Kenneth O. Chilstrom

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Kenneth Oscar Chilstrom
United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service1939–1964 (25 years)
Rank Colonel
Commands heldChief of Fighter Test, 1946–48
USAF Test Pilot School, 1949–50
F-108 Program Manager, 1958–59
Battles/warsWorld War II
Cold War
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal
Other workAerospace Industry
Author

Kenneth Oscar Chilstrom (April 20, 1921 – December 3, 2022) was a

Italian Campaign of World War II
and tested over twenty foreign models of German and Japanese fighters and bombers to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

Early life

Chilstrom was born on April 20, 1921, in Zumbrota—a small town in the southeast part of Minnesota.[1] He developed an interest in aviation at an early age and began building model airplanes while still in grade school in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from high school in 1939, Chilstrom went to a military recruiting office to sign up for pilot training.[2] Since he did not have the two years of college needed to enter the air cadet training program, Chilstrom enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps to train as an aircraft mechanic.[3]

Military career

Chilstrom completed the aircraft mechanics school at

Bolling Field whose mission was to guard the nation's capital in Washington, D.C.[3]

Combat in World War II

In February 1943, the 58th Fighter Group received new

Kasserine Pass.[3] The 58th Fighter Group was forced to turn over their P-40s to a combat-experienced unit that lost their aircraft when German troops overran their airfield.[5] Chilstrom transferred to the 27th Fighter Bomber Group and flew eighty missions in the North American A-36 over Sicily and Italy.[4] At the end of his tour in November 1943, he returned home to the United States.[5]

Flight test

Chilstrom strongly desired a position in flight test at

P-47 Thunderbolt variants including the XP-47E with a pressurized cockpit and the XP-47J—one of the fastest piston engine fighters ever built.[4]

Captured Fw 190

During his seven years in flight test, Chilstrom flew 147 different aircraft including X, Y, and production models from the United States, Germany, and Japan.

A6M Zero, and the Kawasaki Ki-45 Nick.[4] He flew the Fw 190 extensively and during his tenth flight on February 24, 1945, a malfunctioning trim switch nearly killed him.[7] Chilstrom was landing at Wright Field when the elevator trim switch malfunctioned causing the nose to pitch up while the Fw 190 was dangerously close to the ground. After regaining control and climbing to a safe altitude, he identified the problem and determined the trim could also be driven to a full nose-down position. With full nose-down trim, Chilstrom had just enough control to successfully land the aircraft.[8] Other Fw 190 pilots were not as fortunate as electrical problems in the trim switch caused[9] or were suspected to have caused a number of crashes.[10]

Chilstrom flew the United States' first twin

Langley Field, he experienced an engine failure during take off that resulted in a runway excursion. Unable to stop or take off, Chilstrom crashed into a stand of trees just past the end of the runway. Although the P-59 was destroyed, Chilstrom survived one of the first major jet accidents in a U.S. military aircraft with only minor injuries.[11]

XP-86 in flight over the Mojave Desert in 1947

Chilstrom graduated in the first group, class 45, of the recently formed Flight Performance School (now known as the

XP-86 Sabre.[17] Chilstrom was the first Air Force officer to test the XP-86,[1] and by December 1947 had completed the XP-86 Phase II performance, stability and control tests pushing the aircraft to 45,000 feet (14,000 m) and Mach number 0.9.[18]

Between 1949 and 1950, Chilstrom was assigned as the commandant of the USAF Test Pilot School and commanded the last classes held at Wright Field.

Boscombe Down, he flew twenty five different British aircraft in two months.[4]

Aircraft development

Artist's impression of two F-108s attached to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

In 1950, Chilstrom reluctantly left flight test to work as the Fighter Requirements officer at headquarters,

F-108 Rapier, a long-range, high-speed interceptor aircraft.[1] After the F-108 was cancelled on September 23, 1959,[22]
he supported the Lockheed YF-12 program. Chilstrom's last assignment was chief of program surveys at the headquarters of Air Force Systems Command at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.[1] He retired from the Air Force in January 1964 after 25 years of service[4] and worked in the aircraft industry for a number of companies including General Electric, Boeing-Vertol, Science Applications International Corporation, and Pratt & Whitney.[4]

Aviation firsts

In addition to being the first USAF pilot to test the XP-86, Chilstrom was involved in a number of aviation "firsts" including:

First jet air mail

To demonstrate the capabilities of the Army Air Corps, Chilstrom and fellow pilot Captain Robert Baird carried out the first transport of air mail by jet aircraft on June 22, 1946.

P-80 Shooting Star from Schenectady County Airport in Schenectady, New York, to Dayton, Ohio.[24] After stopping at Wright Field, he flew on to Chicago, Illinois, to complete the air mail delivery.[25]

First jet air race

Chilstrom participated in the first "closed course" jet air race at the 1946 Cleveland

Thompson trophy (Jet Division) was won by Major Gustav E. Lundquist of Wright Field, and Major Robin Olds of March Field took second place.[26]

First USAF/USN pilot exchange program

In 1948, Chilstrom requested assignment in the first USAF exchange tour with the

F8F Bearcat aboard the USS Leyte.[4][28]

Later years

Tom Horton at an OBPA
luncheon in 2014

In 1991, Chilstrom and fellow pilot Penn Leary documented the experiences of the "Wright Stuff" pilots and engineers in a book entitled, Test flying at Old Wright Field.[29] A second edition was published in 1993 that included photographs and additional stories. Ruth, his wife of 57 years, died in May 2006 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. At the time of her death, Chilstrom has two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.[30]

In 2016, Chilstrom traveled to

Wright-Patterson AFB to attend the grand opening of a new building at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.[31] The Albert Boyd and Fred Ascani Research and Development Gallery contains a collection of flight test aircraft flown by test pilots such as Chilstrom to help advance the state aerospace technology.[32]

Chilstrom died in

Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on December 3, 2022, at the age of 101.[33] He was interred with his wife at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 66, Grave 272 on March 15, 2023.[34]

Honors

During his combat tour in World War II, Chilstrom earned the

Air Force Magazine as a famous flyer of the F-86 Sabre.[35]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Hatch & Winter (1993), p. 94.
  2. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 328.
  3. ^ a b c d e Samuel (2004), p. 329.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Kenneth O. Chilstrom". P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association. Yulee, Florida: Logic Mountain LLC. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Samuel (2004), p. 330.
  6. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 331.
  7. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 335.
  8. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 336.
  9. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 339.
  10. ^ Samuel (2004), p. 343.
  11. ^ Sears (2018).
  12. ^ Ford (1998), p. 89.
  13. ^ Hutchison (2009), p. 58.
  14. ^ Pisanos (2008), pp. 278–80.
  15. ^ Yeager & Janos (1986), p. 127.
  16. ^ Hutchison (2009), p. 72.
  17. ^ Blackburn (1999a), pp. 173–75.
  18. ^ Blackburn (1999a), p. 171.
  19. ^ USAF Test Pilot School 50 Years and Beyond. p. 62.
  20. ^ USAF Test Pilot School 50 Years and Beyond. p. 70.
  21. ^ "Filmography for Maj. Ken Chilstrom". Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  22. ^ "Fact Sheets: North American F-108A Rapier". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio: National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  23. ^ Glines (1980), pp. 157–58.
  24. ^ Kane (1950), p. 17.
  25. ^ Hutchison (2009), p. 74.
  26. ^ a b Meixner, Bill (December 28, 2009). "1946 National Air Races". Berea, Ohio: Society of Air Racing Historians. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  27. ^ Chilstrom & Leary (1993), p. 253.
  28. ^ Beres, Tony (Spring 2022). "USAF Joins the Navy" (PDF). The Hook, Journal of Carrier Aviation. 50 (1): 33–35. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  29. ^ Chilstrom & Leary (1993).
  30. ^ "Funeral Notices: Mary Ruth Chilstrom" (fee required). The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida: Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc. May 21, 2006. p. 12C. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  31. ^ "Fourth Building Grand Opening Celebration". Dayton, Ohio: National Museum of the United States Air Force. May 26, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  32. ^ "Kenneth Oscar Chilstrom". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  33. ^ "Burial Detail: Chilstrom, Kenneth Oscar". ANC Explorer. Arlington National Cemetery. (Official website). Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  34. ^ Boyne (2008), p. 88.

References

External links
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