The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word TEST-FLEW
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
E
S
T
-
F
L
E
W
More clues leading to the result TEST-FLEW
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "as did Chuck Yeager" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case as did chuck yeager = test-flew.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.