Somebody please shut Chuck Yeager up.

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I have kept quiet about him for a while now, but I have to rant. For the overly obvious reasons, we all look, or have looked up to him at some point in our lives. As we get to know the real Chuck, we find out he is nothing more than a racist, angry old man who could care less about aviation, and more about the mighty dollar. I was friends with him on Facebook, and sat through countless ridiculous rants about how mad he was that people wanted an autograph for free. He couldn't believe the nerve of some people, asking for an autograph that was personalized. Most of his posts had something along the lines of "we will delete you if you don't agree" "or if you don't do this, we will delete you" and it started driving me nuts. Now he is mad about his name being used in books and not giving him a cut. He is a has-been, slimy yahoo, who shouldn't be given the time of day. Here is One such post, and the link in the post is to raise money to go to the supreme court to fight for his name rights:

This is from Mrs. Yeager: General Yeager has asked for your help and sign up on www.veteransamicus.com by midnight. Less than 100 of you have done so. There are those waiting to be fb friends who have signed up. We will soon be editing his fb friends list accordingly. If you feel you cannot, send a private message as to why. What is a friend if not someone who supports you when you are trying to ask the US Supreme Court to uphold your and every citizen's Constitutional rights?
 
Inverted said:
I have kept quiet about him for a while now, but I have to rant. For the overly obvious reasons, we all look, or have looked up to him at some point in our lives.
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I don't know, it didn't take me long at all to realize that he was a douchebag.
 
In the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends in 2007 he was a no show. I was wondering why he wouldn't be at the largest assembly of Mustangs in the world. I heard from pilots there that he wanted 50 bucks a pop for an autograph. The organizers said that's not gonna happen, so he didn't come.

I have several of his autographs on collectible things but I agree that he has taken it a little too far into a money making venture. When he can't even sign some autographs at a public event for free, that's pretty sad.
 
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I don't see why this is a problem. Combat pilot + stick and rudder guru <> elder statesman.

Also, from what I've seen on ebay, most autographed items are for profit anyway. If my name was Chuck Yeager, and some book and movie guys made me famous, I'd prolly want $100 per signature.

If your standards of conduct concerning 'friends' follows the model of Facebook, or some other social media, I'd say maybe you have other issues to deal with.


Oh - and get the hell off my lawn, ya whippersnapper! :D
 
Like many celebrities, his personal life just does not live up to his professional life. Sometimes its the fame that does it, but most of the time I think they just are that way. What surprises me is how surprised people are when they find out their idols are just nasty people playing a role and propagating a myth.
 
docmirror said:
I don't see why this is a problem. Combat pilot + stick and rudder guru <> elder statesman.

Also, from what I've seen on ebay, most autographed items are for profit anyway. If my name was Chuck Yeager, and some book and movie guys made me famous, I'd prolly want $100 per signature.
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So you see famous people, selling their OWN autographs on eBay? What other person in aviation does that?
 
Inverted said:
So you see famous people, selling their OWN autographs on eBay? What other person in aviation does that?
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Not what I said. Read again with more care.

(but to answer your question, I have seen agents for the famous person selling autographs on ebay, so yes, in a manner of speaking)
 
docmirror said:
I don't see why this is a problem. Combat pilot + stick and rudder guru <> elder statesman.

Also, from what I've seen on ebay, most autographed items are for profit anyway. If my name was Chuck Yeager, and some book and movie guys made me famous, I'd prolly want $100 per signature.

......
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Yeah, but..........Ol Chuckles is cashing a rather substantial pension check the US guv sends him every month.... The taxpayers are subsidising his greedy scam......

I say cut off the pension checks and see how long he can survive...

I give him 2 months ... max...
 
N801BH said:
Yeah, but..........Ol Chuckles is cashing a rather substantial pension check the US guv sends him every month.... The taxpayers are subsidising his greedy scam......

I say cut off the pension checks and see how long he can survive...

I give him 2 months ... max...
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Whoa - whoa - whoa. Just a minute here. Yeager, and a few thousand other old guys fought in combat, and stayed in the military to defend our sorry asses so that we could sit on the internet and bash them for getting a pension? You can back that truck up. I have no problem paying for his pension.
 
docmirror said:
Whoa - whoa - whoa. Just a minute here. Yeager, and a few thousand other old guys fought in combat, and stayed in the military to defend our sorry asses so that we could sit on the internet and bash them for getting a pension? You can back that truck up. I have no problem paying for his pension.
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Get off the bandwagon. You don't see any other famous aviators from that time, or others, cashing in on autographs, and making outlandish statements on naming rights etc. He deserves his pension for his military service. He deserves nothing else because of his horrible outlook on life.
 
docmirror said:
Whoa - whoa - whoa. Just a minute here. Yeager, and a few thousand other old guys fought in combat, and stayed in the military to defend our sorry asses so that we could sit on the internet and bash them for getting a pension? You can back that truck up. I have no problem paying for his pension.
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And didn't he put his life on the line as a test pilot, too? Last I checked, a fair number of his test pilot contemporaries bought the farm.

As to autographs, why is everyone else but the author allowed to profit from their John Hancock? What's up with that?

Mr. Yeager was never a hero to me, nor a villain. Just a figure of historical note. I haven't paid any attention to his public statements, so if he has made racist remarks then that should be sufficient for people like the OP to sever their ties, physical, emotional, or whatever, to him. The autograph issue seems to this disinterested observer to be tacked on cruft.
 
docmirror said:
Whoa - whoa - whoa. Just a minute here. Yeager, and a few thousand other old guys fought in combat, and stayed in the military to defend our sorry asses so that we could sit on the internet and bash them for getting a pension? You can back that truck up. I have no problem paying for his pension.
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His pension is derived from taxes.... Are you saying he is sitting at a card table signing autographs for 50 bucks a pop, cash money and declaring every cent??:dunno:....


Dream on sir...
 
Inverted said:
Get off the bandwagon. You don't see any other famous aviators from that time, or others, cashing in on autographs, and making outlandish statements on naming rights etc. He deserves his pension for his military service. He deserves nothing else because of his horrible outlook on life.
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Well that's mighty white of you to see that his pension is deserved. As for the rest of your judgmental stuff, you have your opinion and you can back it up here and in the market. But - to tell someone else you disagree with that they should be silenced because you don't like what they say(write, or in this case don't write, but what is written by the spouse) I can do without that.

If we're evaluating horrible outlook on life here, maybe you should have a glance in the mirror. :yes:
 
N801BH said:
His pension is derived from taxes.... Are you saying he is sitting at a card table signing autographs for 50 bucks a pop, cash money and declaring every cent??:dunno:....


Dream on sir...
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Oh, wait we've got a deflection. A deflection has definitely been called. This has now migrated from 'he doesn't deserve money over his pension' to; he's not paying his fair share of taxes.

Not that I disagree with you, if he's making money he should pay taxes on it. Including all the deductions he is lawfully allowed.

Man, all these judgmental people here, when we all know that he should just be happy, and thankful that we let him live in the same country as all the righteous progressives.
 
:popcorn:

Met him a couple of times back in the 70's at Edwards AFB. Seemed OK at that time but then so was I "to the best of my knowledge and belief".;)

Cheers
 
ChrisK said:
I really enjoyed his autobiography :dunno:
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Of course, EVERYone looks good in their autobiography. Or in a biography where they hire/cooperate with the writer.

Hadn't heard about these issues, but figured there was something going on concerning the right to use his name. On a posting in another forum, I once included a sentence saying something like "You've got to be some kind of Chuck Yeager..." and the forum autocorrect changed that to, "You've got to be some kind of famous test pilot..."

Ron Wanttaja
 
N801BH said:
Yeah, but..........Ol Chuckles is cashing a rather substantial pension check the US guv sends him every month.... The taxpayers are subsidising his greedy scam......

I say cut off the pension checks and see how long he can survive...

I give him 2 months ... max...
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I could be wrong, but I see these as two very separate issues. Gen.Yeager flew in combat and was shot down. He managed a very difficult egress from France and then volunteered to return to combat. He continued on to have a full career, managing to aid in the advancement of some significant goals for the development of aviation. For that he has rightfully earned and fully deserves his pension.

The outside revenue and personal conduct should in no way be connected with his past accomplishments.
 
Humm........ I don't like movie stars or pro sports figures either. Most of them didn't put there arases on the line...... At least the ones under 50.... sigh..........
 
Threefingeredjack said:
.....The outside revenue and personal conduct should in no way be connected with his past accomplishments.
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His "past accomplishments" are allowing him the "outside revenue"... He would be nothing except for the fact the US military gave him a chance and he converted that experience into a money making machine.. I say good for him.... My point was/is..... Pay the taxes on the revenue he makes off charging US taxpayers for autographs and naming rights... It is only fair..... And the legal thing to do..:yes:
 
DavidWhite said:
Yeager is a real turd
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Something I have heard as well. That said, anyone is entitled to their opinion and to do as they like with their own artwork, including their signature. I don't agree with the practice, but he is entitled to it in my own opinion.
 
I had lunch with Chuck and Bud Anderson at Oshkosh back in 99 and he was very nice and signed my Oshkosh hat for me. No charge and he was very nice. That's a single data point but how many others have had any personal interaction with him?
 
jtheune said:
That's a single data point but how many others have had any personal interaction with him?
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I met him about 15 years ago at a fly-in down in San Antonio. It wasn't a long meeting, we just chatted a bit about some of the new composites. As I recall, he wasn't a fan at the time. I didn't ask him to sign anything as I'm not a collector. We took a picture with my old clunky digital camera, and that was about it. Nice enough on balance, but pretty brief.
 
I don't look up things on childhood heroes for fear they will all turn out to be d-bags... Woody Harelson (sp), Merle Haggard, David Carodine... lol I heard enough to know they are human so I just leave it well enough alone and try to respect the finer qualities alone. Few actually turn out to be role-models. kind of like presidents historically make poor ones too.
 
Yeager did what he did and you can't take that away from him... but I'd rather have a beer with Hoover any day.
 
rottydaddy said:
Yeager did what he did and you can't take that away from him... but I'd rather have a beer with Hoover any day.
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His wingman "Bud" Anderson is a classy guy, and as far as I know, still a CFI, too. I had a really nice chat with him two years ago at Wings Over Houston.

Ryan
 
DavidWhite said:
He came and went at the exact same time
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1801096-badum_tish_super.jpg
 
Wasn't the word that teh new "Mrs. Yeager" is running Chuck with her arm up his backside like whatername did with Groucho Marx?

I ran into Chuck just upon entering Oshkosh when I started going again and asked him a for picture. No problem but he didn't say anything.
 
N801BH said:
.... My point was/is..... Pay the taxes on the revenue he makes off charging US taxpayers for autographs and naming rights... It is only fair..... And the legal thing to do..:yes:
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I have been searching the web and I can't find any information about Chuck Yeager's tax evasion. Do you have a link?
 
Yes, Yeager has gotten pretty sick of autograph collectors. But in his defense, until the last decade he freely signed stuff through the mail for collectors. He signed anything you wanted without charge for 50 years. If he's now tired of providing free inventory for eBay merchants, can't say I blame him.
 
This is the exact reason I don't do awesome things. Friggin autograph leeches. sheesh.
 
Read his book... The real Chuck comes through. Jimmy Doolittle was my man...
 
Threefingeredjack said:
I could be wrong, but I see these as two very separate issues. Gen.Yeager flew in combat and was shot down. He managed a very difficult egress from France and then volunteered to return to combat. He continued on to have a full career, managing to aid in the advancement of some significant goals for the development of aviation. For that he has rightfully earned and fully deserves his pension.

The outside revenue and personal conduct should in no way be connected with his past accomplishments.
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Thank you.

And frankly, being "Facebook friends" is a little stalkerish, don't you think? Yeager doesn't know the OP from Moses.

I'll never understand celebrity worship, and the inevitable fall from grace that happens when a larger than life person all of the sudden seems to have normal human flaws and frailties. :dunno:
 
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