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| P.T. "Tex" Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Name | P.T. "Tex" Johnston |
| Birth name | Philip Thomas Johnston |
| Birth date | 1909-05-28 |
| Birth place | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Death date | 1998-12-28 |
| Death place | San Diego, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Test pilot, aviator, executive |
| Years active | 1927–1970s |
| Known for | Boeing 707 barrel roll demonstration |
P.T. "Tex" Johnston was an American test pilot and aviation executive renowned for his daring demonstrations and role in early jet transport development. He became a prominent figure in 20th-century aviation through work with firms such as Bell Aircraft Corporation, Boeing, and General Dynamics, and by participating in events involving United States Navy programs, Transcontinental Air Transport, and major air shows. His career intersected with figures and institutions including William Boeing, Donald Douglas, Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, and Kelly Johnson.
Johnston was born in San Antonio, Texas and raised during the era of aviation pioneers like Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, which influenced contemporaries such as Charles A. Lindbergh and Eddie Rickenbacker. He attended local schools before enrolling at institutions linked to aviation training that produced aviators who later joined organizations like the United States Army Air Corps, United States Air Force, and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Early influences included aviators associated with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, Ryan Airlines, and regional flying services tied to figures such as Jimmy Doolittle and Roscoe Turner.
Johnston began flying in barnstorming circuits contemporaneous with pilots like Pancho Barnes and performers at gatherings organized by National Air Races promoters. He gained experience in aircraft types produced by Boeing Airplane Company, Curtiss, Douglas Aircraft Company, and Lockheed Corporation, and he worked alongside mechanics and engineers influenced by Glenn Curtiss and Donald Douglas. Early assignments brought him into contact with operators like Transcontinental Air Transport and instructors from Aero Club of America chapters, and he acquired practical skills that would later be applied in test programs at facilities connected to Wright Field and Muroc Army Air Field.
Johnston joined Bell Aircraft Corporation during a period when the company was developing projects such as the Bell X-1 and collaborating with agencies including National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the United States Army Air Forces. At Bell he worked with engineers and test pilots who had associations with Ed Heinemann, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson-adjacent teams, and contractors like North American Aviation and Convair. His test activities involved aircraft technologies overlapping with work at Langley Research Center and operations that intersected with procurement by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and experimental programs funded by Office of Scientific Research and Development.
At Boeing Johnston became chief test pilot for transport projects including prototypes that led to the Boeing 707 and commercial jetliner programs competing with products from Douglas Aircraft Company such as the DC-8. In 1955 he executed a famous demonstration when he performed a barrel roll in a Boeing 367-80 demonstrator—an event noted by contemporaries like William Allen (businessman) and followed by observers from airlines including Pan American World Airways, American Airlines, and British Overseas Airways Corporation. The maneuver brought him into public view alongside aviation journalists from publications such as Aviation Week & Space Technology and observers from institutions like Federal Aviation Administration and Civil Aeronautics Board. The demonstration influenced sales discussions with international delegations from Air India, Air France, and airline purchasing groups from Japan Airlines and Aer Lingus.
After leaving the major manufacturers Johnston engaged in executive roles and founded enterprises that connected with aerospace contractors such as General Dynamics, Learjet, and Grumman. He consulted on programs involving companies like Hughes Aircraft Company and engaged with financial partners including Bank of America and industrial groups linked to Lockheed Martin predecessors. Johnston's post-test-pilot career included participation in corporate boards and ventures that intersected with entities such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for aircraft sales, and he maintained professional relationships with figures from Pan American World Airways, Trans World Airlines, and international aerospace delegations.
Johnston's personal associations included friendships and professional contact with notable aviators and executives such as Howard Hughes, Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, and industry leaders like Donald Douglas and William Boeing. He received recognition from organizations including Society of Experimental Test Pilots and appeared at events alongside inductees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame and awardees such as Kelly Johnson. His legacy is preserved in museum exhibits at institutions like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Flight (Seattle), and archives connected to Seattle Museum of Flight Foundation, and it influenced later test pilots associated with programs at NASA and veteran groups such as Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Johnston is remembered in histories of the Boeing 707, accounts about postwar commercial aviation growth with Pan American World Airways and British European Airways, and studies of mid-20th-century aeronautical development at Langley Research Center and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Category:American aviators Category:Test pilots