Anthony LeVier - Air Racer & Lockheed Test Pilot/Twice Signed Card

Description

Anthony LeVier - Air Racer & Lockheed Test Pilot/Twice Signed Card
Anthony W. "Tony" LeVier (1913-1998) -  American air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s.
LeVier started at Lockheed ferrying Hudson bombers to Canada for delivery to the Royal Air Force. He later trained and checked out pilots in the Hudson and its transport variant, the Lodestar. His job description was changed to engineering test pilot in 1942 to fly the PV-1 Ventura .
His test flying was instrumental in proving the Lockheed P-38 Lightning  design. He and chief engineering test pilot  Milo Burcham alternated flying dive tests to observe the design's performance at transonic speeds. To demonstrate the reliability of the design in the hands of a skilled pilot, he performed aerobatic shows for students at the Polaris Flight school at War Eagle Field in nearby  Lancaster.
In 1944, LeVier visited Eighth Air Force Base air bases in Great Britain to demonstrate the engine-out reliability of the P-38. He left England less than a week before the invasion of Normandy.
When he returned to the United States, testing of the P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter was underway. He had made the first flight of the XP-80A in January, and the testing program continued through 1944 and into 1945. In October 1944, Milo Burcham was killed in the crash of a production P-80, and Tony LeVier filled his office as chief engineering test pilot in January 1945.
Just two months into his career as head of this department, he suffered a serious crash on March 20, 1945, when his P-80 lost its tail due to a faulty turbine blade. Upon landing, he broke his back and had to wear a brace during his recovery, but six months after his crash, he was back in the air.
He tested two evolutions of the P-80: the T-33 and the three variants of the F-94 Starfire. He also performed most of the tests of the XF-90 penetration fighter prototype. He also flew the first flights of the XF-104 Starfighter, and the U-2.
He was succeeded as chief engineering test pilot at Lockheed by Herman “Fish” Salmon. He died at the age of 84 on February 6, 1998 from complications of cancer and kidney failure, after surviving eight crashes and one mid-air collision.
8” x 4” card signed in felt tip pen as “Tony LeVier” on one side of the card and “Anthony W. LeVier” on the other side. Very fine.
This is from an extensive 50 year collection covering all categories, that was built from the 1940’s through the 1980’s.
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