16 Facts About Anthony LeVier

1.

Anthony W LeVier was an American air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s.

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2.

From an early age, Tony Anthony LeVier had been much more interested in flying than his studies, so he dropped out of high school to pursue flying full-time.

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3.

Anthony LeVier worked odd jobs to pay for food and flying, mostly maintaining airplanes or flight instructing.

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4.

Anthony LeVier modified it for air racing and painted it bright red.

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5.

Anthony LeVier competed at the national air races in Cleveland in 1946 and won second place in the Thompson Trophy.

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6.

Anthony LeVier started at Lockheed ferrying Hudson bombers to Canada for delivery to the Royal Air Force.

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7.

Anthony LeVier later trained and checked out pilots in the Hudson and its transport variant, the Lodestar.

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8.

Anthony LeVier's test flying was instrumental in proving the Lockheed P-38 Lightning design.

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9.

In 1944, Anthony LeVier visited Eighth Air Force air bases in Great Britain to demonstrate the engine-out reliability of the P-38.

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10.

Anthony LeVier left England less than a week before the invasion of Normandy.

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11.

Anthony LeVier had made the first flight of the XP-80A in January, and the testing program continued through 1944 and into 1945.

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12.

In October 1944, Milo Burcham was killed in the crash of a production P-80, and Tony Anthony LeVier filled his office as chief engineering test pilot in January 1945.

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13.

Anthony LeVier tested two evolutions of the P-80: the T-33 and the three variants of the F-94 Starfire.

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14.

Anthony LeVier performed most of the tests of the XF-90 penetration fighter prototype.

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15.

Anthony LeVier flew the first flights of the XF-104 Starfighter, and the U-2.

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16.

In 1972 Anthony LeVier took an L-1011 Tristar on a world tour promoting Lockheed's newest and largest commercial airliner.

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