Jeana Yeager

Jeana Yeager ( born May 18, 1952 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American test pilot. She was famous for her flight with the Voyager aircraft. She is not related to the known pilots and General Chuck Yeager.

It started with Dick Rutan on December 14, 1986 this aircraft to the first non-stop flight around the world without refueling and intermediate landing. They flew in 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds a distance of 42,120 km.

In her youth she was crazy about horses, and was fascinated by helicopters. After she commuted at a young age frequently between Texas and California, she moved in 1977 to Santa Rosa, California, where she worked as a Surveyor for a local company. In the following years she acquired the helicopter pilot's license and learned to fly.

During this time she met the rocket engineer Bob Truax, who offered her a job in a private research project for an aircraft. In 1980, she then got on an air show in Chino, California Dick Rutan and his brother Burt Rutan the developer know. With the aircraft set them on various long distance and speed records for women, including for a 2000 km distance. In 1986, she was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest civilian award of the USA.