NASA, Astronauts and More Mourn Death of Chuck Yeager, the World's First Supersonic Pilot
The man who first broke the speed of sound died Monday (Dec. 7) at age 97.

By Elizabeth Howell | Space.com Contributor

December 8, 2020 | The space and aviation community worldwide mourned the death of Chuck Yeager at the age of 97 on Monday (Dec. 7). He is best remembered for being the U.S. Air Force pilot who first broke the sound barrier on Oct. 14, 1947.

Brigadier General Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager standing in front of his F-15 Eagle in October 1997 on the 50th Anniversary of his becoming the first man to break the speed of sound.
(Image: © U.S. Air Force)

Yeager's adventures were chronicled in numerous formats, including Tom Wolfe's 1979 book "The Right Stuff," which inspired a 1983 Hollywood film and a new Disney Plus series that both share the same name.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine released a statement concerning Yeager's passing on the agency's website, and also posted on Twitter.

Photo of The Brigadier, taken in the 1990s. In 1947, then First Lieutenant Chuck Yeager became the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound.
Credits: Air Force Test Center History Office

Official emblem of the General Chuck Yeager Cadet Squadron (Civil Air Patrol)