The pioneering US test pilot, the first person to break the sound barrier, has died aged 97.
It is with great sadness that we pay respect today to Chuck Yeager, following confirmation from his wife that he passed away on December 7, 2020.
Yeager became a historic aviation legend after his supersonic flight in the Bell X-1 experimental rocket plane on October 14, 1947. Yeager's plane was dropped from the bomb bay of a B-29 and, despite fears that the aircraft would not survive the pressure of a sonic boom, he succeeded in his objective. Aged just 24 at the time, he reached Mach 1 (767mph to be exact) at 45,000ft. The celebrated accomplishment was not made public knowledge until 1948, after which Chuck Yeager became a sensation in the eyes of all aviation enthusiasts.
