WV airport to open Chuck Yeager exhibit on his 75th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier

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A new exhibit on Chuck Yeager coinciding with the 75th anniversary of his breaking the sound barrier has been opened at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

Officials from the airport participated in the opening Monday, along with staff from Marshall University, where Yeager donated artifacts in 1986.

"Gen. Yeager’s influence on our airport and on the aviation community at large is undeniable," airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri said in a news release.

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The exhibit is located in the airport’s observation area.

Captain Charles Yeager stands beside Bell X-1 after the first powered take off of the supersonic plane in 1949. The West Virginia International Yeager Airport will hold a Chuck Yeager exhibit to honor the 75th anniversary of him breaking the sound barrier. (Getty Images)

Lori Thompson, Marshall’s head of special collections, said that among the materials in the display are a framed copy of "Bell XS-1 Makes Supersonic Flight," from Aviation Week, December 22, 1947; a plaque presented for years of dedicated service from the U.S. Air Force; a sculpture on a wooden base commemorating the 50th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier in 1997; and a plaque presented by the Charleston Gazette-Mail for "West Virginian of the Year."

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David Pittenger, a Marshall professor who also works with the flight school, said the long-term goal is to have a rotation of shows about Yeager that draw from the university’s archives.