![]() ![]() Pilots helped by the resistance were barred from flying combat again, out of fear that they would, if shot down and captured, reveal information about the underground network. Photo: Air Force Test Center History Office/courtesy From Spain he returned to England.Ĭhuck Yeager, fighter pilot during World War II, in front of his P-51 Mustang. With the help of the Maquis, he made his way to Spain, making a harrowing passage over the Pyrenees and saving the life of a fellow evader, a B-17 bombardier, for which he later received the Bronze Star. Yeager evaded capture with the help of the French resistance, and during his time with them, helped assemble bombs. ![]() Deployed to Europe in 1943, he was assigned to P-51 Mustangs, and shot down one German fighter before being shot down himself over France on his eighth mission. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he applied to become a “flying sergeant,” and he flew the P-39 Airacobra after winning his wings. Photo: AFA Libraryīorn and raised in West Virginia, Yeager enlisted in the Army in 1941, serving first as an aircraft mechanic. His legend will continue to inspire generations to push and break barriers.”Ĭhuck Yeager in flight school during World War II. Brown called Yeager “a leader whose innovative spirit had global impact in aviation and airpower. 7 at the age of 97.Īir Force Chief of Staff Gen. “Chuck” Yeager, iconic test pilot, World War II ace, head of the Air Force’s test pilot school, and the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight, died Dec. ![]()
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