Re: Test Pilots
Thanks to Stargazer and others I've been able to "nutshell" Bob Chilton's biography as follows:
Robert Creed "Bob" Chilton
"Mister P-51"
Robert Creed Chilton was born on 6 February 1912 in Klamath Falls, Oregon and grew up in Boise, Idaho. After graduating from Boise High School in 1931 he went on to further his education at the University of Oregon in Eugene beginning in September 1933. While attending college, Bob - as he preferred people to call him, took four years of Infantry Training in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). He also proved to be quite the athlete in college earning the honor and title of All-American in springboard diving, winning the conference championship in 1935, 1936 and 1937. He graduated from the University of Oregon in June 1937 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.
In spite of his extensive ROTC infantry training Chilton joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1937 as a flying cadet. He received his primary and advanced flight training at Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas, earned his wings and graduated in 1938. He was assigned to the 79th Pursuit Squadron, 20th Pursuit Group at Barksdale Field in Louisiana flying the Curtiss P-36 Hawk during which time he got a ruptured ear drum and was suspended from active duty. He returned to civilian life as a U.S. Army Air Corps Reservist to become an aviation instructor for the USAAC primary flying school in Santa Monica, California. Opportunity knocked and he left the school to take a job as test pilot with North American Aviation (NAA). He joined NAA in January 1941 at the age of 29 and was assigned to the AT-6 Texan, B-25 Mitchell and P-51Mustang flight test programs in Inglewood, California. One of his first duties there was to take a familiarization flight in the company owned NA-73X demonstration pursuit airplane - forerunner of the famed Mustang series of aircraft. With his earlier flying experience on fighters and proven flying skills he was soon promoted to chief engineering test pilot on the Mustang program.
Chilton made the first flights on nearly all versions of the Mustang as well as uncounted additional flights to gather critical engineering data on many of its numerous variants as well as the first flights on several other NAA airplanes and advanced to senior engineering test pilot before leaving NAA. For his extensive first flights logged on the various P-51 models he earned the nickname Mister P-51.
Chilton never once had a crack-up or had to bail-out during his P-51 flying career. "This can be explained by the fact that most of my test flying has been with the Mustang, which, in my opinion, is the most perfect ship ever built," he affirmed. But on 4 August 1943 he and his crew successfully bailed-out and survived the crash of the one-of-a-kind North American XB-28A he was piloting. It had developed engine trouble and subsequently crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Balboa, California.
In 1945 Chilton became a 'rocket man' of sorts when he performed the first and subsequent test flights on a modified P-51D equipped with a rocket motor for assisted short takeoff tests.
During the Korean War, in 1952, Chilton returned to active duty with the USAF as a Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Air Force reserve). His primary duty for this five-year tour was that of Chief of the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and F-105 Thunderchief Weapon System Project Office, Headquarters, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. He left this job in 1957. He was subsequently employed by Horkey-Moore Associates as Vice President - Developments, and in September 1961 he was appointed Secretary and Contracts Administrator for Space Equipment Corporation in Torrance, California headed by firm founder and President Edward J. "Ed" Horkey, former chief aerodynamicist at NAA and a major player throughout the Mustang and other NAA programs.
Mr. Chilton joined the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in 1959 and was subsequently upgraded to Associate Fellow, later to Fellow. He was also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the Ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen.
Mr. Chilton returned to North American Aviation in 1965 and beginning in 1968 he served as Program Manager - Advanced Avionics Flight Test. In this seven-year position, Chilton overseen extensive modifications to a Boeing B-47 Stratojet - designated RB-47H, whereby it was extensively used as a flying avionics laboratory. This particular B-47 became the last one in the world on flying status. Throughout this test program, Chilton performed as part of the flight crew, including the last flight of this aircraft to the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida in 1975. He remained with NAA until his retirement in 1977. At this time he had more than 36 years experience with the aircraft and missile industries.
Bob Chilton eventually flew no less than 79 different types of aircraft. These included the North American AT-6A Texan and AT-6C Texan, North American NA-98X, North American XB-28A, Supermarine Spitfire Mark III and Spitfire Mark V, Hawker Hurricane Mark II, North American XFJ-1 and FJ-1 Fury, North American XP-86 Sabre Jet, Bell YP-59A Airacomet, Lockheed YP-80A Shooting Star, North American Navion, Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2, Lockheed P-38G, P-38H and P-38K Lightning, Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, Chance Vought F4U-1 and F4U-1D Corsair, Bell P-39N and P-39Q Airacobra, Republic P-47C, P-47D and P-47G Thunderbolt, Curtiss P-40F, P-40L and P-40N Warhawk, and the North American P-82 Twin Mustang series of aircraft including the XP-82.
Mr. Chilton also performed a series of high altitude flights on the XP-51F Mustang to test and develop experimental a pressure/oxygen control regulator and mask, anti-G suit, and control systems. He also served as a consultant to the School of Aviation Medicine at the University of California.
Chilton resided in Eugene for the most part after he retired. He passed away due to natural causes on 31 January 1994 at the age of 82.
Mr. Chilton made numerous first flights on new aircraft at NAA - more than any other North American test pilot before or after him. These included:
4/3/41, NA-73X (a one hour familiarization flight plus 12 subsequent flights including its last flight)
5/20/41, XP-51 Mustang
5/20/42, P-51 Mustang
9/27/42, A-36A Mustang
11/30/42, XP-51B Mustang
2/3/43, P-51A Mustang
5/5/43, P-51B Mustang (first production P-51B)
11/17/43, 'XP-51D' Mustang prototype (a modified P-51B-10-NA with clear frameless bubble-type canopy)
11/17/43, P-51D-1-NA (first of two NA-106 service test airplanes built)
(Note: The previous two entries above have yet to be documented. It remains unclear as to whether the so-called ‘XP-51D’ flew on 11/17/43 or whether it was the first P-51D-1-NA.)
2/2/44, XP-51F Mustang (number one of three built)
44, XP-51G (number two of two built)
2/3/45, P-51H Mustang (first of 555 built)
7/3/48, XAJ-1 Savage (first of three built)
Sources:
Stepháne “Stargazer” Beaumort, Secret Projects.com website monitor
Jane E. Fortner, University of Oregon; Old Oregon, Volume 24, Number 4
Jeannine Geiger, Archives Technician, Air Force Test Center History Office, Edwards AFB, California
Susan Gron, Membership Administrator, Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SEPT)