“It’s a crystal-clear morning on the desert of western Nevada, and the joy of flying–the sense of speed and exhilaration 20 feet above the deck–makes you so damned happy you want to shout for joy.”
This excerpt from “Yeager” by Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos epitomizes the life of the retired Air Force general, who on Oct. 15, 1947, became the first person to successfully fly an aircraft faster than the speed of sound. The event is considered by many to be the greatest aviation achievement since the Wright brothers’ first flight.
Fifty years to the date, the self-effacing Yeager re-created his history-making flight by flying once again at the speed of sound over the southern California desert. He then announced he was giving up military flying.
Yeager, 74, will live forever in the history books as the first man to break the sound barrier in an airplane. But he also should be remembered as a courageous test pilot and World War II flying ace who dedicated his life in service to his country. He is one American worthy of veneration as a national hero.
