The first man who exceeded the speed of … died

Chuck Yeager, the first man to cross the sound barrier, he died at the age of 93. His wife made the announcement on Twitter. “With deep sorrow I must tell you that the love of my life, General Chuck Yeager, passed away shortly before 9 p.m. ET,” (at 23 on Monday in Argentina), wrote Victoria Yeager in her account. husband on the Social network.

“He had an incredible life, lived well, he was the greatest pilot in the United States and his legacy of strength, adventure and patriotism will be forever remembered,” added the fighter pilot’s widow. became famous on October 14, 1947. for his feat aboard a Bell X-1 which marked the first milestone of the space race.

Yeager was born February 13, 1923, in the town of Myra, West Virginia, and grew up repairing trucks with his father, but then joined the air force in September 1941 as an aircraft mechanic, three months before United United went to war, before starting his pilot career. He set many other records in aviation, but most of his career was spent as a military commander in command of combat squadrons in the 1950s and 1960s.

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine lamented “the enormous loss” and underlined Yeager’s “pioneering and innovative character”. “Chuck’s bravery and achievements are a testament to his enduring strength, which made him a true American.” The work of NASA Aeronautics “owes a lot to its brilliant contribution to aerospace science,” he wrote in a statement.

Yeager’s tests aboard the Bell X-1 in which he broke the sound barrier have earned him the nickname “the fastest man in the world”. This historic October 14, 1947 flew at an altitude of 13,700 meters. Sound travels at about 343.2 meters per second, which is equivalent to 1235.52 kilometers per hour.

Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin, another test pilot for Bell Labs, once described the X-1 as a “bullet with wings”. The aircraft was modeled after a Colt-45 bullet, with short wings and a pointed nose that allowed it to pass through the air more efficiently.

Yeager became a character in the book Good thingsby Tom Wolfe, who recreates the history of the space race by taking the pilot’s flight as a starting point. The non-fiction book was made into a movie in 1983, co-directed by Philip Kaufman. Actor Sam Shepard played Yeager and received an Oscar nomination.