At one time this guy really was the FMOTP!!!😳

G-man
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G-man
Edited Date/Time 6/11/2020 10:05pm
True story.... Smile

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avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/1/2020 6:46am
6/1/2020 6:46am
G-man wrote:
True story.... :) [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/05/31/430451/s1200_20200531_163407.jpg[/img]
True story.... Smile

That guy was my hero growing up. I knew way more about the X-1, X-15, and the F-104 than any kid my age I'm pretty sure. I watched The Right Stuff probably a hundred times and read all of his books multiple times.

One of my dreams was to go fishing for Golden Trout up in the Sierras with him.

The G.O.A.T. of test pilots by a mile.
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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 6/1/2020 6:57am
6/1/2020 6:57am
The only book that I've read more that once was "Yeager". That guy is such a badass, a true American hero. He's actually pretty active on Twitter, You can tell it's him and not some social media director working for him. He doesn't take any shit!
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G-man
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G-man 6/1/2020 3:28pm
6/1/2020 3:28pm
avidchimp wrote:
That guy was my hero growing up. I knew way more about the X-1, X-15, and the F-104 than any kid my age I'm pretty sure...
That guy was my hero growing up. I knew way more about the X-1, X-15, and the F-104 than any kid my age I'm pretty sure. I watched The Right Stuff probably a hundred times and read all of his books multiple times.

One of my dreams was to go fishing for Golden Trout up in the Sierras with him.

The G.O.A.T. of test pilots by a mile.
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!!
Cool story!👍

Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for me I had just finished Aviation Maintenance school and the movie came out.

I even went to Hollywood and saw it at the infamous Garmen Chinese theater.

The way the movie was played out Chuck Yeager really got the short end of the stick by not being allowed into the Apollo program.

I don't even really remember the reason why but he clearly was the Baddest test pilot out there.
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avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/1/2020 3:39pm
6/1/2020 3:39pm
G-man wrote:
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!! Cool story!👍 Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for...
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!!
Cool story!👍

Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for me I had just finished Aviation Maintenance school and the movie came out.

I even went to Hollywood and saw it at the infamous Garmen Chinese theater.

The way the movie was played out Chuck Yeager really got the short end of the stick by not being allowed into the Apollo program.

I don't even really remember the reason why but he clearly was the Baddest test pilot out there.
Glennis didn't want him to ride a rocket because there was no chance to eject if shit hit the fan. That's where she drew the line, and that was the only line. True story.
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APLMAN99
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APLMAN99 6/1/2020 3:56pm
6/1/2020 3:56pm
I guess that I never realized that Chuck was so short.......

😎
jgmxdad251
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jgmxdad251 6/1/2020 4:30pm
6/1/2020 4:30pm
Back in the day he used to start the Air show at Edwards. I thought that was so cool.
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SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 6/1/2020 4:32pm
6/1/2020 4:32pm
APLMAN99 wrote:
I guess that I never realized that Chuck was so short.......

😎
I know that was a joke, but realistically, back then tall guys didn't fit into fighter planes.

My Dad was about 5' 8", and that was close to the max.
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APLMAN99 6/1/2020 4:37pm
6/1/2020 4:37pm
APLMAN99 wrote:
I guess that I never realized that Chuck was so short.......

😎
SEEMEFIRST wrote:
I know that was a joke, but realistically, back then tall guys didn't fit into fighter planes. My Dad was about 5' 8", and that was...
I know that was a joke, but realistically, back then tall guys didn't fit into fighter planes.

My Dad was about 5' 8", and that was close to the max.
It was a good natured ribbing!

My best friend’s dad was an anomaly back then. He was a little over 6’2 and flew fighters, and in all of the pictures with his pilot groups he towers over them!
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Sunhouse
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Sunhouse 6/1/2020 5:32pm
6/1/2020 5:32pm
I grew up with planes, my dad flew F104 and F5 in the 70’s. He had 8mm films through the (then) HUD of him intercepting russian TU95 Bears. You can even see them waving in some of the footage. Really want to digitalize the footage and give it to him as a precent. The bomb bays are open to show the nukes just to play with everyone. It used to be classified, but being an 80/90’s kid I got to see it on a Saturday evening over a pizza and family showing after the Cold War.
Chuck Yeager was a big part of my dads talk, I think the first book I read in English was his biography from
The 80’s. Kind of messed up when my friends in class told me of the latest Duck Tales episode. But that is what it was like, still wish I had the eyesight to do the same as an adult
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sumdood
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sumdood 6/2/2020 2:31am
6/2/2020 2:31am
FMOTP, Fastest Man Off The Planet ?
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omalley
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omalley 6/2/2020 6:04am
6/2/2020 6:04am
Saw a video awhile back of him going up in the rear seat of an F-15. I thought to myself, what an incredible event that must be for the pilot to know that legend is in your rear seat. Took him to either Mach 1 or 2, and it seemed so amazing that in his lifetime we went from trying everything just to barely get Mach 1 in a rocket-powered aircraft to effortlessly going through the number in a fighter.
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G-man 6/2/2020 9:55am
6/2/2020 9:55am
G-man wrote:
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!! Cool story!👍 Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for...
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!!
Cool story!👍

Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for me I had just finished Aviation Maintenance school and the movie came out.

I even went to Hollywood and saw it at the infamous Garmen Chinese theater.

The way the movie was played out Chuck Yeager really got the short end of the stick by not being allowed into the Apollo program.

I don't even really remember the reason why but he clearly was the Baddest test pilot out there.
avidchimp wrote:
Glennis didn't want him to ride a rocket because there was no chance to eject if shit hit the fan. That's where she drew the line...
Glennis didn't want him to ride a rocket because there was no chance to eject if shit hit the fan. That's where she drew the line, and that was the only line. True story.
Wow I don't recall that line all I know is he was really bummed out about it....

Thx! Smile
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G-man
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G-man 6/2/2020 9:59am
6/2/2020 9:59am
Sunhouse wrote:
I grew up with planes, my dad flew F104 and F5 in the 70’s. He had 8mm films through the (then) HUD of him intercepting russian...
I grew up with planes, my dad flew F104 and F5 in the 70’s. He had 8mm films through the (then) HUD of him intercepting russian TU95 Bears. You can even see them waving in some of the footage. Really want to digitalize the footage and give it to him as a precent. The bomb bays are open to show the nukes just to play with everyone. It used to be classified, but being an 80/90’s kid I got to see it on a Saturday evening over a pizza and family showing after the Cold War.
Chuck Yeager was a big part of my dads talk, I think the first book I read in English was his biography from
The 80’s. Kind of messed up when my friends in class told me of the latest Duck Tales episode. But that is what it was like, still wish I had the eyesight to do the same as an adult
Awesome story Sunhouse!

I don't recall the Duck Tale episodes...
avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/2/2020 10:05am
6/2/2020 10:05am Edited Date/Time 6/2/2020 10:13am
G-man wrote:
Wow I don't recall that line all I know is he was really bummed out about it....

Thx! Smile
The official story was lack of a degree, but behind the scenes they wanted Chuck to be a part of it. Glennis would let him do anything he wanted to do, but when she said no, he listened. My grandpa was a regular at the Happy Bottom Riding Club during those days since he worked at Muroc with all those guys. I never got to meet my Grandpa, but the stories got passed down.

Those guys could drink ungodly amounts of booze and still be up the next day and fly sketchy shit. A true Man's generation for sure.

EDIT: My Grandpa's stories were what made me such a freak about Chuck and all those guys from that era.
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WEAL
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WEAL 6/2/2020 11:22am
6/2/2020 11:22am
One of Chucks personal planes was sold to German enthusiasts. It is here at my local airfield and gets flown occasionally. Its a North American T6 with a highly blueprinted engine, giving about 200 hp more and thus Chuck had the wings shortened 1/2 meter each side. I have seen it operated several times at the airfield as I can practice there with my blown Triumph sprintbike. The thing has a very loud engine and a lot of power as it takes off almost instantly. Lots of fun hearing such a powerful engine on full bore!
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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 6/2/2020 12:06pm
6/2/2020 12:06pm
G-man wrote:
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!! Cool story!👍 Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for...
WoW And I thought I was a big fan!!!!
Cool story!👍

Yup the Right Stuff was a fantastic movie and the timing was really cool for me I had just finished Aviation Maintenance school and the movie came out.

I even went to Hollywood and saw it at the infamous Garmen Chinese theater.

The way the movie was played out Chuck Yeager really got the short end of the stick by not being allowed into the Apollo program.

I don't even really remember the reason why but he clearly was the Baddest test pilot out there.
avidchimp wrote:
Glennis didn't want him to ride a rocket because there was no chance to eject if shit hit the fan. That's where she drew the line...
Glennis didn't want him to ride a rocket because there was no chance to eject if shit hit the fan. That's where she drew the line, and that was the only line. True story.
Couldn't eject out of the X-1 either (no ejection seat). I think I remember him saying that even if you got out of the door, you'd get split in half by the wing.
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avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/2/2020 12:17pm
6/2/2020 12:17pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2020 12:22pm
DoctorJD wrote:
Couldn't eject out of the X-1 either (no ejection seat). I think I remember him saying that even if you got out of the door, you'd...
Couldn't eject out of the X-1 either (no ejection seat). I think I remember him saying that even if you got out of the door, you'd get split in half by the wing.
Very true, and accurate. That was early on though, and trust me, she wasn't cool with that idea either, but she knew it meant everything to him and the Country to be the first to break the sound barrier. I don't think going into space was his biggest priority to be honest, so he passed on it.

At that point he had already pushed his luck, and then the NF-104 crash happened in '63 after hitting 120,000 feet. He wasn't the same after that as far as pushing the envelope.

Again, these are stories I heard 2nd hand from my Grandpa to my Dad, so I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle.

EDIT: Glennis knew he could fly a plane and was the best pilot on the planet, so in a way he could control the situation to a certain degree. Sitting on top of a rocket with no control over anything that happened was her issue.
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kdizzle_rider 6/2/2020 5:51pm
6/2/2020 5:51pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2020 5:54pm
I just google NF 104 and watched the flight. What an absolute insane flight. He stayed with that plane for 80k feet trying to regain control.

These guys are real hero’s. I have done quite a bit of research into the SR71/Kelly Johnson as well and what these guys were doing in that era blows my mind

Did they ever find out what caused the plane to loose control?

[url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e32CPRXEZ7s[/url]
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avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/2/2020 5:57pm
6/2/2020 5:57pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2020 6:07pm
kdizzle_rider wrote:
I just google NF 104 and watched the flight. What an absolute insane flight. He stayed with that plane for 80k feet trying to regain control...
I just google NF 104 and watched the flight. What an absolute insane flight. He stayed with that plane for 80k feet trying to regain control.

These guys are real hero’s. I have done quite a bit of research into the SR71/Kelly Johnson as well and what these guys were doing in that era blows my mind

Did they ever find out what caused the plane to loose control?

[url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e32CPRXEZ7s[/url]
High altitude compressor stall was the story, but it basically reached an angle/pitch that caused it to stall out and go into a spin. Also it was proven the wings were too thin to support flight at that altitude.
sumdood
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sumdood 6/2/2020 10:09pm
6/2/2020 10:09pm
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were bad asses through and through
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avidchimp
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avidchimp 6/3/2020 7:43am
6/3/2020 7:43am
sumdood wrote:
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were...
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were bad asses through and through
That is awesome. I'd cherish something like that forever.
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G-man
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G-man 6/3/2020 10:29am
6/3/2020 10:29am Edited Date/Time 6/3/2020 10:31am
kdizzle_rider wrote:
I just google NF 104 and watched the flight. What an absolute insane flight. He stayed with that plane for 80k feet trying to regain control...
I just google NF 104 and watched the flight. What an absolute insane flight. He stayed with that plane for 80k feet trying to regain control.

These guys are real hero’s. I have done quite a bit of research into the SR71/Kelly Johnson as well and what these guys were doing in that era blows my mind

Did they ever find out what caused the plane to loose control?

[url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e32CPRXEZ7s[/url]
WoW, never seen that footage! Woohoo

Yea Chuck hung on to that out of control Aircraft for a long freaken time!

and yea Kdizzle we have have the same thoughts on Kelly Johnson--man was way ahead of his time with the Blackbird.... Smile

https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Non-Moto,21/Aurora-SR-72-SR-91,1303446?p…
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G-man
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G-man 6/3/2020 10:33am
6/3/2020 10:33am
sumdood wrote:
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were...
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were bad asses through and through
Dude, that is an INCREDIBLE freaken photo that I bet was CLASSIFIED to only a few.

Nice!
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JPT
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JPT 6/5/2020 2:44pm
6/5/2020 2:44pm
sumdood wrote:
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were...
avidchimp you mentioned the X-15. My Dad worked on that project. He gave me this picture. 2nd from left is Neil Armstrong 👍. Those guys were bad asses through and through
Got to see an X-15 flight back in the 60s. Amazing.
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G-man
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G-man 6/5/2020 4:43pm
6/5/2020 4:43pm
Dave Groark gave an EXCELLENT interview describing in detail about what an awesome airplane the F-104 Starfighter really was. Damn Lockheed sure has put out some amazing aircraft over the years! Woohoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB8l_fCKDSw
G-man
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G-man 6/5/2020 5:44pm
6/5/2020 5:44pm
What a great movie the Right Stuff was people were proud to be an American. 👍
What the hell's happened to our Great country?

https://youtu.be/ElzIPn1pXWE

After watching this preview makes me want to see it again.

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