General Chuck Yeager， the greatest test pilot of them all -- the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound . . .the World War II flying ace who shot down a Messerschmitt jet with a prop-driven P-51 Mustang . . .the hero who defined a certain quality that all hotshot fly-boys of the postwar era aimed to achieve: the right stuff.Now Chuck Yeager tells his whole incredible life story with the same "wide-open， full throttle" approach that has marked his astonishing career.??What it was really like enaging in do-or-die dogfights over Nazi Europe.??How after being shot over occupied France， Yeager somehow managed to escape.??The amazing behind-the-scenes story of smashing the sound barrier despite cracked ribs from a riding accident days before.The entire story is here， in Yeager s own words， and in wondeful insights from his wife and those friends and colleagues who have known him best.??It is the personal and public story of a man who settled for nothing less than excellence， a one-of-a-kind portrait of a true American hero.From the Paperback edition.