Tony LeVier

	TONY LeVIER Leading Test Pilot - Flight Safety Advocate
	Born in Duluth, Minnesota, on 14 February 1913, he took his first flying lesson at 15. By 1932 he was a successful commercial aviator and was winning major air racing events. His long association with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation began in 1941. In 1942, he tested the high-speed transonic flight characteristics of the P-38 fighter and demonstrated the P-38 to the military pilots in England to maximize its combat capability. He began testing jet-powered aircraft in June 1944 and was first to fly the XP-80A, America's first operational jet fighter. As Chief Engineering Test Pilot, he flew the first test flights on most of Lockheed's new jet aircraft. He was the third pilot to exceed the speed of sound in the XF-90 and the first pilot to exceed 1000 mph in a turbine-powered airplane, the F-104. He was Lockheed's Director of Flying Operations from 1955 until his retirement in 1974. LeVier's extensive flight test work contributed significantly to the advancement of airplane design. His emphasis on thorough pilot training and two-seat jet trainers saved many young pilots' lives. Since retirement, his major efforts have been to enhance all pilots' flight safety awareness.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1993