Chuck Yeager dislikes the British
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Chuck Yeager dislikes the British
It would appear the General has a dislike for the British.
From what I've read of him he has a decent knowledge about being arrogant himself.
British people are 'nasty' and ‘arrogant’ says WWII flying ace Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager @GenChuckYeager Oct 4
From what I've read of him he has a decent knowledge about being arrogant himself.
British people are 'nasty' and ‘arrogant’ says WWII flying ace Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager @GenChuckYeager Oct 4
Having met the man himself in Phoenix, and as an expat Brit I can give some weight to this.
Yeager was one of my aviation heroes along with a long list of people like Robin Olds, Pat Pattle, and Werner Voss. A personally signed photo of him crouching in front of a B2 sits in my study with a large framed print of Glamorous Glennis sat on the wall above it. He was due in town to open a large sporting goods store and I felt the need to meet one of my icons - what's that old saying, pray you never meet your heroes - I should have listened.
On shaking his hand, the hand that held the stick of the Bell X1 as it broke the sound barrier, I introduced myself like a giddy schoolgirl. He looked up from his seated spot at a signing table, gave me a quizzical look and asked "that accent, you British?", when I replied in the affirmative he added "boy, we hated you people more than we hated the Germans". At first I thought I misheard him, no one could be that ignorant, right ? Wrong, he was just getting started "real pretty girls though, we sure liked them" (err thanks I'll let my mother know) and then capped it off with "and she ain't too shabby neither" nodding in the general direction of my wife who he clearly took a shine to. With that my 60 seconds of insults were over and I was shuffled away from his magnificence.
Quite honestly he just isn't a very nice person and yes he has a very low opinion of the British.
Yeager was one of my aviation heroes along with a long list of people like Robin Olds, Pat Pattle, and Werner Voss. A personally signed photo of him crouching in front of a B2 sits in my study with a large framed print of Glamorous Glennis sat on the wall above it. He was due in town to open a large sporting goods store and I felt the need to meet one of my icons - what's that old saying, pray you never meet your heroes - I should have listened.
On shaking his hand, the hand that held the stick of the Bell X1 as it broke the sound barrier, I introduced myself like a giddy schoolgirl. He looked up from his seated spot at a signing table, gave me a quizzical look and asked "that accent, you British?", when I replied in the affirmative he added "boy, we hated you people more than we hated the Germans". At first I thought I misheard him, no one could be that ignorant, right ? Wrong, he was just getting started "real pretty girls though, we sure liked them" (err thanks I'll let my mother know) and then capped it off with "and she ain't too shabby neither" nodding in the general direction of my wife who he clearly took a shine to. With that my 60 seconds of insults were over and I was shuffled away from his magnificence.
Quite honestly he just isn't a very nice person and yes he has a very low opinion of the British.
He' s always been a prick, after 'Voyager' circled the world non stop he stated any one could have done that, just like filling your minivan up with gas..
He broke the 'sound barrier' so what ? he's an a**hole.
He broke the 'sound barrier' so what ? he's an a**hole.
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We used to have a funny radio serial over here...
It was called .. "Chuck Chunder and the Space Patrol".
I'm now wondering if he could have been the inspiration for that.
It was called .. "Chuck Chunder and the Space Patrol".
I'm now wondering if he could have been the inspiration for that.
While you are enjoying your righteous anger about Chuck Yeager, which may well be justified, I remember my mother quoting a popular saying that the Americans were "oversexed, overpaid and over here." That doesn't sound too friendly.
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At least the world now knows that George Welch beat Chucky to the sound barrier. He even dived past the mother ship as it was lugging the X1 to height....and left a nice.....BOOM!
Civilian pilot George, in the P86 was first.
Civilian pilot George, in the P86 was first.
Yeager has a history of being spiteful - possibly driven latterly by the fact he had a massive massive chip on his shoulder because he didn't have the educational qualification to apply for the Mercury program, no doubt a reason for his pop at Neil Armstrong in his bio, and the reason why, according to some accounts, he personally tried to intervene to stop Bill Anders from joining the astronaut corps (Chaikin, "A Man on the Moon).
Despite the "Right Stuff" depiction of a daring record attempt gone wrong according to some sources he was having problems flying the standard zoom profiles for the NF-104 and some claim he "screwed the pooch" with regard to that accident, but used his contacts to shift blame.
I don't doubt he had a great pair of hands and was certainly brave but he's never come over to me as being the most pleasant of individuals ( and TBF he didn't need to be in his early days, after all he was a fighter pilot
... but later on he just became plain vindictive).
Despite the "Right Stuff" depiction of a daring record attempt gone wrong according to some sources he was having problems flying the standard zoom profiles for the NF-104 and some claim he "screwed the pooch" with regard to that accident, but used his contacts to shift blame.
I don't doubt he had a great pair of hands and was certainly brave but he's never come over to me as being the most pleasant of individuals ( and TBF he didn't need to be in his early days, after all he was a fighter pilot
... but later on he just became plain vindictive).
Last edited by wiggy; 6th Oct 2016 at 08:37.
Read NF104 | Birth of a Spaceplane to get an accurate view of the overconfident, arrogant and vindictive Yeager...
His incompetence and failure to follow the mission profile led to the destruction of the NF-104A. Following which, his influence with the accident investigators ensured that no verdict of 'pilot error' would be entered.
Scott Crossfield once described him as 'that well known novelist'....
His incompetence and failure to follow the mission profile led to the destruction of the NF-104A. Following which, his influence with the accident investigators ensured that no verdict of 'pilot error' would be entered.
Scott Crossfield once described him as 'that well known novelist'....
While you are enjoying your righteous anger about Chuck Yeager, which may well be justified, I remember my mother quoting a popular saying that the Americans were "oversexed, overpaid and over here." That doesn't sound too friendly.
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Neither Yeager nor Welch would have been the first through the sound barrier had the Americans not STOLEN the all moving tail idea from Miles aviation....As for fighting 'our' war - you did it for your own interests too so don't try that one you muppet.
Neither Yeager nor Welch would have been the first through the sound barrier had the Americans not STOLEN the all moving tail idea from Miles aviation
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...1-again-4.html
No brief for Chuck
but would like to know why Eric Brown had his X-1/M.52 story so screwed up. Bitterness at being robbed of a claim to fame? He certainly more than hints at that mind set in his M.52 book.
oversexed, overpaid and over here. That doesn't sound too friendly.
Yeager is clearly unusual since, as a child, I recollect the USN visitors to my home port were great ambassadors for their country.
When the fleet was in I also recollect a trainload of ladies arriving; or so I overheard my parents saying
I guess ol' Chuck is still sore about the White House. Don't know what the problem is; it scrubbed up very nicely
When the fleet was in I also recollect a trainload of ladies arriving; or so I overheard my parents saying
I guess ol' Chuck is still sore about the White House. Don't know what the problem is; it scrubbed up very nicely
not a pleasant (or indeed competent) individual.
But from what I have read I think the feeling is that as test flying became less of a case of daring dos and going up and trying to "pull the wings off" and much more a case of flying a specific repeatable profile, accurately, often on instruments, often for the benefit of the engineers (who you then need to communicate with in technical language, and Yeager didn't have an academic engineering background) ), he perhaps found his competence in some critical areas lacking ...but he then used his high ranking military and poititical friends ( who he had cultivated in the immediate wake of his X-1 exploits ) to ensure he maintained his mythical/elevated status, sadly and most inexcusably it seems often at the expense of other people.
Last edited by wiggy; 6th Oct 2016 at 09:34.
I understand from those around the time of the last big shin dig, that the ill feeling came from history repeating itself in ww1. Turned up late again, only after some direct action ( pearl harbour and in ww1 shipping losses) and now that they are here everything is won and ignores the price paid by the allies so far and painting everyone in an incompetent light.
Given that background I think some of the animosity is Understandable
Given that background I think some of the animosity is Understandable
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Famous people are often put on pedestals by everyone else (and sometimes even by themselves), but what everyone seems to forget is that these people are in fact regardless of their exploits in life ordinary Humans, with very Human flaws.
Some rocket ace who busted Mach 1 70 years ago thinks we Limeys are nasty and arrogant. Can't really see what the big deal is. The man's got an opinion like everyone else does and I can't say I am offended. In fact he's not far wrong in some cases, we Brits can be arrogant in some ways.
That said, a man's real personality can be seen by the fruit of his actions, and if he wants to make himself known by rants then sadly that is how he will be known and remembered...
Some rocket ace who busted Mach 1 70 years ago thinks we Limeys are nasty and arrogant. Can't really see what the big deal is. The man's got an opinion like everyone else does and I can't say I am offended. In fact he's not far wrong in some cases, we Brits can be arrogant in some ways.
That said, a man's real personality can be seen by the fruit of his actions, and if he wants to make himself known by rants then sadly that is how he will be known and remembered...
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Silly old bugger must be suffering from a bit of age-related dementia. At 93 his brain function and frontal lobe damage from being banged around so much during his life, must be starting to affect his social and communicative skills. But then again, it appears he always was an abrasive personality.