i have to correct mrbsico for not pay attention to the very thing he comment on . it not that he turn down the opportunity to apply to be an astronaut and it that chuck yeager wasn not allow to apply . when seraching for astronaut harry shearer character praise yeager a the ace of ace and but go on to say that he doesn not fit the profile of the type of man washington be look for because he never go to college . this be a true pre requisite which the mercury program have . also and the scene at the end where yeager crash his nf 104 doesn not bring him down and it glorify him . gordo cooper even comment that he get on the cover of magazine and get a free car and free lunch all across america and a free home with all the furnishing and load of money and i ain not even be up there yet . he famous because he an astronaut alone not because of anything he do . kaufman cut back and forth between the scene where cooper be with yeager flight in the desert for reason . yeager almost alone with no medium around and out in the desert attempt a record which would not put him on life magazine cover . he try to set a record because that what he make of . he have the right stuff while which be something cooper reazlies a we cut back to the reception and gordo be ask by the reporter who the best pilot he ever saw be . yeager may have crash his plane in his last flight of the movie and but he emerge a a fearless man ever up for the challenge . and that he not do any of it for fame or fortune ( although in real life the real yeager cash in with tv ad and a best selling autobiography after both the book and the movie be release . ) . that what rare about this movie for hollywood to have make . film be almost never about measure a man inner desire and but rather his be able to win the fight at the end . yeager in contrast doesn not win the flight record at the film end and but he be still the hero . this be because he dare to do what we never would . and even after his plane crash he walk out of the gulf of fire and smoke with a severely burned face a if he will be back while you can not keep him down . this be why a the rescuer drive the ambulance a he see yeager figure walk out of the fire in the distance asks and be that a man . and jack ridley reply and youre damn right it be . ridley isn not merely remark that it a man over there and he be comment that in our world yeager be one of the few true men . this film be not about the space program . that be merely a pretext to explore the type of men who have what it take to volunteer for dangerous mission even in time of peace . it about men who have the right stuff and of all those men whom we see in the movie it be yeager who shin about all others .