RIP General Yeager

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • bored383
    The Lord Don Whorfin
    • Jul 2020
    • 2271
    • Sandy Eggo

    #1

    RIP General Yeager

    Godspeed

    Yeager's exploits are depicted in the book and movie The Right Stuff.
    Originally posted by Carp
    Bored383 is a ruthless and cutthroat facilitator of cricket fighting.
    Originally posted by Headshotted
    Contrary to popular belief, bored383 can believe it's not butter, with empirical evidence.
    Originally posted by Carp
    Bored383 single-handedly managed the successful upgrade and deployment of new environmental illumination system with 0 cost overruns and 0 safety incidents.
  • Rusty Brass
    Mostly harmless
    • Jul 2020
    • 415
    • Portland, Oregon

    #2
    I feel a bit bad but I didn't realize he was still alive. 97 is a long haul.
    I read his autobiography when I was pretty young, probably wasn't even a teenager yet. Think my grandpa who worked at Lockheed gave it to me. Made a hell of an impression. I still even remember the pilots' rhyme about the T39 trainer. Weird the things that stick.
    God speed, General.

    Comment


    • ford
      ford commented
      Editing a comment
      About a year ago I was at a Houston Texans game and they announced at half time he was in attendance... I had the same thought, Chuck is still alive?!

      There he was on the sideline of the field... The stadium went nuts, biggest cheers of the game and a standing ovation.

      God's speed Chuck.

    • Rusty Brass
      Rusty Brass commented
      Editing a comment
      ...and funny the things you still get wrong. Oh well, I still know it'll tumble and roll and dig a big hole.

    • flyweightnate
      flyweightnate commented
      Editing a comment
      I remember that rhyme too! From reading his book probably 20 years ago...
  • Deus Machina
    Bunker Buster
    • Jul 2020
    • 134
    • Brandon, FL

    #3
    Damn. One of the coolest guys around.
    Met him once at an air show when I was young. Got me to fly a Cessna briefly. He was hanging around the displays and demonstrations and grinning at all the kids enjoying it.

    Comment

    • BretG
      MCB Member
      • Jul 2020
      • 693

      #4
      One quote from him has stuck with me through the years, in referencing air combat, "Remember, it's the man, not the machine"
      Sic transit res publica

      Comment

      • Falcon16
        Legal Eagle
        • Jul 2020
        • 345
        • Welland, Ontario

        #5
        Jeez 2020 is just being a bastard. Still can't believe he's gone. Godspeed General Yeager. May you fly fast with the angels.
        My feedback +38/-0 on old MCB
        My feedback new MCB +1/-0
        Click here to pay me on paypal
        Click here to email me
        My youtube channel
        Click here if you need Mac or iOS help

        "Pump paintball is cheaper than any drug habit I've ever heard of" - ApoC_101 on the old MCB

        Comment

        • Tracker
          Patient Zero
          • Jul 2020
          • 633
          • Vegas

          #6
          i read Yeager's autobiography when i was in jr high or high school i cant remember, it made me want to become a pilot, and was one of the contributing factors to me joining the AF (which was 20 years ago on Saturday)

          in 97 they had a USAF 50th anniversary airshow at nellis, yeager was there in "glamourous glennis III", so was bud anderson in "old crow", we found the hanger they were in and tried to say hi, but they had left already. and that was as close as i ever got to meeting the guy

          my mom wrote him a letter when i was in high school, hoping for some words of encouragement, (i wasnt doing great, i barely graduated) she got back a signed 8x10 that said "keep up the good work". mom was like.. "thanks?"

          anyways, as the world turns, and life passes, i became a crew cheif on 16's, as a result, we tend to have a pretty tight relationship with the pilots, and sometimes you get to crew jets for VIP's

          yeager flew out of edwards every once in awhile, and i know many people that have crewed jets for him, and for the one or two nice stories that exist, there are dozens where they say he was a complete asshole to maintenance and he acted like the was the center of the universe anytime he was out there..

          I was crushed to hear Yeager was one of "those pilots" even though he started out as enlisted.

          i guess im sharing this as a warning where the moral of the story is.. "never meet your heros"

          he accomplished amazing things in his lifetime, and he got to live a lot more of it than most, he got to be a retied general for 45 years.. thats an accomplishment in and of itself.

          remember Yeager for the things he did, and try not to conflate that with your perception of the person he was

          Comment

          • Axel
            AI-Powered Mod Bot
            • Jul 2020
            • 2189
            • MCB Building Sub-Basement Level 2 Genetic Modification Lab

            #7
            Heh. I, too, have heard a couple anecdotes of him not being a very nice person but I guess this isn't the place. We're all equal in the end, eh?
            Originally posted by Phantom1313
            now you can loudly shout “I know things” and nobody can argue with you when you wildly wave your masters degree in front to them
            Dulce et decorum est pro comoedia mori

            Comment

            • flyweightnate
              MCB Member
              • Jul 2020
              • 1854
              • Dallas, TX

              #8
              This is one of the more significant losses of 2020, to me.

              Interesting to hear about his personality - like Neil Armstrong, I suppose. The timid and polite rarely sign up for crazy ideas.
              Feedback
              www.PhrameworkDesigns.com < Nelspot, Sterling, and Phantom parts, plus the occasional big project.

              Comment

              • Tracker
                Patient Zero
                • Jul 2020
                • 633
                • Vegas

                #9
                yeah, i was getting into that discussion with a buddy of mine, sometimes to be a legend, you have to be an asshole

                not saying i condone the behavior, but having served, i can definitely understand the attitude to excel that the environment required as well. and it wasnt always about being the "nice guy"

                there were still the last remnants of the "good ol boys club" from the 80's when i was in, and he was in during the 40's to 75, thats a lot of hierarchy in the boys clubs...
                Last edited by Tracker; 12-08-2020, 04:35 PM.

                Comment

                • gabe
                  Thirst Trappin
                  • Jul 2020
                  • 1070
                  • Alaska

                  #10
                  Originally posted by Tracker
                  yeager flew out of edwards every once in awhile, and i know many people that have crewed jets for him, and for the one or two nice stories that exist, there are dozens where they say he was a complete asshole to maintenance and he acted like the was the center of the universe anytime he was out there..

                  I was crushed to hear Yeager was one of "those pilots" even though he started out as enlisted.

                  i guess im sharing this as a warning where the moral of the story is.. "never meet your heros"

                  he accomplished amazing things in his lifetime, and he got to live a lot more of it than most, he got to be a retied general for 45 years.. thats an accomplishment in and of itself.

                  remember Yeager for the things he did, and try not to conflate that with your perception of the person he was
                  I didn't want to post it anywhere because for all Chuck was he did some great things for aviation. BUT he was definitely a "type A" personality. My brother crewed F-16's in South Carolina and met Chuck when he was doing a demo flight and confirmed that he was very much rude to ground crew and especially to the women working in the ground crew.

                  RIP Yeager, he definitely left an impression on the flying world.

                  Comment

                  • Axel
                    AI-Powered Mod Bot
                    • Jul 2020
                    • 2189
                    • MCB Building Sub-Basement Level 2 Genetic Modification Lab

                    #11
                    He has got some great tweets:

                    Nov 6, 1944: I shot down our group's (357th Fighter Group) 1st Me 262. It was on final. Unsportsmanlike but what the hell
                    Originally posted by Phantom1313
                    now you can loudly shout “I know things” and nobody can argue with you when you wildly wave your masters degree in front to them
                    Dulce et decorum est pro comoedia mori

                    Comment

                    • bored383
                      The Lord Don Whorfin
                      • Jul 2020
                      • 2271
                      • Sandy Eggo

                      #12
                      "tweets"

                      . . .
                      Originally posted by Carp
                      Bored383 is a ruthless and cutthroat facilitator of cricket fighting.
                      Originally posted by Headshotted
                      Contrary to popular belief, bored383 can believe it's not butter, with empirical evidence.
                      Originally posted by Carp
                      Bored383 single-handedly managed the successful upgrade and deployment of new environmental illumination system with 0 cost overruns and 0 safety incidents.

                      Comment


                      • Axel
                        Axel commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Thanks, editor

                      • bored383
                        bored383 commented
                        Editing a comment
                        your welcome!!!!!! *deliberate*
                    Working...