PILOTS JOIN JET AGE WALK OF HONOR.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Daily News Staff Writer An F-117 stealth fighter blasted down Lancaster Boulevard, pulled up into a tight turn, made a second pass and rocketed skyward sky·ward adv. & adj. At or toward the sky. sky  wards adv. Saturday in salute to five test pilots named to the Aerospace Walk of Honor The Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California, USA, is a continually-growing venue for honoring test pilots who have significantly contributed to aviation and space research and development. . More than 300 people turned out for Saturday's ceremony unveiling 6-foot-tall granite and bronze monuments honoring Dave Ferguson, Richard Johnson Richard Johnson may refer to:
Sir Robert Stephens (14 July 1931 – 12 November 1995) was a leading actor in the early years of England's Royal National Theatre. . ``A public speaker I'm not,'' said Johnson, who set a world speed record in 1948 in a F-86 fighter jet, ``but I'm honored to be here in the Mojave Desert, the best place in the world to fly, in the company of the best people and the best pilots.'' The five 1998 honorees brought to 40 the number of pilots memorialized along the boulevard. The city started the Walk of Honor in 1998 to pay homage to the achievements of test pilots with connections to Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , and to illustrate the Antelope Valley's position - in Lancaster City Manager Jim Gilley's words - as ``the nation's true aerospace center.'' After the ceremony in the Lancaster Library courtyard, people lined up along the boulevard to collect autographs from the honorees. Some collected signatures on Walk of Honor posters or brochures handed out by city staffers. But others came prepared with aviation books, folders of airplane photographs - even airplane parts. Palmdale resident Tom Ashton brought along an eight-inch-square panel off a YF-22 to be signed by Ferguson, the plane's first pilot; black-and-white photos from the 1960s of the F-102 and F-106 jets flown by Johnson; a photo of an F-15 Eagle like that flown by Shawler, and other memorabilia. Ashton, a Lockheed Martin Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works employee, is one of those for whom the Walk of Honor ceremony is a can't-miss event. ``This is my ninth,'' he said. The pilots were honored Saturday evening at a black-tie dinner of beef Wellington and tiger shrimp at the Essex House. This year's inductees include three Antelope Valley residents: Ferguson, the first YF-22 test pilot; Shawler, the first Air Force F-15 pilot; and McMurtry, a director of flight operations at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center The Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. . Ferguson, a Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. veteran, is director of flight operations for Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. He was the second company pilot to fly the F-117 stealth fighter and in 1990 he made the first flight of the YF-22 advanced tactical fighter The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) contract was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter to counter emerging worldwide threats, including development and proliferation of Soviet-era Su-27 , the prototype of the F-22 Raptor. Shawler, who last month retired from 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 An air superiority fighter is a type of fighter aircraft intended to enter and seize control of enemy airspace. Air superiority fighters are usually expensive aircraft, and procured in lesser numbers compared to smaller and generally more limited aircraft. . McMurtry made the first flights in NASA's F-8 supercritical wing project and the AD-1 oblique wing airplane. McMurtry also co-piloted the 747 shuttle carrier aircraft The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) are two extensively modified Boeing 747 jetliners that NASA uses to transport a space shuttle orbiter. One is a 747-100 model, while the other is a short range 747-100SR. as it lifted the shuttle Enterprise on its first test glide in 1977. Johnson, who resides in Aledo, Texas, was a Convair test pilot when he flew the F-102 and F-106 fighter jets. He later made the first flight of the variable sweep wing F-111, plus 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 at Edwards. Because Stephens' award was posthumous, his widow, Joyce, spoke for him. She told the crowd: ``The one thing I would like to say is, to all the airmen and enlisted men who participated in these programs, who got the guys off the ground and brought them home to their families, I'd like to say, Thank you very much.'' CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO (color) Aerospace Walk of Honor inductee Dave Ferguson signs an autograph for Will Flynn, 8, Saturday in Lancaster. John Lazar/Daily News |
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