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Peter Girard
American aviator / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Peter Frank "Pete" Girard (May 5, 1918 – February 12, 2011) was a United States Army Air Forces pilot, Chief Engineering Test Pilot for Ryan Aeronautical, and the first man to hover in a jet vertical flight. This feat was accomplished on November 24, 1953, during tests that would culminate in the development of the Ryan X-13 Vertijet. He would later accomplish the first full-cycle vertical takeoff, horizontal flight, and vertical landing in a jet aircraft on April 11, 1957, at Edwards Air Force Base. Prior to working with Ryan, Girard worked at Curtiss-Wright in St. Louis, Missouri and served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator pilot.
Peter Girard | |
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![]() Girard with the Ryan X-13 Vertijet in 1955, shortly after its first conventional flight. | |
Born | (1918-05-05)May 5, 1918 |
Died | February 12, 2011(2011-02-12) (aged 92) |
Nationality | American |