Light the Fuse and Go!

"Pete" Everest became the fastest man alive when he flew the X-2 to a record speed of Mach 3.

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By Barry E. DiGregorio

"You flew very, very gently and did the best you could while flying like a bat out of hell." That's how Frank K. "Pete" Everest described test-flying the Bell X-2, a rocket-powered research plane in which he would light the fuse and go–nearly to 2,000 mph.

From 1950 through 1956 Everest flew an average of eight newly designed aircraft per month as a U.S. Air Force test pilot. Jet aircraft production and design had reached an all-time high, and with the breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 by Chuck Yeager, experimental research aircraft became commonplace in the hangars of Muroc Flight Test Base (which later became Edwards Air Force Base). Airplanes such as the Bell X-1A, X1-B, X-1D, Northrop X-4, Douglas 558-II Skyrocket, Bell X-5, Convair XF-92A and the Douglas X-3 all contributed to significantly to aerodynamic research.

Everest's crowning achievement came with his record-breaking flights in the Bell X-2 when, in July 1956, he became the world's fastest test pilot, pushing the speed envelope to Mach 3 (1,900 mph). For this effort, Everest won the Harmon International Trophy, the "Oscar" of aviators. Everest is extremely proud of the work he has done as a test pilot. Thinking back to the time of constantly flying in the latest airplanes to roll off the production line, he says, "It was the heyday of flight testing."

Frank Kendall Everest, Jr., was born in Fairmont, W.Va., in 1920. It was not until 10 years later that he would see his first airplane, a Curtiss Jenny flying over his parents' home. From that day on, "Pete" (a nickname given to him by his father) set his goal on becoming a pilot one day. When World War II broke out in Europe, he had the opportunity to realize his goal. The government, anticipating the need for new pilots for the war effort, set up a civilian pilot training program (CPTP) at colleges and universities throughout the United States. The University of Virginia was among the schools selected for the pilot training program, and Pete Everest was in the very first class.

Everest learned to fly in a Piper J-2 Cub and progressed to Waco and Stearman trainers. Shortly after, he was accepted to the Aviation Cadet Training Corps. At first he flew the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk on more than 100 combat missions. He would have to wait until 1945 to get the chance to fly that most prestigious WWII fighter plane, the North American P-51 Mustang.

Everest was requested to transfer over to the Chinese-American Composite Wing Group in Hunan, China. There, both Chinese and American fighters flew raids and bombing missions against Japanese-occupied portions of China. While on a combat mission near Hankow, Everest flew in low over a Japanese supply ship column and ended up with his airplane riddled with enemy machine-gun fire. In the harrowing moments that ensued, Everest left the crippled P-51 over the side of the cockpit only to find to his dismay that his parachute had become caught on the plane. As the airplane plummeted toward the ground, Everest tried to make his way back into the cockpit and, as he did, somehow he freed himself. His chute opened, and he landed safely–but in an area of China held by the Japanese.

Shortly afterward, Everest was captured and brutally treated at a prisoner of war detaining area. After several sessions of intense interrogation by Japanese officers, he was warned that if he did not provide some substantial information regarding the size and location of his squadron, he would suffer severe consequences. After refusing to give information other than his name, rank and serial number, Everest was shackled and brought out to a courtyard where he saw a large block of wood covered with blood stains. There, he was made to kneel and place his head on the block. As a Japanese officer raised his sword, Everest told him, "Stop," and said that he might be able to provide some information after all.

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