You likely know Chuck Yeager from his aviation exploits, which are probably at or beyond those of just about any other human being. Not only was Yeager the first man to break the sound barrier in level flight (and set a number of speed and altitude records to boot), he was also a decorated war hero who served in military command and retired as a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. However, after his retirement, Yeager took on a number of roles in the private sector, including work for General Motors’ AC Delco parts division.
That role led, in some way, to Chuck Yeager being the face of GM’s “Buckle your Safety Belt Life Belt” campaign in the 1985 with appearances in a couple of commercials. One doesn’t necessarily associate a test pilot with safety, but Yeager was still pitching MIC General—GMAC’s insurance arm—and their seatbelt guarantee on new GM cars that year. It’s a bit strange to see Yeager driving a pedestrian A-Body Buick Century in the first commercial below, but the end of the second commercial sees him hopping in his bright-yellow C4 Corvette after flogging a Northrop T-38 Talon trainer.
Coincidentally, Yeager drove a same-color Corvette during 1986 Indy 500 pace lap and then returned for the pace lap drive in 1988 in a then-new front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Yeah – so Air Force retirement pay wasn’t great in those days. Then GM had the idea of paying him $10,000 to sit in a Chevy strapped in the bomb bay of a B52 when it was launched into space at an altitude of 50,000 feet in order to break the sound barrier. Needless to say he took the offer of a free Ford and $10,000 per year…..
I worked on the T-38 in those commercials, its NT38TC,privatley owned.
A friend of mine was off camera for the shoots.
No kidding? Pretty cool old bird.
And Yeager is absolutely The Man.