George Jansen was a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

during the golden age of flight test at

Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...

from the late 1940s through the 1950s. He not only flew as test pilot for many experimental planes such as the

Douglas A2D Skyshark The Douglas A2D Skyshark was an American turboprop-powered attack aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. The program was substantially delayed by engine reliability problems, and was canceled because more prom ...

but also flew drop planes such as the

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

for other flight tests such as carrying the

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (or D-558-II) is a rocket and jet-powered research supersonic aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. On 20 November 1953, shortly before the (17 December) 50th anniversary of pow ...

piloted by

Bill Bridgeman William Barton Bridgeman (June 25, 1916 – September 29, 1968) was an American test pilot who broke aviation records while working for the Douglas Aircraft Company, testing experimental aircraft. In July 1951, the United States Navy announced t ...

. Born in Willows, California in 1921, he learned to fly crop dusting planes at the Nolta Air Service. In 1941 he entered the Army Air Corps. Jansen flew

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s from England during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

including the famous Ploesti Raid. After the war he Joined Douglas Aircraft Co. as a test pilot, flying many aircraft including the A2D, A3D, B-66 and the B-29 drop plane for the rocket powered Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket, which set an altitude record of over 79,000 ft. at a speed of Mach 1.4. He later became the head of flight test for

Douglas Aircraft The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as ...

and flew the maiden flights of commercial aircraft like the DC9 and DC10 from the Douglas Long Beach Facility. After his death in the 1990s he was honored with a Plaque in

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 173,51 ...

near

References

* Yeager, Chuck and Leo Janos. ''Yeager: An Autobiography''. New York: Bantam, 1985. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Jansen, George American test pilots Year of birth missing 1990s deaths