5 test pilots to join Walk of Honor

Antelope Valley Press ^ | August 7, 2003 | JULIE DRAKE

[BenLurkin]

LANCASTER - The five latest additions to Lancaster's Aerospace Walk of Honor will bring to 70 the number of aviation pioneers honored since the walk's inception in 1990.

The experience of this year's honorees - James D. Eastham, Robert C. Little, Bruce Peterson, the late Russell M. "Rusty" Roth and Rogers Smith - all flew in the skies above the Antelope Valley during their careers in a series of firsts.

Eastham tested and developed the world's first three Mach 3-plus aircrafts, the A-12, YF-12A and SR-71 Blackbird and Little took the F-101A Voodoo supersonic on its very first flight at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 29, 1954.

Peterson, the real-life Six Million Dollar Man, was a NASA Dryden Research pilot at Edwards who was a pioneer in the testing of lifting bodies. His lifting body research ended in a spectacular landing accident at Edwards on May 10, 1967 when his craft, the M2-F2, hit the ground at 248 mph and tumbled six times, seriously injuring Peterson. Footage of the accident was used in the opening sequence on the 1970s television series "The Six Million Dollar Man."

Roth's Dec. 9, 1952 flight made the Republic XF-91 the first combat-type airplane to exceed the speed of sound while flying straight and level.

Smith was a leader in integrated thrust vectoring development as a test pilot on the X-31 and F-15 projects. He came to Edwards in 1982, where, working for NASA Dryden, he tested the F-104, F-8, X-31, X-29 and SR-71 research projects. He is the first Canadian-born inductee in the Walk of Honor.

Roberts announced the honorees at a ceremony Wednesday morning in the lobby at Lancaster City Hall in preparation for the 14th annual celebration Sept. 20 beginning with the Lancaster Aviation Faire, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festivities are free to the public and will include music by Dan Devere and the Red Eye Ranch Band, along with static displays of rocket engines, airplanes and models.

"This is a very special time for us because it is the centennial of flight," Roberts said.

"Aviation has given us in Lancaster something to celebrate; the achievements within the Aerospace Valley are something we all have to be very proud of," he added.

The Aerospace Walk of Honor induction ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the civic plaza on the corner of Lancaster Boulevard and Sierra Highway, where city officials will play host to the public unveiling of the new granite monument honoring the five inductees. The public will have an opportunity to meet the honorees and get autographs.

This year's inductees will join 70 other previous inductees, including Col. William J. "Pete" Knight, Gen. James H. Doolittle, Neil Armstrong, Maj. Gen. Joe H. Engle, Capt. Glen W. Edwards, Lt. Col. Fitzhugh "Fitz" Fulton and Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager.

Unlike the last few years, there are no plans for the unveiling of a new mural. Four have been debuted at previous celebrations. Those honored on the murals on buildings along Lancaster Boulevard are Doolittle, Engle, Knight and Yeager. No mural was created this year because of budget constraints.

At the conclusion of the announcement of this year's inductees, Roberts thanked the Walk of Honor's various donors, without whose support he said the city "would not be able to pull this off."

Signature sponsors of the event are The Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Northrop Grumman Corp. The Silver sponsors are Clear Channel Communications and Verizon. Bronze sponsors are Countrywide Home Loans and Waste Management. Aviation Faire sponsors are JT3 and the Antelope Valley Press.

Following the civic plaza program, a formal banquet in honor of the new inductees will begin at 6 p.m. at the Park Plaza Convention Center. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center Box Office.

The city invites local aviation-related businesses to participate as vendors in this event, displaying and/or selling aviation-related items and memorabilia. Family-oriented, hands-on types of items such as models, medals or games are encouraged.

Displays from NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Edwards Air Force Base Flight Test Historical Museum and more will be on hand.

Those who would like more information about an aerospace-related booth may call Nancy Mossman at (661) 723-6250.