Lodestar. His job description was changed to engineering test pilot in 1942 to fly the PV-1 Ventura. His test flying was instrumental in proving the Lockheed P-38 Lightning design. He and chief engineering test pilot Milo Burcham alternated flying dive tests to observe the design's performance at transonic speeds. To demonstrate the reliability of the design in the hands of a skilled pilot, he performed aerobatic shows for students at the Polaris Flight school at War Eagle Field in nearby Lancaster. In 1944, LeVier visited Eighth Air Force air bases in Great Britain to demonstrate the engine-out reliability of the P-38. He left England less than a week before the invasion of Normandy. P-80 Shooting Star When he returned to the United States, testing of the P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter was underway. He had made the first flight of the XP-80A in January, and the testing program continued through 1944 and into 1945. In October 1944, Milo Burcham was killed in the crash of a production P-80, and Tony LeVier filled his office as chief engineering test pilot in January 1945. Just two months into his career as head of this department, he suffered a serious crash on March 20, 1945, when his P-80 lost its tail due to a faulty turbine blade. Upon landing, he broke his back and had to wear a brace during his recovery, but six months after his crash, he was back in the air. He tested two evolutions of the P-80: the T-33 and the three variants of the F-94 Starfire. He also performed most of the tests of the XF-90 penetration fighter prototype. He also flew the first flights of the XF-104 Starfighter, and the U-2. In 1972 LeVier took an L-1011 Tristar on a world tour promoting Lockheed's newest and largest commercial airliner. He was succeeded as chief engineering test pilot at Lockheed by Herman "Fish" Salmon. He died at the age of 84 on February 6, 1998, from complications of cancer and kidney failure, after surviving eight crashes and one mid-air collision. Awards Aviation Week & Space Technology Flight Safety Award, 1971. National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, 1978. National Aeronautic Association Elder Statesman Award, 1986. National Aviation Club Clifford Henderson Award for Achievement, 1986. Aerospace Walk of Honor inductee, 1990. Society of Experimental Test Pilots James H. Doolittle Award, 1993 International Air & Space Hall of Fame inductee, 1993.