Paul Albert Hartman DFC, AFC,CD 1918-1990

Paul Hartman moved to South Portland, Maine in 1933 where he was educated and learned to fly. He enlisted in 1941 in the RCAF and graduated as a pilot the same year. Hartman then completed operational training in Northern Ireland and joined No. 69 Squadron, RAF at Malta in 1942 where he flew a Wellington bomber on night operations. At the end of the war, Hartman served at the Test and Development Establishment at Rockcliffe, Ontario and later was named the commanding officer of the Central Experimenting and Proving Establishment. His extensive flying experience in all RCAF aircraft placed him in the role of test pilot of the CF-100 and the F-68E acceptance trials

Hans Werner-Lerche 1914-1994

Hans Werner-Lerche was a Luftwaffe Test Pilot during WW2. He flew over 120 different aircraft types, including evaluation of many allied aircraft. He was the principal pilot of the Luftwaffe test site at Mecklenburg Rechlin 1945.

Frank W.Davis 1914-2001

XP-81 first flight by Frank Davis

Frank Wilbur Davis was born in Charleston, West Virginia on 6 December 1914,after graduating from the California Institute of Technology in 1936, Mr. Davis served the next four years as a Marine Corps pilot.  He joined Convair’s Vultee Field Division at Downey, California in 1940.  He was chief of aerodynamics and flight test and also served as assistant chief engineer.  It was at Vultee Field that Mr. Davis became the first pilot in the USA to fly a turbo-prop-powered airplane - Convair’s experimental XP-81 fighter, developed for the United States Air Force in 1945. He also flight tested the following aircraft types:- BT-13,BT-15,P-66,XP-54,XP-81,XA-41,A-31 and A-35.

In 1947 Mr. Davis became chief design engineer at Convair’s San Diego, California Division, where he was closely identified with the development of the XF-92A, the world’s first delta-wing airplane.  He was also involved in the Air Force F-102 supersonic interceptor and several other Convair products.  He was named assistant to Convair’s vice president engineering in 1952, working primarily in the field of aircraft and missile research and development.  Two years later he became chief engineer at Convair-Fort Worth, and in 1959 was elevated to the position of a division vice president and manager of Convair-Fort Worth.

In 1961, he was named senior vice president of General Dynamics Corporation and president of General Dynamics/Fort Worth.  Here he was involved building the United States Air Force B-58 Hustler supersonic jet bomber.

Mr. Davis received many honors in the field of aviation, among them a degree of doctor of science by West Virginia for his contributions to the aeronautical sciences.  He was an Associate Fellow in the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences and held membership in American Nuclear Society, Society of Automotive Engineers, American Rocket Society, Board for Industry with the National Society of Professional Engineers, American Ordnance Society, Air Force Association, Ft. Worth Airpower Council, Navy League of US, Association of US Army, and Research ad Scientific Center Committee of Fort Worth.  He was also a member of the Power Plant Committee of NACA, and has served as a consultant to the Advisory Panel on Aeronautics in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering.  Mr. Davis was selected as an SETP Honorary Fellow in 1965.

Bruce F Jones

 Hiller Test Pilot Bruce Jones was the first person to autorotate a tip-powered helicopter. Ground observers stood aghast as he hurtled downward in the HJ-1, came to a radical flare in the nick of time, and settled to the ground. With a mix of relief and anger, Hiller's non-pilot contracts manager ran up to the Hornet, shouting that the craft was not insured. "Listen," the pilot replied hotly, steadying himself on rubbery legs. "I'm lucky to be alive! The aircraft was falling at 15m/s and I was falling at 10, and I barely caught up with the controls to land the damn thing!" Jones, a veteran World War II flier and a former Bell helicopter demonstration pilot, soon became the undisputed master of Hornet autorotations. An argument arose on the Hiller flight line one summer day in 1951 over what accuracy, if any, was possible during "deadstick" landings. Jones settled the issue once and for all by autorotating from 900m to land within 15m of dead center of the Hiller apron.

Capt. Mark G. Feuerstein

Capt. Mark Feuerstein is chief pilot of 747 programs for The Boeing Company. In this position, Feuerstein is responsible for engineering flight-test activities related to all Boeing 747 airplane models. He is also involved in design activities of the new Boeing 747-8. He was appointed to this role in October 2007.

Feuerstein joined The Boeing Company in 1997. His previous assignments include chief pilot for new airplane product development, assistant chief pilot 747, assistant chief pilot 787, and deputy military and special projects pilot. He has more than 7,000 hours of flight time in over 100 types of airplanes, and holds an FAA type rating in the 707, 737, 747, 747-400, 757, 767, 777, A-320 and A-330 airplanes.

Feuerstein received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1981. In 1987, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an engineering test pilot. In 1994, he received his Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Feuerstein is an associate fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is the Boeing Commercial Airplanes pilot representative to SAE International's Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Aircraft committee (S-7).

William R. "Ray" Young 1933-2008

Ray Young was born July 19, 1933 in French Camp Calif.  Ray worked for NASA as a Flight Test Engineer on both the YF-12/SR-71 programs at Edwards and the 747 that carried the space shuttle. He was  a retired Colonel in the US Air Force

Howard J.T Saint DSC 1893-1976

Capt. Howard Saint was Gloster's Chief test pilot from 1926 until 1933.

Saint was a student at Manchester University.Held the rank of Chief Petty Officer with the Royal Naval Armoured Cars, and was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant in August 1915.Undertook flying instruction in 1916.8 Flight B Squadron 5 Wing (later No.5 Squadron) flying bombers from September 1916 to 24th July 1917.No.10 Squadron from 26th July 1917 to 26th October 1917.Martlesham Heath serving as a test pilot until the end of the war.Holder of Commercial Licence No.1.Commercial pilot for Air Transport and Travel until 1922.Regularly competed in air races. In June 1919, Placed 5th in the Victory Aerial Derby around London (6th on handicap) flying an Airco DH9B. In September 1919 won a race around Holland. Rejoined the RAF in 1922, serving as a test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Factory.Joined the Gloster Aircraft Company in 1927 as Chief Test Pilot. In 1934 the Gloster Aircraft Company was acquired by Hawker Aircraft Ltd., and Saint was replaced by P.E.G. Sayer, Hawker’s Assistant Chief Test Pilot. Saint moved on to test machines for George Parnall and Company Ltd. This employment lasted just one year as Parnall and Company was acquired by Nash & Thompson Ltd. in 1935, the new company being concerned with the design and manufacture of aircraft gun turrets.Worked for the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough as a Flying Control Officer, until his retirement when he lived at Hove, Sussex. DSC gazetted on 2nd November 1917.

Quinten 'QB' H. Burden 1919-2013

Quentin H. “QB” Burden  was born on 2 May 1919 in Coeur d’Alene, ID and passed away on Tuesday, June 11 2013 . He was a Charter Member of  SETP.

QB served in the U.S. Navy from 1941-1946.  He joined the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1950 as an engineering and production test pilot on the AD, F-3D and A-3D airplanes.  He attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as a contractor pilot and graduated with Class 14.  He was subsequently assigned as an A-3D Engineering Project Test Pilot from 1955 to 1959 performing 5 complete A-3D structural and 4 aerodynamic demonstrations.  In 1969, he was assigned to the DC-8 program and performed the flutter flight test program, the minimum landing distance and engine air starts.

Quentin transferred to Lockheed as a project test pilot at the Missiles and Space Company and performed the first flight on the QT-2 airplane, a forerunner of Stealth airplanes for the Army.  He performed the structural, aerodynamic and engine demonstrations in addition to the extensive acoustical signature research program.  In 1968, he flew the first flight of the Q-Star, a Lockheed test bed for exploration of airborne micro acoustic signature phenomena.  He flew extensive flight test of power plants including an airplane version of the Wright-Rotary Engine.  In 1969, he repeated the same test programs for the YO-3A.

QB was twice assigned as a technical advisor to the U.S. Army Covert Aviation Systems Command in Southeast Asia, furthering the research and development of various Lockheed airplanes and weapons systems under actual combat conditions.  He later became the Chief Engineering Test Pilot for Lockheed’s Missiles and Space Company until his retirement in 1982.

Jesse Wallick

On Feb. 9, 1969 the first Boeing 747 made its maiden flight with 

flight engineer Jesse Wallick, pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle

Eugene (Gene) Whigham 1922-2005

Eugene (Gene) Whigham was a flight test engineer for Convair in San Diego for many years. Aircraft for which he had responsibility include the Sea Dart, the Guppy, and several production commercial transports. During his life he designed, built, and flew seven sailplanes. Gene’s first design, the Whigham GW-1, flew in 1959 and had a max L/D of 29 at 55 mph. Other designs followed with various configurations including one with v-tail and another with flaps. Gene competed in some regional and national competitions and earned his Silver Badge in 1957 and Gold in 1962.

Peter A Wilson 1925-

P.A. Wilson joined de Havilland. in 1957 as a Comet Development Test pilot. He served in the RAF from 1942 with No's 42 with 558 and 160 Squadrons. S.E.A.A.F. He joined Scottish Airline in 1948 and BEA in 1950. He moved to the BOAC Comet fleet in 1952 and on to the Constellation fleet in 1954. He was Development pilot with Hunting-Clan Air Transport from 1955 before returning to the Company.