A tribute to "Chuck Yeager" - [T4] Corner | [05] APEX Circuit

The fourth corner of the [05] APEX circuit is dedicated to General Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), the American test pilot who made history on October 14, 1947, by becoming the first human to break the sound barrier in level flight aboard the Bell X-1 experimental aircraft, named “Glamorous Glennis” after his wife.

But Yeager didn't settle for the supersonic record. He had an illustrious aviation career. The Soviet pilot Georgi Mosolov, flying a MiG-21 derivative called the E-66A, broke the altitude record at 34,714 meters in April 1961. Therefore, Yeager wanted to bring the record back to the US, so he attempted to do so onboard the NF-104A, reaching an amazing altitude of 33,680 meters. The second attempt stretched the aircraft's performance to the absolute limits, and the F-104 entered a flat spin, with Yeager successfully ejecting at 2,591 meters with severe burns from the ejection seat rocket motor. Nevertheless, in a short time, Yeager resumed flight activity.

Chuck Yeager's final supersonic flight took place on October 14, 2012, when he flew in an F-15D Eagle at the age of 89—exactly 65 years to the minute since his historic 1947 milestone. The flight occurred once again over the Mojave Desert (Edwards Air Force Base), and although flying in dual-control command, Yeager was at the controls of the fighter jet as he went supersonic for the very last time, reaching approximately Mach 1.3.

A high-speed aviation pioneer legendary for his absolute calm in the face of the unknown and his infallible engineering intuition, Yeager transformed piloting from a profession into an extreme art form of survival and control. He proved that limits exist only to be shattered through pure courage and a rigorous understanding of physics.

In this fourth corner of the [05] APEX circuit, a 90-degree turn framed by two long straightaways, where ground-effect hovering vehicle pilots test their response limits through the actuation of electro-mechanical systems without any digital stabilization aid, we honor the spirit of Chuck Yeager, the man who piloted the supersonic X-1 using the same foundational type of electro-mechanical systems. It is the corner where human reflex and analog machinery become one, defying gravity and pushing pilot skill to the absolute limit on the Cosmobaza track.

No wheels. No asphalt. Only absolute precision and piloting instinct.

Just as Yeager was an absolute master of electro-mechanical flight control, he remains a permanent role model for ABWC pilots and an inspiring benchmark for everyone gathered trackside at Cosmobaza, because the ABWC is not merely a sports competition, but an institution that builds character in an era increasingly lacking in high-caliber role models.

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