Billy Jack 'B.J' Long 1923 -2014

The Sea Dart test program began in December 1952 and ended in late 1957 with the three test aircraft performing over 300 test operations. All tests were conducted from the Convair San Diego Bay seaplane ramp. Billy Jack (B.J.) Long was Convairs project engineering test pilot for the XF2Y-1 and was one of four Convair engineering test pilots that were involved in the program along with several Navy test pilots from the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. Five Sea Dart aircraft were built. Only three were flown, with four aircraft still in existence today. The second aircraft crashed on 4 November 1954, and the last two aircraft were completed as airframes only, without the engines ever being installed.