Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Go Back   Ye Olde Rocket Forum > The Doctor is In! > Ask the Doctor
User Name
Password
Auctions Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-13-2013, 07:13 AM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,400
Default 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
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-13-2013, 12:56 PM
ghrocketman's Avatar
ghrocketman ghrocketman is offline
President, MAYHEM AGITATORS, Inc.
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Nunya Bizznuss, Michigan
Posts: 13,443
Default

Happy Birthday, General Yeager !
__________________
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 !
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-14-2013, 08:59 AM
foamy's Avatar
foamy foamy is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: The Land of Pleasant Living
Posts: 1,115
Default

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.
__________________
Retro-grouch
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-14-2013, 09:38 AM
Doug Sams's Avatar
Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
Old Far...er...Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plano, TX resident since 1998.
Posts: 3,965
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by foamy
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.
No doubt, there are some candid stories in his book, several of them about astronauts. Picking a nit, I wouldn't call them ridicule - critical maybe - but not ridicule.

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

.
__________________
YORF member #11
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-14-2013, 09:54 AM
Doug Sams's Avatar
Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
Old Far...er...Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plano, TX resident since 1998.
Posts: 3,965
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
Today is Chuck Yeager's 90th birthday.
I met General Yeager back in 86 at the Indy 500. I wrote this little story a few years ago, and thought it worth repeating here. Doug .

<<<

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.

>>>

.
__________________
YORF member #11
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-14-2013, 10:16 AM
ghrocketman's Avatar
ghrocketman ghrocketman is offline
President, MAYHEM AGITATORS, Inc.
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Nunya Bizznuss, Michigan
Posts: 13,443
Default

Generals definitely do NOT like being addressed as "Mr." same as Doctors do NOT.
__________________
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 !
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-14-2013, 10:41 AM
shrox's Avatar
shrox shrox is offline
Master: Dark Art of Model Rocketry
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 929
Default

Yeager could break the sound barrier easier than looking at ya.
__________________
Shrox

Master of the Dark Art of Model Rocketry

www.shrox.com
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-16-2013, 04:38 AM
blackshire's Avatar
blackshire blackshire is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 6,507
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by shrox
Yeager could break the sound barrier easier than looking at ya.
...with just a terrycloth dish towel; snap it just the right way (like a whip), and the rapidly-moving corner will make a little sonic boom "CRACK!" as it briefly exceeds Mach 1.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-16-2013, 04:53 AM
blackshire's Avatar
blackshire blackshire is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 6,507
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Sams
No doubt, there are some candid stories in his book, several of them about astronauts. Picking a nit, I wouldn't call them ridicule - critical maybe - but not ridicule.

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

.
I'm not sure if he regretted not becoming an astronaut. "The Right Stuff" also said that Scott Crossfield (North American Aviation's X-15 contractor pilot) was initially curious about applying to be a Project Mercury astronaut, but lost interest when he learned that going aloft in the capsules wouldn't involve any real piloting (in the airplane sense--it wasn't until Gemini that capsules were flown as very low Lift/Drag ratio aircraft during guided re-entries, as with the Apollo and Soyuz capsules later). Also:

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."
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:06 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe © 1998-2024