Yeager had met Glennis before leaving the US for Europe. He had been tasked with organising a dance for his fellow flyers in a gym in Oroville, California, and dumped the task in the lap of a “very pretty brunette” he came across sitting in a small office next door to the gym. His chat-up line proved decisive.
“You expect me to whip up a dance and find thirty girls in three hours?” said the exasperated 18-year old girl.
“No, you’ll only need to find 29 because I want to take you.”
The line worked and they were a staunch couple through thick and thin until her death from cancer in 1990.
We’ll never see his like again, sadly…
Great film, ‘The Right Stuff’. I suspect ‘real life’ would be categorised as unbelievable and the stuff of fantasy.
“the 767mph sound barrier”; “After topping out at Mach 1.07 at 45,000ft”. Arts graduates, eh?
“After his historic flight, which ranks alongside the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903”: nitwits, eh?
Most amazing thing was that he was a military pilot who flew in combat and then spent the rest of his career (and life) as a test pilot… And survived to shrug off his mortal coil at the age of 97.!
The bold pilot who disproved the adage. Of course to disprove it the airmanship has to be of a totally other order.
CF Winkle Brown.
One of my flying heroes, alongside Lindbergh, Bader and Gibson.
1,000mph in 1948 in the X1.
Proper tough guy.
Post War/Cold War were “interesting times.” Yeagar was one of its most interesting characters.
@Tractor Gent
I’d further suggest John Farley (also, sadly, now touched the face of God) for your list of old, bold pilots.