【誰にともなしに、独り言レス―その2941】
Maj. Gen. Albert Boyd（a Colonel and Chief of the Flight Test Division at Wright Field in the summer of 1947）
“Selecting the X-1 pilot was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. If the pilot had an accident, he could set back our supersonic program a couple of years . . . I wanted a pilot capable of doing extremely precise, scientific flying. Above all, I wanted a pilot who was rock solid in stability. Yeager came up number one. . . there was no doubt in our minds that he was the one, because of his ability to perform and his stability and willingness to follow instructions, and, of course, his tremendous ability as a pilot . . . We had several other outstanding pilots to chose from but none of them could quite match his skill in a cockpit or his coolness under pressure.”
Maj. Gen. Fred J. Ascani（assisted Boyd in Yeager’s selection as the X-1 pilot he had many opportunities to fly with Yeager and observe his skill first-hand.）
“Yeager flies an airplane as if he is welded to it–as if he is an integral part of it. His “feel” for any strange airplane is instinctive, intuitive and as natural as if he had flown it for 100 or more hours . . . The fact that he was absolutely fearless in his pursuit of technical knowledge was an added plus. I never regretted my decision to concur in Col. Boyd’s selection of Yeager as the primary X-1 pilot . . . Many have theorized that several other test pilots could have achieved the same goals and, for some time, I thought the same. In retrospect, I candidly admit I am less sure of that opinion. One thought comes to my mind whenever I think of Yeager and that is: no one, earthbound or ethereal, will ever be a clone of Yeager. Never, ever.”
Lt. Col. Jackie L. Ridley（In 1947, Capt. Jack Ridley was assigned as the Air Force flight test engineer for the attempt to exceed the speed of sound in the X-1 and he continued to work closely with Yeager on a wide range of test programs until the mid-50s. A brilliant, Cal Tech-trained aeronautical engineer, he had the ability to translate arcane technical concepts into laymen’s terms that Yeager could easily understand.）
“He never studied engineering, but he blots the stuff up as fast as it’s poured.”
Chuck Yeager about Jack Ridley
“Hoover and I were definitely not flight test engineers! We could fly airplanes and we had an instinct for aerodynamics…but Jack Ridley was a brain! Jack Ridley knew everything there was to know about aerodynamics and he was practical. And, besides, he was a good pilot and he fit right in with us.”
R.A. “Bob” Hoover （In 1947, 1st Lt. Bob Hoover was a test pilot at Wright Field and one of the two finalists in the running to make the assault on the “sound barrier” in the Bell X-1. Chuck Yeager got the nod and Hoover was assigned as back-up and chase pilot for the program. He and Yeager have remained very close friends ever since.）
“I felt about the program as Chuck did. Iwanted to be the first to fly–to make that flight–and had hoped that I would have been. It wasn’t in the cards. And I can only say, and I’ve said this many,many times over the years, there never could have been anyone who could have done it better than my dear friend, Chuck Yeager.”
Brig. Gen. Frank K. “Pete” Everest（was known as “the fastest man alive” in the mid-50s. In 1953, he set a world absolute speed record of 755 mph in the YF-100 and, in 1956, he piloted the X-2 rocket plane to a speed of Mach 2.87 ）
“The future of military flight testing was riding with him that morning in the little X-1. Colonel Boyd, who supervised the project, was aware that many people felt we were too inexperienced for the assignment, one which no civilian pilot had yet accomplished. Had Yeager failed, it would have confirmed the warnings of our worst critics . . . But Chuck’s successful flight did much more than silence criticism. It opened the way for the military test pilot to accept more responsibility and participate as an equal in the future development of aviation.”
Col. David R. Scott（one of Gen. Yeager’s students at the Aerospace Research Pilot School. As a NASA Astronaut, he was pilot on Gemini VIII, Command Module Pilot on Apollo IX, and Commander of Apollo 15. In 2009, Col. Scott received the Brig. Gen. Charles E. Yeager Aeronautical Achievements Award,presented by Gen. Yeager. Here’s what Col. Scott had to say about the importance of his mentors like Gen. Yeager）
“This is really a meaningful honor to me.I know Chuck pretty well and… as you go through your career you have mentors along the way who guide you and teach you things, and I was lucky all the way through my career.
… So I was just hanging around base ops looking for any kind of ride and somebody called up and said “hey Col. Yeager needs somebody to take him to Holloman, New Mexico – are you willing” I said “you bet!” I thought, Col. Yeager? I’m a little captain you know. I am just checking into the test pilot school and here is Ch…Chuck Yeager! So fine. I go out and fill out the flight plan and he shows up. He says “Hey Dave I’ll take it over and you bring us back.” I said “yes sir, fine!”
So I am really honored to receive this from a good friend, a true mentor and somebody for whom I have the greatest respect and admiration, General Chuck Yeager.”
