Chuck Yeager

Biography

Retired Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager (February 13, 1923 - December 7, 2020) was a former United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager shot down at least 11 enemy aircraft, mostly flying a P-51 Mustang, on the Western Front during WWII. After the war, he went on to become a test pilot during a time of major investment and rapid technological development of aircraft in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Flying the Bell X-1, a small experimental rocket-powered aircraft, Yeager became the first human to officially break the sound barrier (exceeding Mach 1), on October 14, 1947. He continued to test pilot a variety of aircraft and set many subsequent aviation records.

Known For

The Right Stuff

as Fred

Smokey and the Bandit II

as Party Guest

CBS News Sunday Morning

as Self (archive footage)

Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All-Star 50th Anniversary

as Self

Goodyear Television Playhouse

Air & Space Smithsonian: Dreams of Flight - Higher Faster Farther

as Self

The Real Men with 'The Right Stuff'

as Self

Breaking the Sound Barrier

as Self

Spaceflight

This Is Your Life

as Self