"U.S. NAVAL TEST PILOT SCHOOL" 1959 U.S. NAVY AVIATOR RECRUITMENT FILM PAX RIVER MARYLAND XD30981

[@kaptainkaos1202]

I am a USN/USMC flight test engineer at PAX RIVER. I’ve been here for 40 years and have seen such changes your head would explode. I’m so blessed to have a job that makes our Warriors jobs easier and ensure they come out on top. Also I can’t believe I get to work with such cool equipment! I truly can’t wait to get to work and actually bummed it’s time to retire. Time for the next generation to take over.

[@frnkbooth6871]

Appropriate KZbin name for a Navy aviator. 😂 I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.

[@phmwu7368]

Some great US Naval aviators in this video: At 2:24 James "Jim" Lovell on Gemini VII and XII, Apollo 8 and 13 At 12:24 Walter "Wally" Schirra who flew on Mercury Sigma 7, Gemini VIa and Apollo 7

[@Eric-oo8rb]

I was just going to say “Is that Jim Lovell??”. Lol

[@matthewstone5576]

is that possibly Charles Pete Conrad on the left at 3:07? Cant quite tell

[@simtaylor61]

I know I saw Jim Lovell, must have missed Wally Schirra

[@deanmurphy1240]

At 1:33-1:44 , the guy on the left is William (Bill) L. Murphy; my father. Graduated class 20.

[@dougcastleman9518]

I noticed Schirra and Lovell in this too...far too late to beat you to your comment! lol

[@stefanschutz5166]

Thank you from Amsterdam for posting this. I particularly like the calm pace.

[@briancooper2112]

I have seen this video years ago. Thanks for posting it again.

[@Gannett2011]

Isn't it interesting how various types of color film stock retain their colorfulness or don't. I guess it's all to do with the stock itself, chemical balance, storage conditions. This one seems to have survived really well, while you see those others that are basically just turquoise and pink!

[@hakureicirno6059]

Telecine/scanner operators can and should do color correction to counter back such kind of film degrading. The outcome is limited to certain extent though.

[@samuelglover7685]

Could be wrong, but I think at about 12:25 we see Wally Schirra's beaming mug at the graduation ceremony.

[@millerdp]

I think you’re right! It looked like Wally to me too!

[@ЕвгенийАндронов-ш4к]

Very cool!

[@wrightmf]

I assume part of this training is to be one of the key people preparing flight ops manual and training for regular line pilots. Besides being a really good pilot flying the hottest jets, also able to prepare accurate reports that others can reliably trust.

[@briannicklas109]

2:05 "But they all have one thing in common" - that they are all smokers?

[@dangarrison3503]

10:36 A-4 Skyhawk.

[@josephnason8770]

That was astronaut Wally Shirra clapping at the graduation. I'm old so l know this.

[@65gtotrips]

Smoking in class @11:18 !

[@mortimersnerd8044]

The "continuous need for Navy test pilots" is a rather ominous comment on the risks involved in that field at that time.

[@keithammleter3824]

or the rapid advance of technology.

[@Duh_Huh_24]

Most of them do a few tours of flight test then go the the fleet or the pentagon. I was born at Pax River Hospital when my dad was at TPS. I do know a few pilots that passed away while serving but none of them were test pilots.

[@mortimersnerd8044]

@@Duh_Huh_24 , so not as dire as Tom Wolfe made out in *The Right Stuff*, glad to hear so. Curious, you mentioned "tours" of flight test, how were the risks involved for pilots compared to tours of duty in Vietnam?

[@Duh_Huh_24]

@@mortimersnerd8044 That era was crazy with the air force flying rocket powered planes to prove and discover new things about flight. Things haven't been that crazy since. It is still risky but test pilots that get selected are among the best pilots in the fleet and they've studied a scientific field, which makes them well suited for the work. There are only so many billets for flight test so some guys end up back in the fleet doing regular pilot stuff. Dad did an exchange duty tour with the air force when they needed some pilots to test a new land based radar system. He went to vietnam twice before going to PAX.

[@mjproebstle]

12:25 I swear that looks like Wally Schirra!!

[@jadethom7908]

It sure was.

[@bradpennock]

Looks like future astronaut Jim Lovell in the background at 1:51

[@JCT442]

Did anyone notice Wally Schirra??

[@stenic2]

Astronaut Wally Shirra @12:25

[@stenic2]

Astronaut Jim Lovell @2:24

[@UAL320]

AND 1:53

[@macsdaddy3383]

"...And they all have 1 very important thing in common,"---They all smoke like chimney's.

[@williamfriar6295]

Think about how much better this all could’ve been with an active DEI department.

[@timarnold9969]

At 2:24 is Jim Lovell. He supposedly flew on Apollo(s) 8 and 13.

[@phmwu7368]

James Lovell on Gemini VII and XII, Apollo 8 and 13 At 12:24 Walter Wally Schirra who flew on Mercury Sigma 7, Gemini VIa and Apollo 7

[@paulward4268]

@timarnold9969 - Supposedly???

[@toddloomis2428]

guess what, he did fly on Apollo 8 & 13, and before that Gemini 7 and 12.