The Yeager Thread

[TrainerModel]

Yes, apparently she was the biggest reason TPS doesn't invite him to speak to the students...she demanded appearance fees and wanted the memorabilia he previously donated returned or otherwise they were to rent the items

He also wanted to get paid to have some of his old X-1 stuff displayed at the EDW test museum. The grandson (or some kin) of Doolittle wrote Yager calling him a disgrace etc. Yager dropped it. Douche

[Guest]

Not sure where you heard this, but he spoke to my class...

Cheers,

-Mongoose

Oh, you went to TPS. Congrats. <yawn>

Yeager is a total asshole. He is not a good shit. At all.

I had to deal with him a couple times and it wasn't fun. I have civilian friends who have had to deal with him and he was an asshole to every one of them, too. And they are loaded and were putting on the Ritz for the guy only to be treated like shit. He left them with a seriously negative impression of fighter pilots, test pilots and the USAF. Nice job Chuck.

And his wife can FOAD as far as I'm concerned. I don't blame her for his bahavior because I've seen him act like a tool outside of her presence. She just sucks ass on her own and it amplifies Yeager's douchemanlike conduct whenever she is around.

He's no Robin Olds, that's for damn sure.

[Ram]

He's no Robin Olds, that's for damn sure.

This.

Compare stories about the two and realize exactly why Yeager has the reputation that he does. No matter what you do in an airplane, your job as a fighter pilot is to be a good dude to the bros around you. No amount of aviation accomplishment entitles a man to act like a douche.

[HuggyU2]

... your job as a fighter pilot is to be a good dude to the bros around you.

Actually, I should fix this to say "member of the human race"

Edited August 1, 2011 by Huggyu2

[Hacker]

She just sucks ass on her own and it amplifies Yeager's douchemanlike conduct whenever she is around.

This is quite possibly the best description of this dysfunctional set of human beings that I've ever read.

[bfargin]

It sucks that somebody who we could at least respect (even admire) for his good fortune, good timing, and his drive to make thing happen in his career, has to be a douchebag.

[Spoo]

I don't know what you guys are talking about, I think Jager is awesome.

Sorry, I just wanted to post a pic of that cooler.

[discus]

Just got off the phone with the ex DO of the F-15 flight test squadron at Edwards. Talked a bit about Yeager, here are a couple quotes that I thought were interesting.

-

Yeah, Yeager flew with us in the F-15 squadron. It was interesting whenever he showed up, we instructed our guys to treat him just like one of the line pilots. If you did that, he was just fine. The second you started to treat him like a General or a hero, he became a raging ass hole.

And then this gem:

There is a reason that he flew the F-15 with us. It turns out he could not ever get the hang of landing the F-16, and was not allowed to fly it solo even though he wanted to.

Which is interesting considering his comments about the Viper driver at Oshkosh...

[Mongoose]

Ground ops + 1.5 + ground ops. (yea, it would have been easier to say "2 hr conversation". Copy - debriefed)

Hacker was correct Huggy, but nice threat reaction anyway.

Rainman, sorry you took my comment as bragging, that's not what was intended.

-Mongoose

[Guest]

Relax man, in the early 00's the -16 was given out wholesale as were many fighters.....the viper just more than most. No need to be offended unless you were one of the ones who they could not find the crew aircraft for out of -38's and went to F-16's instead. Lighten up dude, I like the F-16.

WTF are you talking about? You been eatin' them retard sandwiches again?

Rainman, sorry you took my comment as bragging, that's not what was intended.

Just making fun of the golden arm. Part of my obligation.

Now get back to flying the max range chart validation sorties, everyone's counting on you.

And then this gem:

Which is interesting considering his comments about the Viper driver at Oshkosh...

Maybe he could've used this.

[Guest CAVEMAN]

Those of you who bow at the altar of C. Yeager deserve what you rightly get. This policy is a good one to adopt. Never once failed me.

Despite his achievements, he wear his pants just like I do.....

[Spur38]

His wife wears his pants...

[ClearedHot]

His wife wears his pants...

And from the look of it, a jock strap as well.

[HuggyU2]

His wife wears his pants...

Word.

[Bergman]

Now get back to flying the max range chart validation sorties, everyone's counting on you.

Hilarious. And true. Well played, sir.

[Hacker]

Some additional Yeager douchebaggery, just in case some felt that this was an isolated feeling amongst Baseops.net participants:

well...let me tell ya bout it......... i and a friend /business assoc. (we donated a piece of metal art that he made and i airbrushed) went to the "quails unlimit" banquit in abeleen the 9th ...chuck yeager was a guest celeb/quail hunter . we got there early and sure nuff there he was no one around him ...i walked up to him and said excuse me MR YEAGER ?.... he looked sorta strange at me then said WHAT...then i said MR YEAGER ? he then said .SON I AM GENERAL CHUCK YEAGER YOU OUGHT TO KNOW BETTER THAN TO CALL ME MR..... EVIDENTLY YOU WERE NEVER IN THE MILITARY ....i said yes sir i was ..he said THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIFFINATLY KNOWN BETTER THAN TO ADDRESS ME AS MR !...... (BY THIS TIME I WAS WALKING ON MY TONGUE AND LOWER JAW)......i said i was sorry and all i was tryin' to do was show you respect ..i wasn't thinkin' sir... i am sorry...his reply was YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER...! well i wasn't through humiliating myself so i said something else stupid!!!!! My dad was in china when you were ....SON I WAS NEVER IN CHINA ....EXCEPT TO PICK UP A MIG 19 ...THERE WERE NO AMERICANS IN CHINA AT THAT TIME ......i said no sir during ww2 ...darn...SON I WAS NEVER OVER THERE ...I FOUGHT IN EROUPE ...YOU BETTER GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT ! By then i had so much dirt in my mouth along with both feet and legs...heck i was devoring myself at record speed ...i said i'm sorry one more time .......and slinked off......my buddy said guess ya don't want a picture taken with that jerk ! well as he walked past me he bumped /brushed into me like i was some duphaz from hog island mississippi...(aint over yet) don and i walked around lookin at some other stuff being auctioned off ...and here he makes a be-line to me ...he said ...you said your dad was in ww2 ...i said yes sir ...i started to tell him alittle and then he just walked off .....wow.............talk about full of himself .........evil keivel was never that rude to his fans....and he was a real stinker.

https://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=42031

[Day Man]

he sounds smart.

[Spoo]

Hmmm...he's a flaming asshole AND a senile ORF. Brilliant!

Anybody remember when he was pimping the F-5...I mean F-20?

[Gov]

Hmmm...he's a flaming asshole AND a senile ORF. Brilliant!

Anybody remember when he was pimping the F-5...I mean F-20?

Yikes. He derailed any momentum we had with that jet.

Flew with him a couple times. I'll refrain from stories except after a little brown liquor in the 300AS bar.

Gov

[Guest Bill Lumbergh]

Anybody remember the commercials he used to do for AC Delco? One of my college professors was a retired AF O-6 and refused to mention him by name, only as "that g*dd@mmed car battery salesman!"

[amcflyboy]

Hmmm...he's a flaming asshole AND a senile ORF. Brilliant!

Anybody remember when he was pimping the F-5...I mean F-20?

When I was living out near Edwards way back when, that photo was used on the front cover of our local phone book. I remember it well. My dad, being a military aviator himself, took a pen, and drew a Guy Fawkes mustache and beard on him...followed by a swift, "I hate that guy!"

[Guest Mad Russian]

Gentlemen,

I respect your right to have strong opinions and to express them – but I'd like to share with you what I see as facts.

I can't claim personal friendship with Chuck Yeager and can't even say I know him closely; I do not have that privilege. I've never flown with him, either in the same cockpit, or wing-to-wing. But I recently had an opportunity to communicate with him in person in the course of several days, and to witness him chatting informally with dozens of military pilots of all ranks (including a bunch of TPS students and instructors). From what I could observe, Chuck Yeager can sometimes be tough and challenging, but more often I found him charismatic, and sometimes sweet and charming. In his conversations with pilots he was inevitably open and friendly. A man who's known him for a few years mentioned to me that Yeager tends to react negatively when people try to suck up to him or seek his approval. He's also characterized by having strong opinions about things and about people – just like the respected members of this forum (except Chuck Yeager expresses his opinions without relying on the comfortable Internet anonymity).

I also had a chance to communicate with Mrs. Yeager, and I'd like to tell you that it's clear to me that having met and married her is probably the best thing that happened to Chuck Yeager ever since he survived the NF-104 crash. I saw how caring she is of him, and I'm pretty sure that it's largely thanks to her that Chuck Yeager today, at 88, is alive and in good health and still flies military aircraft. It's also very obvious to anyone who ever had a chance to see Chuck Yeager and his wife, that they are in a truly loving relationship and happy together, their age difference notwithstanding. That's what you'd recognize, too, if you took the trouble of objectively looking at the photo published here by one of the previous posters.

Seeing things the way they are, I must say I felt embarrassed reading this thread, and I found it disturbing to see American military aviators (?) gossiping away like a bunch of bored housewives, and trashing the reputation of one of this nation's last living heroes. On the other hand, no one so far has cancelled the First Amendment. I'm only wondering if any of you gentlemen would dare to express your strong negative opinions to the man himself, directly to his face.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Mad Russian

[Disco_Nav963]

I've never met the man, but I've heard similar anecdotes about him for well over 15 years -- since I was a (don't start throwing things) wet behind the ears CAP cadet. I wouldn't call that gossip, I'd call it a reputation. Deserved or not is open to interpretation, but it is a widely known one within this community.

[ThreeHoler]

I think you should say "Chuck Yeager" a few more times in your post...it makes me think of that Barbara Streisand song...

[sky_king]

He's also characterized by having strong opinions about things and about people – just like the respected members of this forum (except Chuck Yeager expresses his opinions without relying on the comfortable Internet anonymity).

And who are you first time poster?