Chuck Yeager - Lawsuit Crazy?

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josephbelt01 said:
Anyone following Chuck Yeager lately? It seems as if recently he's been involved in endless lawsuits. The latest is he's been given the green light to sue Fort Knox Safe Co for naming a line of safes after him. Apparently there was an oral agreement in the 80s that ended in 2008 after his new wife caught wind of it.

Not a great way to live out your final years in my opinion. Endless court battles over petty nonsense. Sad.


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Good pilots can be huge dicks. The concepts are not mutually exclusive. I've not heard many good things about Mr Yeager on a personal level.
 
If you type in "Chuck Yeager" on another forum page I participate in, the forum software replaces it with "a famous test pilot." I was told this was due to threats of lawsuits.

Ron Wanttaja
 
These lawsuits are apparently driven by his wife. She seems to enjoy them.
 
Kristin said:
These lawsuits are apparently driven by his wife. She seems to enjoy them.
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Yeah. I think CY has always been a little full of himself, but the lawsuits didn't seem to start flying until the current wife.
 
I believe Yeager's pretty much "out of it" these days. He's kind of a pariah in the "old pilots" circuit for comments he's made anyhow. Wife is a fireball however.
 
flyingron said:
Wife is a fireball however.
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She's much younger, cut out his kids, and now trying to get as much as she can off of his name. Sad really, but men are fools when it comes to women, especially younger ones. :rolleyes:

This article is from 2004. I wonder what happened, but I can guess.

Chuck Yeager is in love. Three of his kids doubt his new wife, who's half his age, is made of the right stuff. They're suing.
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And he's not, he says, too old to marry a woman almost half his age and start a new life -- his adult children and some of his friends be damned.


"It doesn't matter a crap what anybody thinks," he says. "I love her. I married her. She's my wife."

It's a familiar story: A much older man marries a much younger woman, and everyone is sure something's wrong. They know what he's after, wink wink. And there can be only be one thing she's after: his money.
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http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment...s-in-love-Three-of-his-kids-doubt-2821681.php
 
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He's about 81 now, she about 45.
 

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sourdough44 said:
He's about 81 now, she about 45.
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Born in 1923 he's 92, would have to be if he flew in WWII, he will be on the list of "gone west" soon as so many of the" greatest generation" are doing.
 
today is his birthday. Year of birth 1923

http://www.biography.com/people/chuck-yeager-9538831

most people who have met him in person claim he is(was) an a-hole. Observe his own behavior towards his own adult children regarding his current wife.

observe that he didn't get "knighted" to do the sound barrier flight because of some super unique skill to him. The primary guy lined up for that flight was sick or something, or so the story goes. Also, if Yeager had not lied about his age to join the military, he would have never been in any of the opportunities that came before him.

So one can argue his whole fame started with a lie. "He was so patriotic, thus the lie is excusable" etc Spin it anyway you want it.

At the end of the day, the question is "Would you have had these opportunities if you did not lie about your age" the answer to that question is no

if you read his Bio and other press/news stories about him, you will see a continued attitude of loose-ethics and disregarding rules, flying sick so that he wouldn't miss an "opportunity", etc etc. It is usually painted as hero-macho stuff, aka permissible to achieve the greater good, but it is what it is
 
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He may not come across to some people, however, I talked with him for about 20 minutes one day at Van Nuys. He just seemed to be genuinely kind and expressed interest in me as we were talking aviation history.

But it wasn't until after he left that the FBO lady mentioned to me that he was Chuck Yeager. I didn't know.

So he has a hot young wife. I think a lot of people are just jealous.
 
B350ATP said:
So one can argue his whole fame started with a lie. "He was so patriotic, thus the lie is excusable" etc Spin it anyway you want it.

At the end of the day, the question is "Would you have had these opportunities if you did not lie about your age" the answer to that question is no
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I'm not defending CY, but if you use that same logic, we would never have known Bob Hoover (cheated on his military eye test).
 
teejayevans said:
He is getting what he wants, she's getting what she wants, so what's the problem?
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I don't think its a "problem", and he can do whatever he wants, but often in these situations when these men reach senility they are duped by a younger, "hot" woman purely for financial reasons. The children that have been loyal, and supportive their entire lives find themselves utterly out in the cold, and all but forgotten by their father because he is enamored with the new toy. Meanhwile, she does everything in her power to amass HIS fortune, and to hell with the kids.
 
Anthony said:
I don't think its a "problem", and he can do whatever he wants, but often in these situations when these men reach senility they are duped by a younger, "hot" woman purely for financial reasons. The children that have been loyal, and supportive their entire lives find themselves utterly out in the cold, and all but forgotten by their father because he is enamored with the new toy. Meanhwile, she does everything in her power to amass HIS fortune, and to hell with the kids.
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If the kids financial plan was to rely on dad croaking and leaving them money, they have bigger problems and probably would have burned through it even faster than the wife.

Dude made his money, it's time for him to enjoy it.
 
Personally, I'm very reluctant to make judgments about other people's marriages, especially when I've never even met them.
 
James331 said:
If the kids financial plan was to rely on dad croaking and leaving them money, they have bigger problems and probably would have burned through it even faster than the wife.

Dude made his money, it's time for him to enjoy it.
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Again, I didn't say there was a problem, or that I had a problem with it, just giving the reason that some may look upon it negatively. He can go throw gold bullion into the ocean for all I care.
 
I got that 81 from some news article. I knew the date was likely off, I guess by 12 years or so.
 
bartmc said:
Good pilots can be huge dicks. The concepts are not mutually exclusive. I've not heard many good things about Mr Yeager on a personal level.
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He spent a bit of time talking to me at NAPA one day, I don't think he particularly likes being famous.
 
B350ATP said:
today is his birthday. Year of birth 1923

http://www.biography.com/people/chuck-yeager-9538831

most people who have met him in person claim he is(was) an a-hole. Observe his own behavior towards his own adult children regarding his current wife.

observe that he didn't get "knighted" to do the sound barrier flight because of some super unique skill to him. The primary guy lined up for that flight was sick or something, or so the story goes. Also, if Yeager had not lied about his age to join the military, he would have never been in any of the opportunities that came before him.

So one can argue his whole fame started with a lie. "He was so patriotic, thus the lie is excusable" etc Spin it anyway you want it.

At the end of the day, the question is "Would you have had these opportunities if you did not lie about your age" the answer to that question is no

if you read his Bio and other press/news stories about him, you will see a continued attitude of loose-ethics and disregarding rules, flying sick so that he wouldn't miss an "opportunity", etc etc. It is usually painted as hero-macho stuff, aka permissible to achieve the greater good, but it is what it is
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There's nothing to spin. Grew up poor in W.VA. His childhood, lack of education , ( which he was not proud of) his flying supersonic as an airforce captain ( volunteered) because the private company test pilot demanded more money. ( Yeager received his standard captains pay) on and on, excellent combat pilot, etc . Etc. describe your background please! Your flying prowess, your service to our country and so forth. Doubtful you'd measure up to this fellow who truly is an an American icon.
 
I had lunch with him and Bud Anderson at Osh back in 99. I had just gotten my license 5 months before and flew a T-41 out to Osh. I knew who he was of course and he was very nice to me and my son. He and Bud signed my Warbird Pilot hat. I've heard the stories about him being a jerk but personal experience does not match up with that.
 
Last year I was scanning in negatives and came across some pictures I took of him at Bitburg Air Base (36th Tactical Fighter Wing) in West Germany back in the fall of 1986. I was a senior in high school. The shots are all of him with they young ladies who served lunch in the officer's club meeting room where he gave a speech.

I grew up knowing/reading about him. I had completely forgotten that I had even taken the pictures. I asked my mom about it and how I could have forgotten about it. She told me that I had come home from the event crushed. I had tried to get a photo with him and an autograph after the event. It was a small event with about 40 people attending and could not get a word in edge wise to ask. He had been an absolute jerk to everyone except the waitresses...

Apparently I just turned my back on him and the experience. I just forgot about it and went on with my life. It was probably the best thing I could had done given what happened.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I'm not defending CY, but if you use that same logic, we would never have known Bob Hoover (cheated on his military eye test).
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Or for that matter, Captain Kirk, who cheated (or will cheat in a couple hundred years) on the Kobayashi Maru test.
 
paflyer said:
Or for that matter, Captain Kirk, who cheated (or will cheat in a couple hundred years) on the Kobayashi Maru test.
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Hell, that bastard didn't even apply to Starfleet, let alone get accepted, and some old buddy of his dad decided he was qualified to be second in command having never served on anything bigger than a motorcycle after finding him in a drunken bar brawl.
 
paflyer said:
Or for that matter, Captain Kirk, who cheated (or will cheat in a couple hundred years) on the Kobayashi Maru test.
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wouldn't that be "will have cheated" since the action is captured in the historical records? ...or am I totally mixing space-time concepts with cheesey movies?
 
Clark1961 said:
wouldn't that be "will have cheated" since the action is captured in the historical records? ...or am I totally mixing space-time concepts with cheesey movies?
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This "alternate universe" thing is really complicated.
 
People I've talked to who've met Chuck all say he's a real sphincter. :dunno:

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"Now I ain't sayin she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke nigg..s!"
 
B350ATP said:
today is his birthday. Year of birth 1923

http://www.biography.com/people/chuck-yeager-9538831

most people who have met him in person claim he is(was) an a-hole. Observe his own behavior towards his own adult children regarding his current wife.

observe that he didn't get "knighted" to do the sound barrier flight because of some super unique skill to him. The primary guy lined up for that flight was sick or something, or so the story goes. Also, if Yeager had not lied about his age to join the military, he would have never been in any of the opportunities that came before him.

So one can argue his whole fame started with a lie. "He was so patriotic, thus the lie is excusable" etc Spin it anyway you want it.

At the end of the day, the question is "Would you have had these opportunities if you did not lie about your age" the answer to that question is no

if you read his Bio and other press/news stories about him, you will see a continued attitude of loose-ethics and disregarding rules, flying sick so that he wouldn't miss an "opportunity", etc etc. It is usually painted as hero-macho stuff, aka permissible to achieve the greater good, but it is what it is
Click to expand...

There might be plenty about Chuck Yeager to whine about, but using the fact that he lied about his age to join the military and GO FIGHT WWII is not one of them, unless all you really want is a pathetic excuse to attack a military hero for having a young wife, and money.
 
txflyer said:
People I've talked to who've met Chuck all say he's a real sphincter. :dunno:

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"Now I ain't sayin she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke nigg..s!"
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I didn't get that impression, but we were just talking about airplanes and the potential futures for aviation. I never asked about past exploits or any of that, mostly a conversation about the future and a couple of wine recommendations back and forth.
 
Henning said:
I didn't get that impression, but we were just talking about airplanes and the potential futures for aviation. I never asked about past exploits or any of that, mostly a conversation about the future and a couple of wine recommendations back and forth.
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About ten years, or so ago, I talked to Buzz Aldren and thought he had gone all the way around the bend, but then saw him on Dancing with the stars, and thought, "huh?"

I recall his speech because he got to the end and started over, but kind of laughed about it when he realized he was repeating himself. Later out in the reception he just didn't seem to be anywhere near all there.

People's opinions of famous folks are often colored by small increments of personal observation, which may, or may not, have any real foundation.
 
I unfollowed Chuck's twitter feed after I saw some of his wife's handiwork on there.. claiming maltreatment of some kind or other of the "esteemed general"..
 
Doggtyred said:
I unfollowed Chuck's twitter feed after I saw some of his wife's handiwork on there.. claiming maltreatment of some kind or other of the "esteemed general"..
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As predictable as the sunrise.......

She is just laying the foundation for a future pot of gold.......
 
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