Captain Charles Yeager, center, of Hamlin, W.Va., the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, receives the Gold Medal of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale at ceremonies, Sept. 6, 1949, Cleveland, Ohio. Right is William R. Enyart who made the presentation and with Yeager...
Female American pilot Jackie Cochran made history on this day when in 1953 she became the first woman to break the sound barrier. American pilot Jackie Cochran, who became the first woman to break the sound barrier 65 years ago today, owes some of her breakthrough success in the sky...
On October 14, 1947, a test pilot with the right stuff changed the future of aviation forever. The joke was on me. It was just after sunup on the morning of Oct. 14, 1947, and as I walked into the hangar at Muroc Army Air Base in the California high desert,...
X1-A
On December 12, 1953, Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1A 1,650 mph, becoming the first man to fly two and one-half times the speed of sound. At Mach 2.4 at 80,000 feet the aircraft spun out of control, spinning on all 3 axes. G-forces sent Yeager's head into the canopy,...
Clarence Emil Anderson Nickname(s) Bud Anderson Born January 13, 1922 (age 94) Oakland, California Allegiance  United States of America Service/branch United States Air Force United States Army Air Forces Years of service 1942–1972 Rank Colonel Unit 357th Fighter Group Commands held 355th Tactical Fighter Wing Battles/wars World War II Vietnam War Awards Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (5) Bronze Star Air Medal (18) Spouse(s) Eleanor Cosby (1945-2015, her death) Other work Test pilot Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson (born January 13,...

U.S. Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager's signature inside the cockpit of the Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis."  The signature is dated the same day as his record-breaking flight of October 14, 1947 when the Bell X-1 became the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager...
Before Tom Cruise soared into the danger zone with Top Gun, Sam Shepard, who died Thursday, brought a true American pilot hero to the screen in immortal style. Shepard's breakout Oscar-nominated performance as pioneering test pilot Chuck Yeager was the soul of writer/director Philip Kaufman's 1984 classic The Right Stuff. The actor...
  Chuck Yeager Courtesy U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission www.centennialofflight.gov Reproduced by Permission. For many people, Chuck Yeager is a true hero in the strictest definition of the word. Throughout his career, Yeager displayed distinguished courage and performed several extraordinarily brave deeds, although he only considered such acts as following his duty. Many people...
On May 18, 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound and, at the time of her death in 1980, she held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any other male or female pilot in aviation history. Included in...
Anyone Remember the F-20 Tigershark? Chuck Yeager Does! Back in the 1980’s Northrop privately funded the building of the F-20 Tigershark. A variant of the F-5 it was initially designated the F-5G. The Tigershark first flew in 1982 and only three aircraft were ever built. Watch the F-20 Tigershark in...