Age 89 and the good general goes up to celebrate his aviation first by doin’ it again.
Retired United States Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager poses for photographers after returning from his 65th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier flight aboard a 65th Aggressor Squadron F-15D Eagle piloted by Capt. David Vincent, 65th AGRS, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 14, 2012. Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier Oct. 14, 1947, over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lawrence Crespo)
Col. Peter Ford, Adversary Tactics Group commander; retired United States Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager; and Capt. David Vincent, 65th Aggressor Squadron pilot, talk after Yeager’s 65th anniversary commemoration flight landed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 14, 2012. Yeager flew in a 65th AGRS F-15D Eagle to mark his historic flight in the Bell X-1 rocket research plane. (U.S.Air Force photo by Lawrence Crespo)
Breaking it Again at 89: Retired Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, the first man to officially break the sound barrier in level flight, on Oct. 14 recreated the moment exactly 65 years later to the minute—this time in an F-15 fighter. It was on Oct. 14, 1947, when then 24-year-old Yeager piloted the rocket-propelled Bell X-1 through the sound barrier over the Mojave Desert, achieving the feat at 10:24 a.m. Fast forward 65 years and Yeager again surpassed the speed of sound while flying at 45,000 feet in altitude above the southern California desert in the back seat of an F-15D that took off from Nellis AFB, Nev. “It was a smooth flight today,” said Yeager of the anniversary flight. “I’m very familiar with the area and got a good view,” he added. Capt. David Vincent, a 65th Aggressor Squadron pilot at Nellis, took Yeager up in the F-15. (Nellis report by SrA. Jack Sanders)
There are 24 hi-res photos of the event at the Nellis report link, including the two you see above. If I live to be 89 I hope to Hell I look as good then as Gen. Yeager does today.
(Slightly edited from a post at EIP)
The Lexicans 
I think until 10 years ago – or so – Yeager was flying his own F15s at Edwards occasionally – it was also cool on the background of that day – having a broken rib – not wanting to tell anyone knowing the flight would be scrubbed – using a broomstick so he could lock the canopy and avoid the pain – defines “the right stuff
Old Dog’s got speed! A 20th Century hero, and still out there. What an inspiration.
Hogday – from Yeager’s experience – difficulty to control approaching mach – the British made a critical contribution – still in use today by every supersonic plane (AFAIK)- the stabilator – instead of a horizontal stabilizer and elevators at the trailing side, the entire horizontal stabilizer moves.
Chuck Yeager is the man. Hands down.
+ 6.022 x 10²³
Yeah… but can he do it without a plane?
j/k
Yeager was one of my Childhood heroes.
Still is.
This may be of interest:
http://www.retronaut.co/2012/01/u-s-air-force-personalised-bomber-jackets-1939-1945/
Wow! If that ain’t blog-fodder I don’t know what is… Thanks, Salty.
NaCly,
Need I say that in today’s PC Air Force ALL of those jackets (save two) would be declared STRICTLY verboten. Remember when the 2nd AF CO tried to inject some esprit d’corps into the Bongo drivers about a decade ago by allowing nose-art on the Bongos and the Wing “femmes” bitched and cried “sexist pigs” and THAT project was IMMEDIATELY aborted ignominiously? Ain’t “progress” wonderful?
And Yeager? Hell he was too un-PC even for his time,. The odds that he would have gotten the X-1A ride in today’s PC AF are LESS than zero..
Thanks for the info VX! Looks like fighting the Luftwaffe and the Imperial Forces of Japan was easier than being non-PC in todays AF. Good to see you posting.
PS: Should have noted that the old HQ 2ndAF at Barksdale in Shreveport is now HQ 9thAF..