Chuck Yeager, 1st to break sound barrier, dies at 97
World | December 08, 2020 20:55 ISTRetired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager, the World War II fighter pilot ace and quintessential test pilot who showed he had the “right stuff” when in 1947 he became the first person to fly faster than sound, has died. He was 97.