Legendary Wartime Pilot Chuck Yeager Sues Virgin America
Helen YoungCharles “Chuck” Yeager, a retired Air Force Brigadier General and the first pilot to have surpassed the speed of sound, is currently suing Virgin America Inc., for what he said is an unauthorized use of his name in a promotional campaign for a new in-flight wireless Internet service.
The airline released a statement saying “Not unlike Buzz Aldrin or Chuck Yeager, you have the opportunity to be part of a monumental moment in air travel,” which spurred a complaint filed in a California state court in San Francisco.
Legal representation for Yeager said that never did General Yeager had agreed to have his name used in any advertising campaign.
According to statements made in the lawsuit, the eighty-six-year-old pilot retired pilot and record breaker is known to rarely if at all allow the use of his name or image by private firms or to be linked with a commercial enterprise in the aviation industry.
A court order banning Virgin from using his name is being sought by Yeager and his legal team. He’s also going after profits earned by the passenger carrier while using his name plus punitive damages.
Yeager fought during World War II as a pilot and in 1947, became the first person to surpass the speed of sound, 761 miles an hour at sea level.
The other person mentioned in the virgin message, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, is the astronaut who was part of the Apollo 11 crew and walked on the moon.
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Filed under Celebrity, Travel News, World News