SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 7, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to fly an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound, has died at the age of 97.
News of Yeager’s passing was announced on the legendary pilot’s Twitter account Monday night by his wife, actress Victoria Scott D’Angelo.
“It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET.” DeAngelo wrote. “An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever.”
Yeager became an American hero after becoming the first pilot to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. He achieved the record-breaking feat while flying an experimental jet aircraft called the Bell X-1.
The jet was named “Glamorous Glennis” after Yeager’s first wife.
The breakthrough flight was considered a key moment in aeronautics, ultimately ushering in the era of America’s space exploration efforts more than a decade later.
Yeager’s role as a pioneering jet pilot was featured in the popular 1983 film, “The Right Stuff,” which chronicled the rise of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.
(Developing)
