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9 Incredible Achievements Of The 91-Year-Old Retired Air Force General Who Broke The Sound Barrier

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yeager

There has never been anyone quite like retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Chuck Yeager.

Yeager, 91, has led a life full of unbelievable heroics and achievements epic enough to warrant having a book, "The Right Stuff," and a movie made about him.

Here are 9 of the amazing things Yeager has done so for in life.

When fighting in World War Two, Yeager became the first in his flight group to make "ace in a day"— he shot down five enemies in a single mission. P51 1_300

Yeager also scored one of the first air-to-air victories of the war against a German Messerschmitt ME262 jet fighter.

Messerschmitt Me 262A

On October 14, 1947, Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier by flying an X-1 at Mach 1.07. At the time, he had two broken ribs which he sustained from falling off a horse two days before the flight.

Chuck Yeager X 1

After an enemy pilot defected to South Korea, Yeager tested his MiG-15 becoming one of the first American pilots to fly that craft.

MiG 15

Yeager became the first commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School. Simultaneously, he also set a record for completing five flights in the NASA M2-F1 lifting body.

NASA_M2 F1

On June 22, 1969 Yeager was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and became the vice-commander of the Seventeenth Air Force.

Chuck Yeager

In 1986 Yeager drove the Chevrolet Corvette pace car for the 70th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 at the age of 63.

Indy 500

On October 14, 2012, the 65 anniversary of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager broke it again at the age of 89.

Yeager Sound Barrier

To celebrate his 90th birthday, Yeager went skydiving in 2013.

Yeager

SEE ALSO: 24-Year-Old Who Covered A Grenade To Save His Friend Will Reportedly Receive The Medal Of Honor

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