Lt-Cdr James B.Verdin 1919 -1955

Douglas F-4D Skyray
Douglas Test Pilots L-R, George Jansen, Bob Rahn,William Bridgeman and James Verdin

On October 3, 1953, Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray BuNo 124587 flown by Navy Test Pilot Lt-Cdr James B. Verdin set a new world's air speed record of 752.944 mph over a three-kilometer course above the Salton Sea in California. This was the first time in history that the world air speed record had been captured by a carrier-based aircraft. On October 16 of that year, Douglas test pilot Bob Rahn used the same aircraft to set a 100-km closed course speed record of 728.11 mph over Muroc Dry Lake.
James B.Verdin was a WWII winner of the Navy Cross and D.F.C. He was killed in the crash of A4D-1 BuNo 137815 on January 21,1955