Yeager was born in Myra, West Virginia, on February 13, 1923. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was assigned to the 363rd Fighter Squadron in 1943. He flew 64 combat missions in the P-51 Mustang during World War II, and he shot down 11 enemy aircraft.
After the war, Yeager remained in the Air Force and attended the USAF Test Pilot School. He became a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in 1946, and he quickly made a name for himself as a fearless and skilled pilot. On October 14, 1947, Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 rocket plane. The X-1 reached a speed of Mach 1.06 (761.157 miles per hour) at an altitude of 43,000 feet. Yeager's flight shattered the accepted notion that it was impossible to fly faster than the speed of sound.
Yeager continued to set world speed records in the years that followed. In 1948, he became the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound. In 1953, he became the first person to fly at three times the speed of sound. Yeager also flew more than 10,000 test flights during his career, and he helped to develop many of the aircraft that the Air Force still uses today.
Yeager retired from the Air Force in 1975, but he continued to fly for many years. He died in Los Angeles, California, on December 7, 2020, at the age of 97.
Yeager was a true pioneer of aviation. He broke the sound barrier and set numerous other world speed records. He was also a fearless and skilled test pilot who helped to develop many of the aircraft that the Air Force still uses today. Yeager was a true legend of aviation, and he will be remembered for his contributions for many years to come.
