3 VETERAN PILOTS FROM A.V. TO LAND ON WALK OF HONOR.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Three residents of the Antelope Valley, including the first YF-22 test pilot, the first Air Force F-15 pilot and a NASA research pilot are among this year's inductees to Lancaster's Aerospace Walk of Honor.

The 1998 honorees are Dave Ferguson, Richard L. Johnson, Thomas C. McMurtry, Wendell ``Wendy'' Shawler and Robert L. ``Silver Fox'' Stephens. The five men will be honored during a ceremony and dinner Sept. 19.

The Aerospace Walk of Honor recognizes the achievements of test pilots who have a connection with Edwards Air Force Base. The walk's 40 inductees include Chuck Yeager, W.J. ``Pete'' Knight and Neil Armstrong.

Ferguson, a Lancaster resident and director of flight operations for Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, worked on the F-117 stealth fighter and the YF-22 advanced tactical fighter, the prototype of the F-22 Raptor.

On Sept. 29, 1990, Ferguson made the first YF-22 flight, flying the aircraft from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base.

``I'm deeply honored,'' Ferguson said. ``Just to be included in that group of people means a lot to me.''

A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and a Vietnam War veteran, Ferguson joined Lockheed in 1979 to work on the F-117 stealth fighter. Ferguson was the second company pilot to fly the F-117 and has logged more than 500 flights in the aircraft.

``I was involved with that airplane from the beginning. I was very pleased in how that all came together and became the terrific airplane we knew it would be,'' Ferguson said.

Ferguson is a fellow and past president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and has twice won that organization's top honor, the Iven C. Kincheloe Award - once in 1983 for his work with the F-117 and again in 1991 for his work with the YF-22.

Ferguson has flown over 6,500 hours in 60 different aircraft.

Shawler, a Palmdale resident and staff member of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, was the first director of the F-15 joint test force. Shawler was the first Air Force pilot to fly the F-15 Eagle, regarded as the world's top air superiority fighter.

``I'm very happy,'' Shawler said of his selection. ``I consider it a real high honor.''

Shawler is a retired Air Force colonel and a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He flew 296 combat missions.

During his flight test career, Shawler flew over 9,000 hours in 78 different aircraft. Shawler also is a fellow and past president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Shawler said he will be retiring next week and plans to move to Florida.

The other Antelope Valley resident is McMurtry, who is now director of flight operations at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. McMurtry, a graduate of the Naval Test Pilot School, joined NASA as a research pilot in 1967.

McMurtry made the first flights of the F-8 supercritical wing project and the AD-1 oblique wing airplane. McMurtry also co-piloted the 747 shuttle carrier aircraft as it transported the shuttle Enterprise on its first flight in 1977.

McMurtry received the Iven C. Kincheloe Award for his work with the AD-1 oblique wing in 1982.

McMurtry has logged over 11,000 hours of flying time, including flying the U-2, the X-24B, the F-104 and F-15.

Johnson, who resides in Aledo, Texas, made the first flight of the variable sweep wing F-111, including the first wing sweep demonstration and the first F-111 supersonic mission.

Stephens, who died in 1984, was the first military pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and the YF-12A, the prototype interceptor version of the Blackbird. From 1963 to 1968, Stephens was the test director for the SR-71 and YF-12A test force.

The 1998 Aerospace Walk of Honor festivities will begin with the public unveiling of the 6-foot-tall granite monuments at noon Sept. 19, in front of the library at Lancaster Boulevard and Cedar Avenue. The unveiling ceremony is free and open to the public.

The pilots will also be honored that same day at 6 p.m. with a formal banquet at the Essex House, 44916 10th St. West. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at City Hall or at the box office of the Lancaster Performing Arts Center.

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos

PHOTO (1) FERGUSON

(2) JOHNSON

(3) MCMURTRY

(4) SHAWLER

(5) STEPHENS