfather that leaving him in control of mechanic duties was alway a relief cause of how squared away my grand father was. Very cool thing to hold in your hands

Yeager's crash in Spain in his 8th mission (I think), escape by foot over the Pirinees in the winter while being shot by machine guns, and going back to a fighter plane... should / could have been shown in more details. It is quite a story. Also, after the 104 ejection he had to close that oxigen valve while falling through the air... on his back... and his very combustible parachute did not fail. On the ground he had time before the rescuers arrive, and he snapped the parachute lines by hand.... how on earth did those lines held him safely is not explained. I highly recommend his biography -- that guy was a statistical miracle.

All of the planes Yeager flew over the years had to have special seats constructed to accommodate his enormous set of balls.

Wrestling demons from an experimental aircraft whilst having broken ribs. The man was gnarly.

It's outrageous that Yager wasn't selected to be an astronaut simply because he didn't go to college. He was clearly the best for job.

Chuck’s nephew Andrew was my history teacher and football coach freshman year of high school. Loved some of his personal stories.

I asked for this, and Simon delivered! God bless Simon and his big smooth brain.

I love the fact that you could get on practically any commercial flight in the sixties and seventies and when the pilot made the pre-flight announcements it was done with a West Virginia accent because every pilot worth their salt wanted to be Chuck Yeager!

Off we go into the wild blue yonder.

A certain Yeager: "I'll keep moving forward, until my enemies are dead!"

Simon and team; can you give Irish-American pilot Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan some love? It's a great story and never gets told. Thanks for the amazing work and hours of wasted time! Love y'all

What a legend. Its always the farm boys who do the most miraculous things.

In 1991 "learned to fly" with Chuck Yeager in a flight simulator on my Amiga 600 computer. In the introduction the voice of Chuck Yeager said something like: "So you want to learn to fly an airplane? Well, that shouldn't be a problem."

One of Yeager's interesting experiences was when in 1953 a North Korean pilot defected with his Mig-15. Yeager and several others went to Japan to evaluate the plane and Yeager was one of two American test pilots to fly it and report on its handling and capabilities.

Amazing man right up to the end. Great video Simon as always! Keep them coming.

There was a story he told in his autobiography about Jacqueline Cochrane and how he was assigned to travel with her to various Air Force bases for her to fly various aircraft. They arrive at a particular base and the base commander denied the troupe access to the base. Yeager calls then Air Force Chief of Staff General Tommy White. He then hands the phone over to the base commander. The prose reads "I've never seen anyone stand at attention while on the phone". The Colonel then says to Cochrane "You can have anything you want including the base itself." I rolled.

Loved this one. Chuck Yeager was a true American Badass

I met General Yeager many years ago. Many of his critics speak about his arrogance; I never witness General Yeager as anything but a gentleman. He did not suffer fools.

I have a drawing of his fighter “Glamorous Glen III” in my room since I was a little kid. I still look up to him as someone who inspired my interest in aviation.

At first I thought you'd made a mistake when you said the NF-104 (essentially a suped up starfighter) descended 95,000 feet after the accident. Then I looked it up and found it's service ceiling was 120,000 feet. Incredible.

Thank you, Simon, for telling Yeager’s story. He was a hero of mine since I was about 7 and wanted to fly jets. He truly was a great pilot.

This man made history! James May top gear 2008 testing Bugatti Veyron🚗 top speed : I'm hanging my ass over the ragged edge like Chuck Yeager!

1:25 - Chapter 1 - Farm boy to fighter ace 2:40 - Chapter 2 - Faster than any man 5:40 - Mid roll ads 7:00 - Chapter 3 - The gateway to space 10:30 - Chapter 4 - Still flying high 13:40 - Chapter 5 - Coming in for a lading - Chapter 6 -

I can't believe you skipped over the MIG-15 test . The fact that he shotdown 2 jets and when he carried a man Pyrenees mountains

Chuck and my grandfather were great friends later in life. He enjoyed coming to Cimarron, NM where my grandparents lived and I had the pleasure of meeting him back in '16. He was a stoic guy but boy did he have just the best stories about his military life.

I was at Edwards with my Dad in 97 and got to watch him make that flight. One of my favorite memories.

I had the honor of meeting Gen. Yeager when he came to speak to my fellow Cadets and I at Virginia Tech in 2004.

Chuck Yeager is with out doubt a true Aviation hero. Also a war hero. Loved the video. What about doing a video on Eric Brown. He flew 487 different aircraft. And tested a lot of types . He is probably the most accomplished pilot in history. He was a lad from Leith in Edinburgh.died 2016.

I being from the Great State of West Virginia makes me proud because of men like Chuck Yeager. But we also have other famous people from there. Like Don Knotts, Steve Harvey, and others. Great Bio thanks.

He was not the first to brake the sound barrier, he was the first to be recorded braking the sound barrier

Here are some more people you could cover: 1. Robin Olds was another legendary fighter pilot who severed in Europe during World War II. Later he would serve as a commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing and was the architect of Operation Bolo in which the North Vietnamese lost 7 MiG fighters in one day. Aside from this, Olds was known for his rebellious nature and his colorful private life. 2. Ranald S. Mackenzie was a career soldier who fought through most of the Civil War. At the Battle of Petersburg he had two fingers shot off. Later, Indians would give him the nickname "Bad Hand." Finishing the war as a Corps commander in the Army of the Potomac,. Ulysses Grant and William Sherman considered Mackenzie one of the most promising officers to come out of the war. Mackenzie was appointed colonel and given command of the 41st U.S Infantry, one of the legendary "Buffalo Soldiers" units and sent to Texas to fight the Comanche Indians. Mackenzie would fight the tribe in several battles, finally defeating them at the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon in1874. He would go on to fight in one more major battle against the Cheyenne in 1876, but he would begin to show signs of mental illness. While he continued to be promoted, by 1883 his erratic behavior could not be ignored. He was found insane and discharged from the Army in 1884 and died in obscurity just five years later.

Loved that last scene in The Right Stuff, where he actually sees the stars from his plane.

Hey Simon, if you like doing biographies on aviation pioneers, you might consider Pancho Barnes or Jackie Cochrane. Both were aviatrix's (early word for female pilots) on par with Amelia Earhart. Both were contemporaries of Chick Yeager and lead fascinating lives, setting assorted flight records for speed and altitude. Pancho later operated the bar near Edwards AFB that was depicted in The Right Stuff. Cochrane was a bit more flamboyant, marrying a rich man who could finance her flight activities since women couldn't be test pilots back then.

I’ve always loved planes, rockets, and other space related things. I never realized that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier 50 years to the day I was born until I first watched The Right Stuff in 2015. (October 14. 1997)

Not sure what’s more dangerous, breaking the sound barrier for the first time, or flying into or out of Yeager airport on any given Tuesday.

"The first time I saw a jet, I shot it down" Chuck Yeager

I grew up about 30 miles south of Edwards Air Force Base, in the 1980s. Chuck Yeager was a local celebrity. They even was put on the cover of the Antelope Valley Phone Book.

Great video, Biographics is the best. Thank you for the video.

One thing not mentioned during his time in WW2 was his shootdown of the dreaded Messerschmidt 262 in 1945

James dolittle would be a good follow up video. Seems to be nearly forgotten except for the raid on japan

I live and have grown up in the area that chuck was from and my father knew him he was an amazing guy

At Marshall University, there is a elite honors program called Yeager scholars. Only the very best students are selected to go through the program in which they pretty much take honors levels college courses for four years straight. At the end of their senior year, the general would actually interview each candidate to see if they measured up to getting the Yeager seal on their diploma. Having this on your diploma and in your transcripts pretty much meant you could go to any graduate college in the world and possible acceptance to the military academies as a post undergraduate student. I met a girl who was in the program who talked about preparing to meet him because having his sea of approval basically meant that she was assured to get into the Air Force Academy and be a pilot.

Chuck Yeager isn’t a “dude.” Chuck Yeager is THE DUDE. All humans bow before his greatness. I met him once as a potential USAF recruit and, even though I’ve met other famous “celebrities,” General Yeager eclipsed them all. And one of the people I’ve met was a BEATLE.

Good video 👍

"That's a sorry way to land an airplane..." If I had a dollar for every time I saw that screen, I might not have to work ever again.

Raising a glass to this man. Chuck, you are an inspiration!

Good to see you've cut down on the opening 2 minutes of ads that you been doing lately

Great job Simon, but are you ever going to do a video on Colonel John "40 second" Boyd by any chance. Thanks.

His nephew Bob was one of my professors at UWF, made literature very fun

Chuck Yeager drinks red wine from a red wine glass in the Georgia sun.... a boss move!

Hi Simon and Co. how can I donate to this channel? Love your work!

If it proves one thing, it's that you don't need a degree to excel at what you're good at, degrees are just pieces of paper saying you sat around looking at stuff, experience is where you are actually doing the job...

Can't wait to see one on Lee Kwan Yew!

Thanks for doing my suggestion!

Thank you for covering my uncles life.. I wish everyone knew him as I did. The good and bad..

Like my uncle says “He’s the only one that hasn’t failed WV”

He was a great speaker and saw him several times growing up in WV. Last time I saw him was a year before he died when I was stationed at the military clinic that saw him and his wife.

I recently read Chuck Yeager's autobiography, "Yeager." Very fascinating life he lead. He started in the army during the war as a mechanic since his upbringing had given him experience in fixing machines. The Army Air Force was short on pilots and the rule was that you had to be college educated to fly. But to fill the need the army started a program for noncoms to train as pilots based on the recommendation of their commanding officers. Yeager had already been fixing planes and knew all about their operation and was therefore recommended.

I know he’s not crucially impactful to major history but I think a Biographics on skateboarding legend Rodney Mullen would be amazing. His contributions to skateboarding have molded the way the (now Olympic) sport has evolved to a cultural staple. Love your work btw thanks for all ya do!

You should do a video on William S Burroughs. I feel like it would be very interesting

"Hey Ridley, you got any Beeman's?" "I might have me a stick." "Loan me some, will ya? I'll pay you back later." "Fair enough."

I got to meet him at a tea party! His wife was an avid lover of a local historical site that held tea parties, so one afternoon he accompanied her and I got to meet him!

I had the good fortune to have met General Yeager many years ago. He was a great guy and we only had a brief conversation he seemed to be pretty down to earth to me. I thought it was really interesting that he passed away on Pearl Harbor day. FLY NAVY!!!

Just watched the Nimitz video. I highly recommend doing a video on Hyman Rickover and the U.S. Nuclear Navy. Certainly an eccentric visionary.

Whelp time to go watch The Right Stuff again, phenomenal movie all about this era.

I always remember his quote. Nov 6, 1944: First time I saw a jet, I shot it down.

Love your videos especially those of USA presidents. Can you please do a video on Angela Markel I would like to know more about her and what she did since she served as chancellor in Germany for over a decade

Simon Whistler broke the sound barrier in a remote section of the earth long before Chuck Yeager. He kept this a secret. He got a running start for 40 yards, leaped into the air and reached a height just above the stratosphere. At this point he was going Mach 5. Mr. Whistler then extended his arms and slowed to 500 miles an hour. He then decended to ground level where he continued to run 5000 miles, all without breaking a sweat.

Chuck was a bad ass. God bless this icon. RIP!

Yaeger's plane could not fly backward. It could only move forwards, until all his enemies were destroyed.

Anyone else play Chuck Yeager’s Flight Simulator? It’s one of the earliest video games I remember playing on a computer.

How I wonder, did he explain the need for taking a broom handle with him on that flight?

“Hey Ridley! You got any Beemans?”

Not sure if you did this but Philippe Pétain would be a good one from hero to villian

Interesting video

I so "Hoped" when I started watching you would pay C.Y. the Honors HE Deserved! as a kid growing up next to Rockwell Int this Man was a Giant and I have known his story since the age of 10 in 1975! GOOD DARN JOB!!! Man was a Bad Ass!

First time i've heard of him, interesting character and story. So much owed to his testing.

I have the subtitles on an instead of showing Charles Elwood Yeager it shows Charles El Rodriguez when Simon said his full name at the beginning

Can you do a Bio on Vladimir Komarov. He was crashed into the earth in a known faulty Ussr space craft, his back up pilot and best friend was Yuri Gagarian.

An American Hero for sure. Good for him getting some younger tail.

Can you do a biographics about Billy Bishop. He was a WW1 flying ace.

I'm from an area near Edwards (formerly Muroc) AFB and I actually met him as a child. I didn't realize until years later how rude it was to interrupt his dinner to get his autograph lol

I’d like to see states and cities around the world on geographics how they were settled and how they become what they are now

I remember as a kid my house was under a flight plan where they flew fast enough to break the sound barrier. It is loud and startling, I remember at least 3 or 4 times

Very interesting. He died on my birthday, I did not know anything about him before that. Coincidentally (maybe?), the book The Right Stuff was released the year I was born. That same year there was a company called Supersonic electronics was launched, which also sells shirts of his supersonic flight.

When they flew Chuck Yeager's body back to Charleston West Virginia on the vice president's plane Air Force 2, they landed at Yeager airport which is named after Chuck Yeager.

I grew up in Lincoln county WV chucks from right down the hill from me

How about a video about Dolley Madison and Thomas Paine.

Would love to see one on David Attenborough!

That is a great video and I say this month will have to be Women in History: Bessie Smith, Althea Gibson, Ella Fitzgerald , Eartha Kite, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Lucille Ball or Phyllis Diller or other women who made history for Women's History Month