Chuck Yeager (1983 Symposium)

Chuck Yeager made history in 1947 as the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound. But even before he broke the sound barrier, Yeager's exploits had made him a legend among his fellow flyers. Shot down over occupied France during World War II, the wounded flyer successfully evaded capture and crossed the Pyrenees into neutral Spain, before returning to his squadron in England. Returning to the skies, he shot down five German planes in a single day, an extraordinary achievement in aerial warfare. After the war, Yeager broke speed records again and again, testing new planes for the Air Force. In 1947 he broke the sound barrier in the rocket-powered X-1 research plane. He served in both Korea and Vietnam, and helped train the first generation of U.S. astronauts. Along the way, he survived an incredible series of harrowing accidents and rose to the rank of General in the U.S. Air Force. The bestselling book and hit movie The Right Stuff, and his own best-selling autobiography, Yeager, brought him international fame, but his courage and resourcefulness had already assured his place in the history of aviation. In this address to the Academy of Achievement, recorded at the Academy's 1983 gathering in Coronado, California, General Yeager recalls how he joined the Army Air Force straight out of high school in West Virginia. He recalls his experiences as a test pilot, discusses continuing advances in aviation technology, and shares with the Academy's student delegates the sustaining life lessons he learned in air combat.