These photographs are of Test Pilots,Engineers,and various research and production aircraft flown on test flights mostly from the late 1940's through to the present day. Most of these have been kindly signed by those depicted
Friday, November 25, 2005
Lt Col Gay E. Jones USAF (Ret) 1926-2010
Gay Edward Jones graduated from Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB in 1962. He has particpated in many programs, including C-130 performance,structures,stability and control. He was one of two Airforce pilots on the X-21 Laminar flow project. He became Chief of the V/STOL Branch and chief pilot of the XC-142A bit wing tests.
He has performed drops from B-52 on the X-15, and airdrop tests on the C-130,C-141,XC-142. He was a pilot on the B-57 in Southeast Asia on night dive bombing missions. He became Director of Flight Test Operations,ASD at Wright Paterson AFB, where he supervised approx 300 test projects.
After his military service he became a Boeing 707 pilot for Trans Mediterranean Airlines based in Beirut,Lebanon until the civil war there. He had lectured at the USC and resumed his test pilot activities and completed a 40hour test program on his 'home built' aircraft.