I had the pleasure to meet Gen. Yeager in 1998, at the 50th anniversary celebration of ERA Aviation in Anchorage, AK. They were customer of my company; and I was there as our representative to present a plaque of recognition for the event. He was a good fishing / hunting buddy of one of the company's senior officers; and had been invited as well. It was Mid-Summer's eve; and an absolutely glorious day.
Gen. Yeager and I were on stage together; and we had a very nice chat for few minutes before the ceremony. He could not have been more congenial. I mean, what do a helicopter pilot and the man who broke the sound barrier talk about?! Well, the speeds are different; but it's still flying. It was a memorable experience for me, to say the least.
I later had the pleasure to meet Bob Hoover at a trade show as well; and that just about made my career complete. What a great life being a pilot turned out to be!