Gen. Chuck Yeager, ‘Right Stuff’ Test Pilot Who Broke Sound Barrier, Dead at 97

Gen. Chuck Yeager, ‘Right Stuff’ Test Pilot Who Broke Sound Barrier, Dead at 97
General Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, speaks to a crowd Dec. 16, 2003 during the weeklong First Flight Centennial Celebration that is taking place at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Ellen Ozier ELO/GAC/Files/Reuters
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Chuck Yeager, the steely “Right Stuff” test pilot who took aviation to the doorstep of space by becoming the first person to break the sound barrier more than 70 years ago, died on Monday at the age of 97.
Yeager’s death was announced on his Twitter account by his wife, Victoria.