William 'Bill' Casey

C-17 first flight crew L-R, Henry Van De Graaf, Boeing flight test engineer, Bill Casey, Boeing Chief Test Pilot,Lt. Col. George London, U.S. Air Force pilot and Ted Venturini, Boeing chief loadmaster.

Bill Casey had a distinguished career with McDonnell Douglas as an engineering and experimental test pilot and ultimately as director of Flight Operations for Military Transport Aircraft here. Casey was the chief pilot for the YC-15 and he flew the first flight of the YC-15 on August 26, 1975. It was part of the Air Force's Advanced Medium Short-takeoff-and-landing Transport program. Although production of the YC-15 was not approved, many of the technologies demonstrated by it were incorporated into the Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, including the blown-flaps lift technology for short-field capability. Casey commanded the first flight of the C-17 on Sept. 15, 1991, and established an outstanding safety record for the new multi-role airlifter. He retired in 1997.