Chuck Yeager Sues Virgin Airlines Over Name Use

Retired Air Force General Chuck Yeager, the pilot who first broke the speed of sound, has filed suit against Virgin America Airlines., claiming that the carrier has used his name in conjunction with an advertisement for Virgin’s new on-board wireless Internet access without his consent.

The press release issued by Virgin stated, “Not unlike Buzz Aldrin or Chuck Yeager, you have the opportunity to be part of a monumental moment in air travel.”

Yeager’s attorneys state in the suit that, “at no time did General Yeager give his permission to defendants.”

As a general rule, Yeager rarely allows the use of his name or image for commercial products or services, the lawsuit stated.

The suit seeks a court order preventing the company from continuing to use his name and for the profits earned by Virgin from using his name, as well as punitive damages.

Yeager was a fighter pilot in World War II, and later became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound in 1947.

As an Air Force test pilot, his career was highlighted in the 1979 book “The Right Stuff,” which was later made into a movie.

The other name in Virgin’s advertisement belongs to former astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, who walked on the moon as a member of the Apollo 11 crew.