Re: Felix- Chuck Yeager once again shows off his arrogance

[SkydiveJack 1]

The following story from the Las Vegas Review Journal is a perfect example why many people within the aviation community are quietly disgusted with Yeager. It is always about him. About half way down in this article he really shows his ass.

I know where I’d like to stick a pitot tube in him! Read on and you’ll understand.




http://www.lvrj.com/news/yeager-set-to-to-re-enact-historic-flight-174069461.html

Yeager re-enacts historic flight to break sound barrier

Living up to his "right stuff" reputation as the wise-cracking test pilot and daring World War II hero, the legendary Chuck Yeager returned Sunday to Nellis Air Force Base after re-enacting in a blue-gray F-15D Eagle jet what he did 65 years ago in a mustard-colored X-1 rocket plane: break the sound barrier soaring high over California's Mojave Desert.

Upon landing, with his escort pilot Capt. David Vincent taxiing the Eagle under plumes of water shot from two firetrucks, the 89-year-old Yeager climbed down a ladder from the cockpit. He did so to the applause of Nellis airmen, their families, his wife, Victoria, and film crews who documented the 65th anniversary of his most cherished feat as the first human to fly faster than sound.
What was going through his mind when Vincent, 30, throttled the aircraft into a blurry descent from 45,000 feet to 30,000 feet and leveled off with a speed of Mach 1.4, or more than 670 mph, sending a sonic boom across Edwards Flight Test Range?

"Nothing," Yeager deadpanned. "Flying is flying. You just can't add a lot to it."
He said he just gazed out the jet's clear canopy, looking down on the many dry lake beds that he landed on as a test pilot. Like the other times he achieved supersonic flight, the F-15D on Sunday sent a shock wave through the azure sky over the same patch of desert Yeager flew over for decades, at the same time he did it 65 years ago, 10:24 a.m.

Meanwhile, as Yeager was returning to Nellis, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, wearing a pressurized suit, emerged from the capsule of a towering, helium-filled balloon and leaped from a metal platform 128,000 feet over New Mexico near Roswell. In his descent he reached 833.9 mph or Mach 1.24.

Yeager was not impressed.

"Joe Kittinger did that years ago. He's not doing anything new," he said.
Yeager was referring to U.S. Air Force Capt. Joseph W. Kittinger, who, on Aug. 16, 1960, stepped from the gondola of a helium balloon at 102,800 feet and sped to 714 mph, breaking the sound barrier in a four-minute free fall through the stratosphere before his parachute opened.
The speed of sound is about 750 mph at sea level and roughly 660 mph at 30,000 feet altitude.

About an hour after his anniversary flight, Yeager spoke to U.S. Air Force pilots, airmen and their families gathered in a Nellis auditorium. At the end of his presentation, while fielding questions from the audience, Yeager used the occasion to mock Baumgartner's supersonic achievement.
"Hey, what are you proving?" he asked, questioning the accuracy of Baumgartner's reported speed.

"I don't know where you stick a pitot tube in him," he said, referring to an instrument that protrudes from the nose of an aircraft to measure its velocity.
Yeager said he loved flying the Bell X-1 rocket plane that vaulted him into aviation history on Oct. 14, 1947, but it's no comparison to the twin-engine F-15 Eagle, a warplane that is more reliable and economical, he said, than the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, a stealthy air-superiority jet, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter touted as the workhorse warplane of the future.

"If I was going to fight a war, I'd take an F-15 over anything we've got," he said.
He said he chose to fly from Nellis instead of Edwards Air Force Base because the test center at Edwards didn't have a two-seat, F-15 available and he didn't want to fly an F-16 Fighting Falcon.

And this ace, who shot down five German Messerschmitt-109 fighter planes in a single day in October 1944, knows airplanes, having flown 180 different ones during his storied career.

He said by far the slowest one he's flown was a Wright Flyer, like the one Orville and Wilbur Wright flew in their groundbreaking first powered flights at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903.

"It didn't go faster than sound. It just sounded faster than it was flying," Yeager recalled.

His fame soared in 1979, when Chuck Yeager, who was born Charles Elwood Yeager, became a household name with author Tom Wolfe's book, "The Right Stuff." The book, which was later made into a movie, recounted the story of the day the bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocket plane made history when Yeager guided it beyond Mach 1. The plane was strapped to the belly of a B-29 bomber and released at a high altitude before he powered it up for the record-setting feat.
"The most important thing that I did was fly the X-1 through Mach 1," he told reporters gathered on the Nellis ramp Sunday.

"Up until that time we had never been able to get above the speed of sound. We had problems with controls and stuff like that. Finally, on October 14, '47 we succeeded in pushing Mach 1 and it opened up space to us," he said.
Just before he took off Sunday, his wife, Victoria Yeager, shared her excitement and noted the parallel of having Vincent, a young captain, have the honor of being the escort pilot like her husband was in 1947.

"This is so cool," she said. "This captain is as much of a maverick as General Yeager is. He (Yeager) is in the back seat where the instructor pilot sits because he's the elder statesman."

After the flight, Vincent remarked about his role in the re-enactment flight and how Yeager made him feel at ease.

He said Yeager held up "better than I did" during the flight and made the chase plane's pilot, Col. Pete Ford, jealous because of all the stories that Yeager told him in the cockpit.

"He was talking it up like he was back home," said Vincent, who flies with the 65th Aggressor Squadron.

"That was the best flight of my life. It was a dream come true. ... And to be there with one of the world's greatest plots was an absolute honor," he said.
"It was like being there with Christopher Columbus or Orville and Wilbur Wright. He broke the sound barrier, something that everyone was terrified of doing. He had the bravery and skill to be able to do that. It was amazing," Vincent said.

[airtwardo 6]

It is always about him.

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OTOH...the guy is a heartbeat away from 90, many his age are lucky to break the speed of smell much less sound.

He's from an era where ego is what got ya IN the cockpit 1/2 the time as a test pilot.

I've met Yeager several times, yes he's arrogant and self promoting...but he's no less a hero in my eyes, heck I wouldn't want him to be any other way!


As far as his comments regarding Felix...

Yeager is in essence a wuffo making an outside observation, he's not privy to the goals, the planning ~ the warehouse full of huevos it took.

And 'from' his point of view the comment is understandable...after all, name the SECOND guy to break the speed of sound in an X-1 !

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[JohnMitchell 14]

Good sense of balance there, Twardo. Yeager is a true hero. So is Felix. And especially Joe Kittenger. I've met none of them, just know them thru video and their writings. I think Chuck just maybe has trouble sharing the lime light a little.

Too bad, but "humble" and "ace fighter pilot" are often mutually exclusive.

[AggieDave 6]

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Too bad, but "humble" and "ace fighter pilot" are often mutually exclusive.

How do you tell if there is a fighter pilot in the bar?









He'll tell you!


Quite a few of my Aggie buddies ended up flying F-18s and sweet jebus that joke is true!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 6]

Aggies flyin' F-18's...

Okay, what's the punchline?


Oh yeah~


Most pilots head into the wind & break ground, Aggie pilots break wind and head into the ground...

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

Did you hear about the Aggie Flying Club crash last week? An Aggie instructor and his student lost power in their 172 and put the plane down into a cemetery near Texas A&M.

Texas A&M rescue crews have located 58 dead and think there may be more. The two Aggies are recovering at an area hospital.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 6]

Why was D.B. Cooper hiding out on campus with the Aggies?

Everybody knows ~ that's the LAST place you look to find a Skydiver!




Four college students are traveling in an airplane that is low on fuel.
First, the Wolverine yells "this is for Michigan!" and leaps to his death.
Next, the Buckeye gets up, yells "this is for Ohio State!" and jumps to his death.
Finally, the Longhorn steps forward, yells "this is for Texas!",

~and throws the Aggie out.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

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Too bad, but "humble" and "ace fighter pilot" are often mutually exclusive.

Fixed it for ya, john.

Anyway, in the past, I've had chances to meet Joe Kittinger, Chuck Yeager, Paul Tibbits and Thomas Ferebee, but I missed out becasue I was, how best to say it... STUPID!

[NWFlyer 2]

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Too bad, but "humble" and "ace fighter pilot" are often mutually exclusive.

Fixed it for ya, john.

Anyway, in the past, I've had chances to meet Joe Kittinger, Chuck Yeager, Paul Tibbits and Thomas Ferebee, but I missed out becasue I was, how best to say it... STUPID!

I've been getting a bit of mileage from this photo at the office lately.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[airdvr 197]

That's a keeper...autographed and framed I hope.

What is striking now it the low-tech look of Kittinger's equipment. That guy had huge brass ones.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[propblast 0]

Very cool photo

[NWFlyer 2]

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That's a keeper...autographed and framed I hope.

What is striking now it the low-tech look of Kittinger's equipment. That guy had huge brass ones.

We were talking about that at the DZ yesterday as we watched Felix. Not to diminish the size of Felix's, but we all agreed that given the available technology of the day, Joe's were definitely bigger.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[airtwardo 6]

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That's a keeper...autographed and framed I hope.

What is striking now it the low-tech look of Kittinger's equipment. That guy had huge brass ones.

We were talking about that at the DZ yesterday as we watched Felix. Not to diminish the size of Felix's, but we all agreed that given the available technology of the day, Joe's were definitely bigger.

Yeah as far as 'hero' status goes...Joe & Chuck did 'it' with no history of 'it' being done and surviving, and considering the technology of the day it's surprising they aren't pushin' a wheel-barrel around to help carry 'them' brass ones around.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jumpwally 0]

+1 Twardo,,nicely put. He is a hero and from the real deal tuff times, like our parents,,they had him and we got self promoters like Jeb,,,,Chuck and the like any time,,,

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[Croc 0]

In the middle of the cold war the feats of Kittinger and Yeager were not hyped at all. I remember hearing about Yeager breaking the sound barrier in elementary school, and nothing about Kittinger. In this day where every possible deed is hyped to the max, it seems natural that men who risked their lives quietly without fanfare because they saw it as their job to help their country, might be a bit miffed at the publicity Felix is getting. And Yeager is right--Kittinger broke the sound barrier first with some very primative equipment. Will you carry water for Red Bull when they land a man on the moon?

"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

[CSpenceFLY 1]

You probably don't like Jeb either.

[jtval 0]

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Too bad, but "humble" and "ace fighter pilot" are often mutually exclusive.

Fixed it for ya, john.

Anyway, in the past, I've had chances to meet Joe Kittinger, Chuck Yeager, Paul Tibbits and Thomas Ferebee, but I missed out becasue I was, how best to say it... STUPID!

I've been getting a bit of mileage from this photo at the office lately.

Sweet!!!
You met Bob Hope?

My photos

My Videos

[JohnMitchell 14]

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but we all agreed that given the available technology of the day, Joe's were definitely bigger.

Joe damn near bounced on the jump before his record leap. He had a double horseshoe malfunction. Only the foresight of a rigger to put in a breakcord bridle on the reserve pilot chute saved his life. The lightweight bridle finally snapped and the reserve opened.

To go back up and do it again? Mr. Kittinger, my hat is off to you.

[jtval 0]

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but we all agreed that given the available technology of the day, Joe's were definitely bigger.

Joe damn near bounced on the jump before his record leap. He had a double horseshoe malfunction. Only the foresight of a rigger to put in a breakcord bridle on the reserve pilot chute saved his life. The lightweight bridle finally snapped and the reserve opened.

To go back up and do it again? Mr. Kittinger, my hat is off to you.

that and...Joe didn't have 2500 skydives to practice his body position. Nor, did he have the wind tunnel.

I still haven't seen the wheel barrel he has to use to wheel his nuts around in. It must be heavy duty.

My photos

My Videos

[SkydiveJack 1]

The bottom line here is that Yeager publically showed his contempt for someone who has just made a major mark in aviation history.

I’m not trying to diminish anything about Yeager’s great accomplishment of being the first man to go faster than sound or even his service in WWII. He is certainly an American Hero. But clearly he is trying to diminish everything about what Felix just did. Read what he said people!

Twardo, I too have met him on a few occasions. The first time was in the mid 1990’s when I was working for USPA. We were both speaking at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, during the NAA 10 Most Memorable Flights Awards Ceremonies. After the ceremonies, when we were introduced, he commented that I was one of those “stupid people that jump out of airplanes on purpose”. There I was, meeting an aviation legend, as an official representative of USPA and he called me stupid. I call that arrogance.

I have since met and observed him at Oshkosh. I have seen him ignore kids asking for autographs and walk away. I have seen the owner of a P-51 change the paint job of his airplane due to Yeager wanting royalties because the aircraft was painted like his WWII Mustang “Glamorous Glennis”. Other Warbird pilots that I know and respect tell me that Yeager’s head is too big for the cockpit.

If he’s arrogant and self promoting that’s one thing. When he dismisses other great aviation accomplishments that’s BS. Joe Kittenger even fell into the trap 10 years ago when he claimed that he went supersonic and had to retract it. At least Joe had the guts to step up, admit it and work with Felix to help him to become the first skydiver to go Mach 1+.

I have no problem giving respect to those of the past who did incredible things. But I do have a problem with those same people who won’t respect the achievements of the present.

[AggieDave 6]

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What is striking now it the low-tech look of Kittinger's equipment. That guy had huge brass ones.

Everything about The Colonel's jump screams "I'm going to do it because it hasn't been done and I'm going to do it with what I've got, no isn't an answer."

Sort of like the guy who rode the rocket sled (can't remember his name). The doctors and even he believed he would be permanently blinded due to the G-forces detaching his retinas. So he spent over a week walking around his house with a blindfold on to get used to it before the rocket sled test!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 6]

...who has just made a major mark in aviation history.

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Common Jack...a major mark?

Not to take anything away from Felix, he set records, what he did took skill & balls.

But Yeager blazed the path to Space, as did Kittinger...

Their aviation accomplishments are not only not on the same page, they're not even in the same book.

Again all due respect to Red Bull & Felix, but let's be realistic. It was a publicity 'stunt', a marketing venture.

They did what in essence had been done before.

They used basically known equipment and proven procedure.

Yes they 'may have' gained some additional information that may be of some use to the space program but was that their only intention...?

Was / Is this information breaking new ground - uncharted territory type thing?? Remains to be seen at this point.

Did they gather this information by possibly putting a human unnecessarily in harms way...I mean wouldn't a robot in todays technological setting have been able to do the same thing, maybe more?

It was a stunt...pretty fuckin' amazing and ballsy one, but a stunt non the less.

Know how ya tell it's not a 'major mark in aviation history'...Coverage, a wuffo without Discovery channel might only hear about it in a 20 second blurb on network news.


I'm not saying I agree with what Yeager said, just that I understand where he's coming from in some small way.

I too had a 'scratch my head' moment with Chuck Yeager.
He once made a few very nice remarks regarding a certain professional parachute team I'm a part of, during a conversation we were having at 'Acey'.

...I said can I quote you ~ he replied 'NOT without writing me a check'

I come from a point of experience in which I can tip my hat to BOTH Chuck & Felix.

That's the thing about 'Heroes', they're all human and have faults, just like the rest of us...if arrogance & self promotion are Yeager's only ones, Hell I'm good with that.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[RhondaLea 3]

This clip makes it pretty clear that he had no clue what was going on.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000122657&play=1

Arrogance? Perhaps it's the last thing to go. To me, though, it looked more like desperate confabulation in the face of declining cognitive function.

Poor old man.

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[airtwardo 6]

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This clip makes it pretty clear that he had no clue what was going on.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000122657&play=1

Arrogance? Perhaps it's the last thing to go. To me, though, it looked more like desperate confabulation in the face of declining cognitive function.

Poor old man.

We must be seeing significantly different videos...

Who's the best pilot ya ever saw??
~You're lookin at him!!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Halfpastniner 0]

Another fun fact: Chuck Yeager wasn't the first choice for the X-1 Project. Bob Hoover was supposed to have that honor, but got into some trouble doing some top gun style high speed passes! He ended up flying chase plane for Chuck during the record attempts.

Hoover>Yeager

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