18 Facts About Tony LeVier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tony LeVier 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.

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

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

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

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

Tony LeVier was succeeded as chief engineering test pilot at Lockheed by Herman "Fish" Salmon.

Tony LeVier 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.