A guy I know just interviewed Chuck Yeager..... some of the answers might surprize you....
Bob, I was really lucky to get an interview with General Chuck Yeager!
He's a very busy man and we weren't able to do an in-person interview, but he was kind enough to answer my questions through e-mail. He asked me to read his book, that way I wouldn't ask something that he already answered. The book "Yeager" was great!
So anyway, here's my e-mail interview with General Chuck Yeager!
Was your mom and dad okay with you flying?
Didn't know at first.
Did you ever take them up? Did they like it?
Took Mom up in a BT-13 - her only comment was when we were taking off- "Do you HAVE to fly over that cemetery (At the end of the runway). Flew Dad a few times in the B-25 to Edwards and back.
Did the P-39 deserve the reputation it got?
WHAT REPUTATION? ITS ALLISON ENGINE SINGLE STAGE BLOWER NOT GOOD AT ALTITUDE BUT IT WAS AN OUTSTANDING TANK BUSTER - EXCELLENT FOR WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR.
If development of the P-39/P-63 continued, do you think it would have been competitive with the P-51?
NO SEE ABOVE.
I want to make a P-39Q model with my dad like the one you flew. What were the numbers on your P-39?
NO IDEA - FLEW DOZENS OF THEM
I know you started out with some airsickness but when did you fall in love with flying? NEVER DID. IT WAS A JOB
Was there something special that happened?
NO. IT WAS MY DUTY.
Was it flying the P-39 that set the hook?
NO.
Could you tell me about your first solo? What kind of plane was it in? Were you scared? Were you anxious?
PT-21 NO. NO.
Your first bail-out was October 23, 1943 when your P-39 exploded. How did it blow up? IMPELLER LET GO AND IT BLEW UP.
In a World War Two dogfight, would your first choice be a P-51 to fly in?
WELL, SURE.
Did you like the P-47?
NO NEVER FLEW IN COMBAT- TOO HEAVY.
How would you compare the other U.S. fighters in a dogfight?
ALL INFERIOR
What happened to Mack McKee after he was shot down and lost an arm?
POW, REPATRIATED, LIVED A NORMAL LIFE AS FAR AS I KNOW
Is it fair to say you fought the "evadee" rule so hard because you loved to dogfight so much? ANSWERED IN THE BOOK. (NO).
How do you feel about Eddie Simpson getting credit for the Ju-88 that you shot down over the North Sea?
IN THE BOOK. NO FEELING - HE GOT SHOT DOWN AND DIED SO WASTED IT.
The last week of November 1944, you became a double ace by shooting down 4 planes. Then you play dogfight with Bud Anderson! You don't say too much in your book about that day except for "dogfighting" with Andy and him leading you guys over the Frisian Islands. Can you tell me about those four victories?
IN THE BOOK. WE DID NOT EVER "PLAY" DOGFIGHT.
Bud Anderson liked tracers and having his guns converge - did
you? Or did you like them to make a box?
NO CHOICE SO FINE.
How did you like being with the Maquis and being a saboteur?
IT WAS NECESSARY. IT WAS MY DUTY.
That was very brave of you to save Pat after his leg was shot off. Did you ever see him again? What happened to him after the war?
NO. NO IDEA.
Is it fair to say that you enjoy most flying an airplane to its ragged edge of the envelope? NO.
When was the first time you encountered "compressibility"? Did you ever get it in a dive in a Mustang?
YES. .82 MACH
What other captured planes did you fly besides the Me-262 and the MIG-15?
ALL OF THEM
Any you particularly liked?
NO.
In the book Chuck Yeager: The Man Who Broke The Sound Barrier , They said you were employed by the Northrop Corporation and you got to fly the F-20 Tigershark. How did it go? EXCELLENT AIRCRAFT. AIR FORCE NEVER BOUGHT IT.
Early G-Suits - they didn't inflate? THEY DID. Were they tight like that all the time?
NO.
Did they give you a big edge against the Germans?
OF COURSE.
Did the Germans have G-suits?
NO
In your X-1's first powered flight you deviated from your flight and had some fun! Was the X-1 a kick in the pants to fly?
NO. AIRPLANE IS GOOD OR IT ISN'T.
On your 9th powered flight in the X-1 you broke the sound barrier but didn't know it at the time.
I KNEW.
The plane just suddenly flew smoothly. Did you fell a bit of a let down after all the build up about breaking the sound barrier?
NO.
Scott Crossfield and Neil Armstrong wouldn't take your advice. Scotty ran a Super Saber through a wall and Neil got stuck in the mud. Why would a military pilot want to know everything about a plane but these guys didn't?
ALL NASA WEENIES.
10,000 hours of stick time in logbooks - How big a pile of log books is that?
THE AIR FORCE HAS MOST OF THE FLIGHT LOGS
When your Beechcraft was destroyed in Bangladesh, did you ever get paid for it?
AIR FORCE OWNED IT
Did you ever fly the Sr-71 Blackbird?
YES. LAST FLIGHT WAS 1983
If you had the chance, would you go for a shuttle flight into space?
NOT PARTICULARLY, BUT IF I COULD FLY THE SHUTTLE AND LAND IT I MIGHT CONSIDER IT. IT'S ALL A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY RIGHT NOW.
Have you ever wished you'd been an astronaut?
NO.
At night, when I dream of flying, I dream I'm in a P-51 chasing Germans. Do you have flying dreams? What kinds of planes are you flying in your dreams?
NO. NO. IT WAS MY JOB
So that was was my interview with General Chuck Yeager! Thanks again to General Yeager for doing the interview with me.
Chuck Yeager Interview....
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Roostius_Maximus
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wow, awesome opportunity. Thanks for the posting
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AlisoBob
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I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit.
If you want to grow old as a pilot, you've got to know when to push it, and when to back off.
Later, I realized that the mission had to end in a let-down because the real barrier wasn't in the sky but in our knowledge and experience of supersonic flight.
Never wait for trouble.
Rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own.
There's no such thing as a natural-born pilot.
You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can't, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don't give up.
You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.
Unfortunately, many people do not consider fun an important item on their daily agenda. For me, that was always high priority in whatever I was doing
The secret to my success was that somehow I always managed to live to fly another day.
Chuck Yeager
If you want to grow old as a pilot, you've got to know when to push it, and when to back off.
Later, I realized that the mission had to end in a let-down because the real barrier wasn't in the sky but in our knowledge and experience of supersonic flight.
Never wait for trouble.
Rules are made for people who aren't willing to make up their own.
There's no such thing as a natural-born pilot.
You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can't, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don't give up.
You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.
Unfortunately, many people do not consider fun an important item on their daily agenda. For me, that was always high priority in whatever I was doing
The secret to my success was that somehow I always managed to live to fly another day.
Chuck Yeager
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I work at Edwards Air Force base Ca, lot of the old timers say he was a Ass Hole thought he was Gods Gift and better everyone else and you should kiss his ass when he was present.
I Ex Navy my self The way Sailors think he can kiss my ass No one better than the next guy or girl we treat you with repect and honnor I want the same back.
Yes He did a lot in his lfe time that took balls of steel I will admite this but he just a Man.
And Boy George is Still a Fag.
I Ex Navy my self The way Sailors think he can kiss my ass No one better than the next guy or girl we treat you with repect and honnor I want the same back.
Yes He did a lot in his lfe time that took balls of steel I will admite this but he just a Man.
And Boy George is Still a Fag.
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AlisoBob
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Lets see....... Brigidier General, later promoted to Major General.... plus all this....honda02 wrote:... lot of the old timers say he was a Ass Hole thought he was Gods Gift and better everyone else and you should kiss his ass when he was present.
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Silver Star, for shooting down five Bf 109s in one day
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross, for an Me 262 kill,[19] with two oak leaf clusters, including first to break the sound barrier
Valor device
Bronze Star , for helping rescue a fellow airman from Occupied France, with “V” device
Purple Heart
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Silver service star
Bronze service star
Bronze service star
Bronze service star
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (8 battle stars)
World War II Victory Medal
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Yea...... you should kiss his ass.
Not me I will respect him as long as he respect you back and no one has the right to look down on you ever.
You should not have to kiss his ass just respect each other for who the are and what they have done.
No I never flew in space but I have served my country been to war been shot at by missles and gun fire seen freinds and other die protecting our country at have my share of ribbons and metals also not a purple heart been to 13 coutries been around the world twice done lot of things others have dreamed of doing.
But this is the way life has tooken me too not making me better or worse than you or the next Guy or Girl.
Yes respect the man only if he respects you back it a two way street respect and honnor go's a long way.
You should not have to kiss his ass just respect each other for who the are and what they have done.
No I never flew in space but I have served my country been to war been shot at by missles and gun fire seen freinds and other die protecting our country at have my share of ribbons and metals also not a purple heart been to 13 coutries been around the world twice done lot of things others have dreamed of doing.
But this is the way life has tooken me too not making me better or worse than you or the next Guy or Girl.
Yes respect the man only if he respects you back it a two way street respect and honnor go's a long way.