Hamlin’s own supersonic hero tackles our 20 questions with the same no-nonsense approach that has defined his life for nearly a century.
By Jack Houvouras
HQ 107 | AUTUMN 2019
They say that age mellows, but not so for Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager. At 96, he is still flying, still traveling the world and still doling out his dry, no-nonsense brand of wisdom. For those who have followed his career or Twitter account, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The aviation icon from Hamlin, West Virginia, has always been the master of the curt quip.
Yeager rose to national fame on Oct. 14, 1947, when he did the unthinkable and broke the sound barrier. His fearless feat ushered in America’s race for space and forever changed the world of aviation. But his life’s work includes far more than smashing through that brick wall in the sky. Before becoming a test pilot, he was one of the best dogfighters in the military, shooting down scores of German planes during World War II. While most pilots dream of becoming an “ace” during times of war, Yeager accomplished that feat in just one day when he shot down five German planes. While the United States military turned out scores of great pilots, few, if any, were as gifted as the kid from West Virginia.
Yeager went on to become the greatest test pilot in the game, flying experimental aircraft for the United States Air Force and breaking numerous speed and altitude world records. It was Yeager and his brethren who did the leg work for what would later become NASA.
Yeager was already a household name when writer Tom Wolfe released The Right Stuff, a book about America’s test pilots and the Mercury Astronaut Program. Wolfe’s book and later the movie by the same name would make Yeager a bona fide star. As Wolfe saw it, Yeager was the measuring stick by which all pilots, and later astronauts, were judged. He was the best of the best.
Huntington Quarterly Editor Jack Houvouras recently caught up with the living legend and challenged him to answer HQ’s 20 Questions, a recurring section in the magazine that aims to gain a deeper understanding of the region’s most prominent figures. Not surprisingly, his answers were short and sweet.
HQ1 How would close friends describe you?
Ask them.
HQ2 What is something few people know about you?
I like my privacy.
HQ3 What is your fondest childhood memory?
Enlisting in the US Army Air Corps at age 18.
HQ4 What is your greatest regret?
I don’t have any. It’s a waste of time.
HQ5 What is something you could talk about for hours?
Nothing. I am a man of few words.
HQ6 For the perfect meal, what would be on the menu?
It depends on the day. For breakfast, fried eggs over medium, fruit, sometimes some sausage patties. If I’m in France, I’d go with a fresh-baked croissant.
HQ7 What movie made you laugh the hardest?
None. I don’t go to the movies.
HQ8 Who is the one person, past or present, you would most like to meet?
I’ve already met them. Can’t think of anyone else.
HQ9 What song moves you the most?
“It Takes a Little Rain” sung by Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys.
HQ10 What are three books everyone should read?
Yeager, Press On, and the next book I write.
HQ11 If you had a day off from work, what would you do?
Depends on where I am. Hunting, fishing, observing wildlife and scenery.
HQ12 If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I didn’t leave anything behind anywhere.
HQ13 What irritates you the most?
Stupid questions.
HQ14 What scares you the most?
Dying.
HQ15 What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
Seeing the earth from high above in a pretty airplane.
HQ16 What talent would you like to possess?
Can’t think of any I need that I don’t have.
HQ17 What do you like most about Huntington?
The Marshall University Yeager Scholars Program.
HQ18 What is your favorite spot in West Virginia?
The panhandle. I love hunting there.
HQ19 What brings you the most joy?
Adventures with my wife.
HQ20 How would you like to be remembered?
Doesn’t matter — I won’t know anything about it anyway.
