Gene May
Test Pilot
Extraordinaire!
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The War YearsThis page is nowhere near finished, but here is a little information to whet your appetite.
In the summer of 1942 Gene was promoted to the experimental test department, where he specialized in structural demonstration and high speed investigation. Among the more unusual airplanes he worked on were the XC-53A (the first plane with full-span flaps and first with fully heated wing and tail assemblies to ward off icing), the C-74 Globemaster (then the largest plane in the world), the TB2D Skypirate or Devastator II (used the same contra-rotating props that led to Howard Hughes' Beverly Hills crash), the XA-26F which had a jet engine inside the aft fuselage and larger radial engines, and of course the entire X-42/43 family. |
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All material on this web site, including images, is copyrighted. Reproduction or use elsewhere without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you have any information about Gene May or his family, please contact This web site designed and maintained by Carroll's Creations. |
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