Tex M. Johnston
Abstract
Alvin “Tex” M. Johnston is one of aviation’s greats, from small town barn storming to aviation giants. In this paper I am going to talk about how a small town boy out of Kansas became one of the greatest pilots in aviation history. I have taken the time to gather many sources to help paint this aviation great in all his glory. Johnston had such an impact on the aviation world that the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrined him in 1993. He had the opportunity unlike most aviation greats to bask in the gory of this honor for five years, before his passing. Johnston grew up in the golden age of aviation. He had the chance to experience the leaps and bound that flight made. Born in 1914 he was able to see Aircraft go from flimsy powered …show more content…
His Name was Alvin M. Johnston; most people recognize him better by his nickname as “Tex” Johnston. When he turned 11 Johnston was able to take his first flight in an old barnstorming biplane. That flight was all it took, he was addicted. He begun to save his money, and at age fifteen he started taking flight lessons in fifteen to twenty minute increments, due to not having the funds. As he grew up, his parents wanted him to attend Kansas State Teacher’s College. Only after being at college for teaching he knew it was not for him. He managed to convince his reluctant parents into letting him attend an aviation college. They enrolled him in an airplane and engine mechanics course at the Spartan School of Aeronautics, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At Spartan, Johnston earned his aircraft and engine mechanic’s license, and limited commercial pilot’s license, all by the time he turned …show more content…
At Bell, he worked on some of the nation’s most advanced aircraft. The P-39 Airacobra, the V-tailed YP-63, the P-47, and the P-51 Mustang, even getting the chance to fly and test the capabilities of the FW-190, a German state of the art fighter that was captured. During one of these test flights a flight mechanic saw Johnston climbing into a cockpit in cowboy boots, that is when he got the nickname “Tex”. During these tests with Bell Aircraft, Tex Johnston became one of the most sought after names in the industry. This in turn got him selected for several top secret projects with the military, such as Americas first jet aircraft. With this newly found fame Tex was gaining, it came with a pain. His schedule continuously became overflowing with deadlines and project maintenance. This caused him to set out of one of most prestigious and well known test flights of history. The Bell X-1 Supersonic flight with Chuck Yeager. He did have the chance to fly the X-1 the flight prior to its supersonic flight, making crucial changes to the trim toggle and windshield defogger. After this flight Tex’s fast flying days took a back seat, when Bell asked him to take over the companies helicopter division in Texas. This move did not take long to wear on Johnston, before he was looking for the speed again. In 1949, he found it again with the Boeing Aircraft company, in Seattle,
Alvin “Tex” M. Johnston is one of aviation’s greats, from small town barn storming to aviation giants. In this paper I am going to talk about how a small town boy out of Kansas became one of the greatest pilots in aviation history. I have taken the time to gather many sources to help paint this aviation great in all his glory. Johnston had such an impact on the aviation world that the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrined him in 1993. He had the opportunity unlike most aviation greats to bask in the gory of this honor for five years, before his passing. Johnston grew up in the golden age of aviation. He had the chance to experience the leaps and bound that flight made. Born in 1914 he was able to see Aircraft go from flimsy powered …show more content…
His Name was Alvin M. Johnston; most people recognize him better by his nickname as “Tex” Johnston. When he turned 11 Johnston was able to take his first flight in an old barnstorming biplane. That flight was all it took, he was addicted. He begun to save his money, and at age fifteen he started taking flight lessons in fifteen to twenty minute increments, due to not having the funds. As he grew up, his parents wanted him to attend Kansas State Teacher’s College. Only after being at college for teaching he knew it was not for him. He managed to convince his reluctant parents into letting him attend an aviation college. They enrolled him in an airplane and engine mechanics course at the Spartan School of Aeronautics, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At Spartan, Johnston earned his aircraft and engine mechanic’s license, and limited commercial pilot’s license, all by the time he turned …show more content…
At Bell, he worked on some of the nation’s most advanced aircraft. The P-39 Airacobra, the V-tailed YP-63, the P-47, and the P-51 Mustang, even getting the chance to fly and test the capabilities of the FW-190, a German state of the art fighter that was captured. During one of these test flights a flight mechanic saw Johnston climbing into a cockpit in cowboy boots, that is when he got the nickname “Tex”. During these tests with Bell Aircraft, Tex Johnston became one of the most sought after names in the industry. This in turn got him selected for several top secret projects with the military, such as Americas first jet aircraft. With this newly found fame Tex was gaining, it came with a pain. His schedule continuously became overflowing with deadlines and project maintenance. This caused him to set out of one of most prestigious and well known test flights of history. The Bell X-1 Supersonic flight with Chuck Yeager. He did have the chance to fly the X-1 the flight prior to its supersonic flight, making crucial changes to the trim toggle and windshield defogger. After this flight Tex’s fast flying days took a back seat, when Bell asked him to take over the companies helicopter division in Texas. This move did not take long to wear on Johnston, before he was looking for the speed again. In 1949, he found it again with the Boeing Aircraft company, in Seattle,