We lost America's greatest pilot. The first person to break the sound barrier. Today Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager passed away at the age of 97.
Chuck's wife Victoria posted-
'It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET,' a message posted on Twitter @GenChuckyeager.
'An incredible life well lived, America's greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever.'
- He rose to fame in the Second World War, becoming a fighter pilot and shooting down at least 11 enemy aircraft.
- In 1947 he became the first pilot confirmed to have broken the speed of sound, in level flight.
- He went on to become a test pilot, breaking numerous records for speed and altitude, and then fight in Vietnam.
- Yeager retired in 1975
- On the 65th anniversary of his breaking the speed of sound, he did it again - aged 89, as a passenger in an F-15.
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