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Happy 90th Birthday Chuck Yeager
Today is Chuck Yeager's 90th birthday.
As you know, Capt Yeager broke the sound barrier on Oct 14,1947 flying the bell X-1 to Mach 1. Powered by a Reaction Motors, Inc XLR-11 powerplant producing 6,000 lbs of thrust. These motors were designed, produced and tested in Pompton Plains NJ (1943-1946) www.chuckyeager.com www.bobholland.com/me/reaction.htm |
#2
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Happy Birthday, General Yeager !
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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!! Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't ! Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY. ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC ! |
#3
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90? Excellent. Anyone read his book? A prototypical fighter and test pilot. Even though he says "no," and kind of ridicules the the first seven astronauts, I bet he wishes he had caught that boat.
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Retro-grouch |
#4
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However, I think, in the wake of The Right Stuff, that's the kind of story the editors wanted told. So that's what's in the book. And I don't think any of it is fabricated. Neil Armstrong did land a plane on a too-wet lake bed leaving them stranded, for example. When I read the book, I too was sensitized to the criticism, but I think the motivation for telling it that way was more on the part of the editors rather than Yeager. Also, I thought the book did a decent job of complimenting those guys as well. Yeager did show respect for them when he talked of their accomplishments. As far as catching the boat, keep in mind, Yeager was a rock star in the military long before the Mercury 7 came along. And he enjoyed that status again when The Right Stuff came out. So it's not like he didn't get his 15 minutes. Doug .
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YORF member #11 |
#5
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<<< I've only ever met one general, and made a lousy impression on him. We were at Indy, and Chuck Yeager was driving the pace car. This was about 1986, so he was riding the popularity wave of The Right Stuff and his book. The pace car drivers take turns, so Chuck was heading up the elevators to the suites to take a break, and we got on with him, heading to the Valvoline suite. My normal way of being friendly is to (attempt to) say something humorous, but sometimes that comes across as being a smart @$$, which is exactly what I did with the general. The winner of the race gets the new Corvette pace car, but I didn't know that when I said, "Mr Yeager, I'm surprised you don't have 'Glamorous Glennis' painted on the fender of that 'Vette" alluding to the artwork on several of his airplanes including the sound breaking X-1. He replied, quite tersely, that he didn't think the guy who took the car home that night would want his wife's name on it. If there had been some carpet in the elevator, I'd'a crawled under it. It was only later that I found out that generals really don't like to be called 'Mister'. Open wide, insert feet. >>> .
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YORF member #11 |
#6
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Generals definitely do NOT like being addressed as "Mr." same as Doctors do NOT.
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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!! Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't ! Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY. ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC ! |
#7
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Yeager could break the sound barrier easier than looking at ya.
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#8
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Quote:
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511 All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com. NAR #54895 SR |
#9
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In the book, Chuck Yeager himself was quoted as saying (in response to a reporter's question about if he regretted not being selected as an astronaut), "No. Besides, I've been a pilot all my life, and there won't be any flying to do in Project Mercury."
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050 http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511 All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com. NAR #54895 SR |
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