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{{Short description|Chief test pilot at Bell Aircraft}}
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'''Jack Valentine Woolams''' (1917–1946) - born on Valentine's Day, attended the [[University of Chicago]] for two years before joining the [[United States Army Air Corps]]. He served on active duty for approximately eighteen months, after which he returned to the University of Chicago and graduated with a degree in [[economics]] in June 1941.
{{Infobox aviator
|name = Jack Valentine Woolams
|image = Jack Woolams at Edwards AFB 1943.webp
|image_size =
|caption = [[Bell Aircraft]] chief test pilot Jack Woolams (1943)
|full_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1917|2|14}}
|birth_place = [[San Francisco]], California
|death_date = {{death date and age|1946|8|30|1917|2|14}}
|death_place = [[Lake Ontario]]
|death_cause = Plane crash
|nationality = American
|spouse =
|children =
|known_for = Test pilot
|first_flight_aircraft =
|first_flight_date =
|famous_flights = First pilot to fly the [[Bell X-1]]
|license_date =
|license_place =
|air_force =
|battles =
|rank =
|awards =
}}

'''Jack Valentine Woolams''' (1917–1946) was the senior experimental test pilot and later chief test pilot at [[Bell Aircraft]] during the introduction of the [[P-39]], [[P-63]], [[P-59]], and [[Bell X-1|X-1]] aircraft. He set a world record for altitude and was the first person to fly a fighter jet non-stop across the United States.

==Early life==
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Woolams was born on February 14, 1917 ([[Valentine's Day]]), to Leonard and Elsa Woolams in [[San Francisco]], California, and raised in the suburb of [[Ross, California]].<ref>{{cite web |title=United States Census, 1930 |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCDH-RQM |website=FamilySearch.com |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref> Woolams attended the [[University of Chicago]] for two years before joining the [[United States Army Air Corps]]. He served on active duty for approximately eighteen months, after which he returned to the University of Chicago and graduated with a degree in [[economics]] in June 1941.


==Career and flight records==
==Career and flight records==
Woolams joined [[Bell Aircraft]] later that month and was soon transferred from the [[test flight]] division to the experimental research division. In September 1942, he became the first person to fly a fighter aircraft coast to coast over the [[United States]] without stopping.
After college, Woolams was hired by [[Bell Aircraft]] chief test pilot [[Robert Stanley (aviator)|Bob Stanley]] as a test pilot. Woolams was soon transferred from the [[test flight]] division to the experimental research division. Woolams became chief test pilot when Stanley was promoted to vice president of engineering.<ref name=Johnston/> In September 1942, he became the first person to fly a fighter aircraft coast to coast over the [[United States]] without stopping.<ref name=NASA/>
In the summer of 1943, he set a new [[Flight altitude record|altitude record]] of 47,600 feet. He became chief [[test pilot]] for Bell in 1944, and was the first to fly the [[Bell X-1]] and the only one to pilot the plane at the Pinecastle facility in [[Orlando, Florida]].
In the summer of 1943, he set a new [[Flight altitude record|altitude record]] of 47,600 feet (14.500 m).<ref>{{cite web |title=Jack Woolams Establishes an Altitude Record |url=https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000192175/ |website=[[Edwards Air Force Base]] |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref> He became chief [[test pilot]] for Bell in 1944. Woolams was the first pilot to fly the [[Bell X-1]] and the only pilot to fly the rocket-plane at Bell's research facility at [[Pinecastle Army Airfield]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. Woolams was originally scheduled to fly the X-1 faster than the speed of sound,<ref name=Feinen/> but that honor would go to [[Chuck Yeager]].


==Personality==
==Personality==
Author Sterling Michael Pavelec records that Woolams once joined a group of trainee pilots while flying the experimental [[P-59]] jet airplane. The trainees, surprised to see a plane flying without propellers, were astonished to see Woolams flying the plane wearing an old Halloween gorilla mask, a bowler hat and smoking a cigar. Woolams waved at them and flew away.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sterling Michael Pavelec|title=The Jet Race and the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSLBdP22fq0C|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99355-9|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dSLBdP22fq0C&pg=PA133 133]}}</ref>
Woolams was known as a bit of a practical joker. While flying the still unknown experimental [[P-59]] jet airplane, he would join formation with unsuspecting pilots flying propeller-driven fighters and to their surprise, wave at them while wearing a [[gorilla mask]], [[bowler hat]], and [[cigar]], and then fly away leaving them behind.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sterling Michael |last=Pavelec |title=The Jet Race and the Second World War |via=[[Google Books]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSLBdP22fq0C |year=2007 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0-275-99355-9 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dSLBdP22fq0C&pg=PA133 133]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Jacobsen |title=Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base |title-link=Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base |publisher=[[Little Brown]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-316-19385-6 |chapter=Chapter 12}}</ref>


==Death and legacy==
==Death and legacy==
Woolams' career ended abruptly on August 30, 1946. He was killed in the [[Bell P-39 Airacobra|P-39]] "Cobra I" during a practice flight for the upcoming National Air Races in Cleveland, that were to occur the next day. Jack had flown back to western New York and the [[Bell Aircraft]] Plant in Wheatfield, NY, where the P-39 had been built at the Wheatfield plant but was owned by an organization known as Skylanes Unlimited. Woolams and the P-39 Airacobra returned to [[Niagara Falls]] on August 29, from Cleveland, after obtaining a disappointing qualifying speed of 392&nbsp;mph. Woolams was testing the red plane over Lake Ontario, late in the afternoon, possibly at speeds of up to 400&nbsp;mph. It suddenly and inexplicably crashed into the water, breaking apart upon impact. His body was recovered 4 days later.<ref>{{cite web|title=X-1 Biographies|url=https://history.nasa.gov/x1/woolam.html|publisher=NASA|accessdate=14 January 2013}}</ref> After the wreckage of Cobra I was recovered, it was believed a canopy failure was the cause of the crash and Woolams' death.<ref name=Johnston/>
Woolams died on August 30, 1946, in the crash of the modified [[Bell P-39 Airacobra|P-39]] ''Cobra I'' race-plane during a practice flight for the [[National Air Races]] in [[Cleveland]], Ohio, that were to occur the next day. Woolams flew the ''Cobra I'' from Cleveland back to [[Bell Aircraft]] in [[Niagara Falls]] on August 29, after obtaining a disappointing qualifying speed of {{convert|392|mph}}. Woolams was testing the plane over [[Lake Ontario]] late in the afternoon at speeds over {{convert|400|mph}} when it suddenly and inexplicably crashed into the water, breaking apart upon impact. His body was recovered four days later.<ref name="NASA">{{cite web |title=X-1 Biographies |url=https://history.nasa.gov/x1/woolam.html |publisher=NASA |access-date=14 January 2013}}</ref> After the wreckage of ''Cobra I'' was recovered, it was believed a canopy failure was the cause of the crash and Woolams' death,<ref name=Johnston/> however, eyewitnesses on the ground said they saw the tail separate from the aircraft, causing the crash.<ref name="Feinen">{{cite news |last=Feinen |first=Edward N. |title=Test Pilot Killed in Plane Crash |url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19460831.1.3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- |access-date=11 September 2022 |volume=57 |issue=149 |page=3 |newspaper=[[Indianapolis Times]] |date=August 31, 1946}}</ref>

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There was internal debate at [[Bell Aircraft]] as whether to continue with the race or not, but Woolams' teammate and fellow Bell test pilot, [[Tex Johnston]], insisted that Woolams would have raced if it was the other way around.<ref name=Johnston/> The day after Woolams' death, Johnston went on to win the 1946 [[Thompson Trophy]] in the ''Cobra II'', the identical twin of ''Cobra I''.<ref name="Johnston">{{cite book |last=Johnston |first=Tex |author-link=Tex Johnston |title=Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot |year=1991 |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution Press]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |isbn=1-56098-013-3 |pages=85–99 |edition=1st}}</ref>


⚫
There was internal debate at Bell Aircraft as whether to continue with the race or not, but Woolams' teammate and fellow Bell test pilot, [[Tex Johnston]], insisted that Woolams would have raced if it was the other way around. The day after Woolams' death, Johnston went on to win the 1946 [[Thompson Trophy]] in the Cobra II, the identical twin of Cobra I.<ref name="Johnston">{{cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=Tex |title=Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |location=Washington D.C. |isbn=1-56098-013-3 |page=85-99 |edition=1st}}</ref>
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
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{{USGovernment|sourceURL=https://history.nasa.gov/x1/woolam.html}}
*[https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/jack-woolams/ This Day in Aviation - Jack Woolams]

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{{USGovernment|url=https://history.nasa.gov/x1/woolam.html}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolams, Jack}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolams, Jack}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:American test pilots]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Military personnel from San Francisco]]
[[Category:People from Ross, California]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers]]
[[Category: American test pilots]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1946]]

Latest revision as of 10:53, 18 October 2024

Jack Valentine Woolams
Bell Aircraft chief test pilot Jack Woolams (1943)
Born(1917-02-14)February 14, 1917
San Francisco, California
DiedAugust 30, 1946(1946-08-30) (aged 29)
Lake Ontario
Cause of deathPlane crash
NationalityAmerican
Known forTest pilot
Aviation career
Famous flightsFirst pilot to fly the Bell X-1

Jack Valentine Woolams (1917–1946) was the senior experimental test pilot and later chief test pilot at Bell Aircraft during the introduction of the P-39, P-63, P-59, and X-1 aircraft. He set a world record for altitude and was the first person to fly a fighter jet non-stop across the United States.

Early life

[edit]

Woolams was born on February 14, 1917 (Valentine's Day), to Leonard and Elsa Woolams in San Francisco, California, and raised in the suburb of Ross, California.[1] Woolams attended the University of Chicago for two years before joining the United States Army Air Corps. He served on active duty for approximately eighteen months, after which he returned to the University of Chicago and graduated with a degree in economics in June 1941.

Career and flight records

[edit]

After college, Woolams was hired by Bell Aircraft chief test pilot Bob Stanley as a test pilot. Woolams was soon transferred from the test flight division to the experimental research division. Woolams became chief test pilot when Stanley was promoted to vice president of engineering.[2] In September 1942, he became the first person to fly a fighter aircraft coast to coast over the United States without stopping.[3] In the summer of 1943, he set a new altitude record of 47,600 feet (14.500 m).[4] He became chief test pilot for Bell in 1944. Woolams was the first pilot to fly the Bell X-1 and the only pilot to fly the rocket-plane at Bell's research facility at Pinecastle Army Airfield in Orlando, Florida. Woolams was originally scheduled to fly the X-1 faster than the speed of sound,[5] but that honor would go to Chuck Yeager.

Personality

[edit]

Woolams was known as a bit of a practical joker. While flying the still unknown experimental P-59 jet airplane, he would join formation with unsuspecting pilots flying propeller-driven fighters and to their surprise, wave at them while wearing a gorilla mask, bowler hat, and cigar, and then fly away leaving them behind.[6][7]

Death and legacy

[edit]

Woolams died on August 30, 1946, in the crash of the modified P-39 Cobra I race-plane during a practice flight for the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, that were to occur the next day. Woolams flew the Cobra I from Cleveland back to Bell Aircraft in Niagara Falls on August 29, after obtaining a disappointing qualifying speed of 392 miles per hour (631 km/h). Woolams was testing the plane over Lake Ontario late in the afternoon at speeds over 400 miles per hour (640 km/h) when it suddenly and inexplicably crashed into the water, breaking apart upon impact. His body was recovered four days later.[3] After the wreckage of Cobra I was recovered, it was believed a canopy failure was the cause of the crash and Woolams' death,[2] however, eyewitnesses on the ground said they saw the tail separate from the aircraft, causing the crash.[5]

There was internal debate at Bell Aircraft as whether to continue with the race or not, but Woolams' teammate and fellow Bell test pilot, Tex Johnston, insisted that Woolams would have raced if it was the other way around.[2] The day after Woolams' death, Johnston went on to win the 1946 Thompson Trophy in the Cobra II, the identical twin of Cobra I.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Johnston, Tex (1991). Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 85–99. ISBN 1-56098-013-3.
  3. ^ a b "X-1 Biographies". NASA. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Jack Woolams Establishes an Altitude Record". Edwards Air Force Base. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b Feinen, Edward N. (August 31, 1946). "Test Pilot Killed in Plane Crash". Indianapolis Times. Vol. 57, no. 149. p. 3. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  6. ^ Pavelec, Sterling Michael (2007). The Jet Race and the Second World War. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 133. ISBN 978-0-275-99355-9 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Jacobsen, Annie (2011). "Chapter 12". Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base. Little Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-19385-6.
[edit]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government

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