A true American. He lived one hell of a life for a kid from West Virginia. And a long life. We should all aspire to such a rich and meaningful existence on this earth. I am saddened but also inspired by his example.
With guys like this, I can't help thinking of that quote, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.” ― George S. Patton Jr.

Think he's finally got him his own pack of Beeman's?

REST IN PEACE General Yeager. Truly an American Hero. On a similar note , these men who were test pilots and Astronauts were courageous beyond comprehension!

Yeager lived-out his retirement in Penn Valley, just outside of Grass Valley here in Northern California. He would attend various Veterans Day parades, would hang-out at Nevada County airport, where You Tuber Blancolirio is also a nearby resident. As he got up there in age, he was resilient despite age robbing him of the swagger and broad-shouldered hero image that many recognized him for. RIP Chuck.

Cleared for unrestricted take-off. Blue skies sir.

Chuck Yeager was a childhood hero, so this is a fuckin' bummer for me. 97 ain't bad, but still, a bummer.

I always thought that every generation should have at least one man man like Mr. Yeager .

Yeager was a great pilot, the premier test pilot and had a great later career. One helluva man, he was a true legend!

And he said Bob Hoover was the better pilot..........

RIP Sir.

Sad News
He was one of my Childhood Heroes.
I grew up in Lincoln County WV and heard stories about him from a young age. I went to vocational school at the Charles E. Yeager Career Center, Flew out of Yeager Field to go to boot camp, read his books, I even had a short conversation with him on twitter once. Somewhere I have a photo of him with my Dad.
RIP General.

Rest In Peace General Yeager. Glad to see you make the Grim Reaper conform to your schedule.

A freaking legend. RIP.

I suppose, in one sense, it's fitting...or perhaps at least poetic justice, that he made his final departure on Pearl Harbor day.

I briefly met him after a talk he gave at the National Air and Space museum, when he was signing copies of his book and shaking hands. Like so many others here, as a young man just starting to fly, Gen. Chuck Yeager was a hero for me as well. A true legend.

Tossed a nickel in the grass for you sir. Bet it will be one helluva reunion with Bob and Pancho. RIP sir...you will be missed.

Hell of a legacy, Sir. Rest In well deserved Peace.

Every generation needs a hero. Our's was lucky enough to have Gen. Chuck Yeager. Thank You Sir. Rest in Peace...

Like navyshooter, I grew up here in West Virginia gazing up at the larger-than-life figure Chuck Yeager was.
One of the very few, home state genuine heroes I've had in my life.
He will be missed, but yet, his influence carries on in others. I'm still learning to fly, partly because of Yeager's influence.

He was one of the most skilled pilots the world has ever known.

He was a Sergeant pilot in Europe, until the USAAF made all pilots officers. He was shot down over occupied France, and the Resistance smuggled him back to England. He was grounded, but kept bugging his chain of command to let him fly combat. Finally, the Allies over-ran the areas of France where the Resistance cells that helped him operated out of. He then returned to combat duty.

Pilots who escaped with help from the Resistance weren't allowed to fly combat, since if they were shot down and captured, the Germans could torture information out of them and compromise the Resistance networks.

Also, as stated, he shot down an Me-262 jet fighter, which was a very rare achievement. He also flew the X-1 to break the 'Mach barrier' with broken ribs (he fell off a horse the night before and hid his injury from the flight doctors).

Another great one has passed. RIP General Yeager.

I'm not into celebrities at all. Especially of the entertainment type.

Gen. Chuck Yeager is only a handful of men that is well known enough to be of that status that I would have wanted to meet face to face. What a life he has lived. May he rest in peace.

A great man. RIP General.

Sometime earlier this year I was reading about General Yeager and read that he was flying up until 2012, piloting or Co-piloting a F-15 at the ripe ol’ age of 89.

I saw this quote from him “Living to a ripe old age is not an end in itself. The trick is to enjoy the years remaining,” he said in “Yeager: An Autobiography.”

“I haven’t yet done everything, but by the time I’m finished, I won’t have missed much,” he wrote. “If I auger in (crash) tomorrow, it won’t be with a frown on my face. I’ve had a ball.”

That to me says it all. A real legend.