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378:. On 25 June 1942, he would fly the first production F4U-1 Corsair to roll of the assembly line and from that point on, the pace of the Corsair testing became frenetic and Guyton would spend much less time in the other aircraft. Back in the F4U-1 on June 26, Guyton then got married on the 27th, took one day off and returned to flight testing on the 29th. The next few years also included frequent trips to Navy bases around the country to train Navy pilots on the fighter that would soon carry them into combat. One such "student" was Captain Tom Blackburn of the VF-17; also known as the
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152:, September 4, 1913. His birth certificate incorrectly spelled his first name “Bond” but was later corrected. His father William Henry Guyton, the Superintendent Transportation, E. St. Louis & Suburban Railroad, died in 1921 before Boone's 8th birthday. His mother, Martha (Windhorst) Guyton, raised Boone and his older brother William, much of it during the depression. Boone graduated from East St. Louis High School in 1931.
298:. He was later moved to Brest, (flying out of the air station at Lanvéoc Poulmic) after the nighttime curfews, air-raid sirens and trips to the bomb shelters became all-too-frequent occurrences in Paris. The bulk of Guyton's time was spent testing the new V-156 aircraft as they arrived from the U.S. and training various French pilots. The planes were to be used, it was believed, to attack Nazi tanks when they arrived.
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495:- Missiles and Space Division, and eventually his own company. Guyton continued to fly recreationally until 1982 when he stopped for good, forty-seven years after joining the Naval Aviation Cadet program. He flew over 100 different aircraft, including almost all of the top fighters of World War II (
452:
began consulting to Vought, related primarily to the engineering of the F4U. Both Lyman
Bullard and Guyton briefed the legendary pilot on the characteristics of the F4U-1 before Lindbergh's first Corsair flight on January 6, 1943. Lindbergh flew the plane three more times on January 6 and then left
467:
In March 1943, Guyton suffered a near-fatal crash landing after the engine in his F4U seized at 22,000 feet and he attempted to glide it back to the factory's airport where it literally broke in half upon impact. One of his first visitors at
Bridgeport hospital, besides Guyton's wife, was Lindbergh
259:
aircraft. With only a few weeks remaining at NAS North Island, Guyton reluctantly accepted a position to join TWA as a co-pilot. However, with just days remaining in the Navy, Guyton met a factory representative from Vought-Sikorsky and subsequently landed a test-pilot position for Vought teaching
366:
On July 9, Guyton would fly XF4U-1 for the first time. During his fifth flight in the plane, on July 11, Guyton was caught in bad weather during high-speed testing and was forced to make an emergency landing on a golf course as fuel ran out. The
Corsair skidded into a group of trees and flipped
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fighter prior to World War II (the only known
American to fly it at that time was Charles Lindbergh himself, who had flown it in 1938 and praised its abilities). The Messerschmitt pilot had landed in France with engine trouble earlier that year and the plane was brought to the French Aerodrome at
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over, but the damage was luckily repairable and only set the program back two months. Subsequently, Bullard was able to demonstrate the XF4U-1 for the Navy on
October 1 while also becoming the first single seat production fighter to surpass 400 mph (Bullard actually reached 405 mph).
159:
in
Fayette, Missouri, graduating in 1935 and starring on the 1934 football team which won the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) championship. Guyton played end and led the league in scoring, setting a college record for most touchdowns caught in the end-zone (seven). He was named on the
318:
By the time
January 1940 arrived with rising tensions in Europe, Nazis threatening France and the pressures of so-called neutrality laws, Vought terminated Guyton's assignment and sent him back to the States. He exited France via Italy, where he boarded the ocean liner
404:
In late
October 1944, Guyton participated in Navy Fighter Meet at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland where pilots from the military and various manufacturers tested and compared military aircraft. It was there that he finally got a chance to fly a captured Japanese
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had yet to roll off the assembly line. With no other options, Guyton accepted an offer from TWA and finally flew for the airline he had passed up three years earlier. Guyton's airline career officially began on March 6, flying mostly DC-3s.
354:
a mere three months later to fill an open position for an experimental test pilot. At the end of May 1940, Guyton left TWA and reported to Vought's chief of flight test, Lyman
Bullard, shortly before the Corsair's maiden flight on May 29.
128:, author and businessman. In a flying career spanning the biplane era through the jet age, Guyton was perhaps best known for his test pilot years at Vought-Sikorsky (Chance Vought) and his participation in the development of the
542:
Guyton died from cancer 4 April 1996 at the age of 82. He is buried in
Woodbridge, Connecticut, where he spent the last 40 years of his life. He is survived by five children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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from Texas to Sorocco, New Mexico where it would join other discarded, obsolete aircraft. During the flight, a hydraulic failure forced Guyton to make an emergency landing, which he managed to walk away from unscathed.
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just three years earlier in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Detroyat experienced mechanical troubles with the Messerschmitt's brakes and plane was damaged upon landing to the extent that Guyton would miss his opportunity.
203:, Guyton's options were few and far between. His college dean, feeling he would be a good teacher helped Guyton land a teaching position. Though grateful, Guyton felt uneasy and did not perceive himself a teacher.
435:. He decided to leave Vought in 1951 after 12 years, completing his career as an experimental test pilot. His last flight for Vought occurred on April 17, 1951, when he volunteered to deliver a
389:“flying flapjack” (or flying pancake) prototype. He took the V-173 on its maiden flight on November 23, 1942. Destined to become the next great propeller driven fighter design, development of the
326:, which ran under the American flag and was theoretically safe from German U-boat attacks as it headed through the Strait of Gibraltar. Guyton arrived in New York harbor on January 24, 1940.
271:
Also during those three days, Guyton caught a glimpse of a mockup of Vought's next-generation, high-speed, single-seat fighter, the XF4U-1. The production version would later be known as the
427:
In 1948 Vought moved the factory from Stratford, Connecticut to Dallas, Texas. Guyton continued to fly later iterations of the Corsair (F4U-7 and AU-1) as well as Vought jets: the
239:
in various locations around the world, including Midway, Honolulu, the French Frigate Shoals, the Aleutians and Panama. Guyton was a member of Bombing Squadron Five flying mostly
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Upon returning to the States, Guyton found himself once again looking for work. Things at Vought were quiet as the new XF4U-1 Corsair prototype was not yet airworthy and the
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At dinner one night, Lindbergh and Guyton shared some thoughts. Some were on aeronautical subjects and some not, including their mutual acquaintance, French pilot
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218:, Florida. Guyton pursued the offer and was accepted. In 1936 he graduated tenth in the first graduating class despite a 44 percent attrition rate.
393:(the high speed fighter version of the V-173) would be stopped in 1947 before it ever flew. The Navy had switched focus to jet-propelled aircraft.
196:. Lindbergh was young Guyton's consummate hero, though Guyton would later feel that a flying career would be economically impossible to pursue.
260:
the French Navy to fly American dive-bombers. His last day as a Navy pilot was July 16, 1939. Guyton spent the next three days at Vought's
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By 1945, Guyton had logged more than 650 hours testing Corsairs (XF4U-1, F4U-1, XF4U-3, XF4U-4, F4U-4 etc.) and nearly 33 hours in the V-173
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Guyton, Boone. “Aviators Flight Log Book, No 4 - October 1942 – February 1947”, February 26, 1947. (Guyton family archives).
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Just after the teaching offer, a large brown envelope arrived from the U.S. Navy announcing a new aviation cadet program at
206:
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During his retirement years, Guyton lectured on the Corsair and V-173 and continued to write. His third and last book,
460:. Lindbergh mentioned that it was Detroyat who rescued him from the masses of exuberant fans the night he landed the
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Guyton's relationship with Lindbergh continued throughout the war including a dinner at the newly acquired Lindbergh
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Outside of his Corsair testing efforts, Guyton was also named the chief experimental test pilot for the
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Guyton, Boone T. "The Flight That Must Not Fail, In the Strangest Flying Machine of All - The V-173."
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While stationed at Orly Field, Guyton nearly became only the second American pilot to fly the vaunted
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487:, where they conceived a fifth child. Career-wise, Guyton assumed various management positions at
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Nearing the end of his three years as a Naval aviator, Guyton attended a TWA ground school for the
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264:, factory in a “study in frenzy”, preparing for France and learning as much as possible about the
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which took part in the search for Amelia Earhart. Guyton, however, was on leave at the time.
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Leaving Vought, Guyton returned to New England with his wife and four children, settling in
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In 1927 at the age of 14, Guyton became fascinated by aviation as he monitored the feats of
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for having scored all his touchdowns without carrying the ball across the goal line.
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527:), but he is best remembered as the chief experimental test pilot for the Corsair.
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Bricy, near Orly. Guyton had arranged a test flight following French racing pilot
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Report of Joint Fighter Conference – NAS Patuxent River, MD, 16–23 October 1944
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Guyton continued testing the XF4U-1 Corsair as well as various versions of the
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Part 1 Vol. 3, no. 11, November 1975, Part II, Vol. 3. no. 12, December 1975.
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Guyton, Boone and Marcus, Paul. “The Ups and Downs of the Flying Pancake.”
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Guyton spent six months in France, first living in Paris and flying out of
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Guyton, Boone. “The Crash That Threatened The Solomons Campaign.”
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But as luck would have it, a job offer would arrive from Vought's
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798:“St. Louis Boy Never Took Ball Over But Led M.C.A.U. Scorers.”
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805:“Early Vacation Caused Local Pilot to Miss Amelia Search.”
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Whistling Death – the Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair
256:
106:
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Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair
979:
Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair
221:
For the next three years, Guyton flew for the Navy out of
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fighter and the revolutionary, jet propelled Bell YP–59A
1081:"Weird Wings Chance Vought V-173 / XF5U Flying Flapjack"
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Guyton, Boone. “We Wanted Spacious Living on A Budget.”
854:
Guyton, Boone. “The Sea Going Airfield” (abridged).
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906:Guyton, Boone. “How It Feels To Fly 9 Miles High.”
1056:"Rex B. Beisel, General Manager – Vought-Sikorsky"
286:against Poland and the beginning of World War II.
243:-4s. In 1937, it was Guyton's squadron on the USS
132:and various other military aircraft including the
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885:Guyton, Boone. “Speed To Spare and Then Some.”
199:Upon graduating from college in 1935, with the
996:. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996.
289:
1018:. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing LTD., 1998.
920:Guyton, Boone. “Pilot's Report F7U Cutlass.”
1011:Vol. 19, no. 4, Winter 1991. ISSN 0736-9220.
275:. He departed for Paris on the French liner
160:all-conference team and earned a mention in
120:, (September 4, 1913 – April 4, 1996) was a
938:, Sentry Books, 1969 Northridge, California
899:Guyton, Boone. “The Yankees Invade Texas.”
892:Guyton, Boone. “The Battle of Compromise.”
443:
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847:Guyton, Boone. “The Sea Going Airfield.”
362:Guyton flying the V-173, November 23, 1942
26:
1164:20th-century American non-fiction writers
1129:United States Navy pilots of World War II
880:United States Naval Institute Proceedings
833:Guyton, Boone. “The Making of a Pilot.”
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184:Boeing Stearman NS-1, NAS Pensacola 1936
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872:. New York, NY: Whittlesey House, 1943.
844:. New York, NY: Whittlesey House, 1941.
819:Guyton, Boone. “A DareDevil Grows Up.”
225:San Diego, California and off carriers
1106:
1009:The Hook - Journal of Carrier Aviation
861:Guyton, Boone. “I Test Dive Bombers.”
948:Schoeni, Art. "The Flying Pancakes."
934:Guyton, Boone. “The F4U Corsair.” in
579:St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat 1934 .
201:Great Depression in the United States
1083:. unrealaircraft.com. Archived from
478:
420:NAS Jacksonville, FL 1948 with F4U-5
1154:Central Methodist University alumni
981:. New York, NY: Orion Books, 1990.
453:Vought, not returning for a month.
329:
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1159:Deaths from cancer in Connecticut
1060:Chief Engineer on the F4U Corsair
878:Guyton Boone. “The Blue Angels.”
812:“Boone Guyton Lands in the U.S.”
966:. New York: Orion Books, 1989.
957:Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
826:Guyton, Boone. "Wings Of Gold."
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941:Guyton, Boone. “Old Hog Nose.”
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493:United Technologies Corporation
896:(United Aircraft), Spring 1949
800:St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat
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223:Naval Air Station North Island
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1134:United States Naval Aviators
1062:. Vought.com. Archived from
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713:Guyton 1996, p.x (forward).
668:East St. Louis Journal 1940
623:East St. Louis Journal 1937
290:In France, with war looming
216:Naval Air Station Pensacola
10:
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1039:"Vought F4U Corsair - USA"
767:Guyton 1996, p. 132 - 134.
162:Ripley's Believe It or Not
1014:Dean, Francis H. (Editor)
534:, was published in 1990.
157:Central Methodist College
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1144:Writers from Connecticut
1124:American autobiographers
936:Carrier Fighters Vol. II
749:Guyton 1996, p. 130-132.
740:Guyton 1996, p. 241-243.
537:
444:The Lindbergh connection
168:Introduction to aviation
150:East St. Louis, Illinois
77:United States of America
51:East St. Louis, Illinois
849:New York Times Magazine
835:New York Times Magazine
485:Woodbridge, Connecticut
67:Woodbridge, Connecticut
1041:. aviation-history.com
1031:
814:East St. Louis Journal
807:East St. Louis Journal
722:Guyton 1996, p. 26-28.
686:Guyton 1996, p. 41-43.
650:Guyton 1996, p. 29-29.
632:Guyton 1996, p. 21-22.
600:Guyton 1996, p. 18-19.
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262:Stratford, Connecticut
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1149:Writers from Illinois
473:Westport, Connecticut
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155:Guyton then attended
115:Boone Tarleton Guyton
95:Years of service
20:Boone Tarleton Guyton
1139:American test pilots
828:National Aeronautics
816:, January 24, 1940.
802:, December 4, 1934.
785:Guyton 1996, p. 144.
776:Guyton 1996, p. 151.
758:Guyton 1996, p. 134.
501:Supermarine Spitfire
475:, home in late 1944
303:Messerschmitt Bf 109
210:USS Lexington (CV-2)
704:Guyton 1996, p. 96.
695:Guyton 1996, p. 46.
677:Guyton 1996, p. 34.
659:Guyton 1996, p. 33.
641:Guyton 1996, p. 26.
614:Guyton 1996, p. 29.
591:Guyton 1996, p. 19.
462:Spirit of St. Louis
194:Spirit of St. Louis
148:Guyton was born in
882:, April 1950 No. 4
870:This Exciting Air
837:, January 12, 1941
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118:United States Navy
89:United States Navy
992:Guyton, Boone T.
977:Guyton, Boone T.
962:Blackburn, Tom.
950:Aeroplane Monthly
929:American Magazine
908:American Magazine
901:American Magazine
868:Guyton, Boone T.
863:American Magazine
840:Guyton, Boone T.
821:American Magazine
489:Hamilton Standard
479:Post-Vought years
450:Charles Lindbergh
190:Charles Lindbergh
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48:September 4, 1913
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989:.(first edition)
964:The Jolly Rogers
945:, September 1971
924:, September 1952
922:Skyways Magazine
903:, September 1950
865:, February, 1942
858:, September 1941
809:, July 8, 1937.
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382:"Jolly Rogers".
330:The Vought years
310:, winner of the
140:flying pancake.
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458:Michel Detroyat
448:In early 1943,
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372:SB2U Vindicator
344:OS2U Kingfisher
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312:Thompson Trophy
308:Michel Detroyat
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124:, experimental
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1089:. Retrieved
1085:the original
1068:. Retrieved
1064:the original
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1043:. Retrieved
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1008:
993:
978:
963:
956:
949:
942:
935:
928:
921:
914:
907:
900:
894:The Bee Hive
893:
886:
879:
869:
862:
855:
848:
841:
834:
827:
820:
813:
806:
799:
792:Bibliography
781:
772:
763:
754:
745:
736:
731:Guyton 1947.
727:
718:
709:
700:
691:
682:
673:
664:
655:
646:
637:
628:
619:
596:
575:
541:
531:
529:
525:Curtiss P-40
497:P-51 Mustang
482:
470:
466:
461:
455:
447:
426:
423:
403:
387:Vought V-173
384:
369:
365:
349:
341:
322:
317:
300:
296:Orly Airport
293:
278:
270:
254:
244:
235:
228:
220:
213:
198:
187:
161:
154:
147:
138:Vought V-173
114:
113:
62:(1996-04-04)
1119:1996 deaths
1114:1913 births
959:, Fall 1984
917:, July 1951
521:F6F Hellcat
513:F4F Wildcat
433:F7U Cutlass
400:F7U Cutlass
273:F4U Corsair
130:F4U Corsair
1108:Categories
1091:2007-12-01
1070:2007-12-01
1045:2007-12-01
910:, May 1950
547:References
437:F6U Pirate
429:F6U Pirate
352:Rex Beisel
284:Blitzkrieg
251:Test pilot
241:Boeing F4B
144:Early life
126:test pilot
73:Allegiance
44:1913-09-04
468:himself.
411:Airacomet
323:Manhattan
279:Champlain
245:Lexington
229:Lexington
98:1935-1939
943:Airpower
842:Air Base
431:and the
407:A6M Zero
321:SS
236:Saratoga
83:Service/
380:VFA-103
192:in the
1022:
1000:
985:
970:
85:branch
568:Notes
538:Death
338:F4U-1
1020:ISBN
998:ISBN
983:ISBN
968:ISBN
915:True
391:XF5U
374:and
257:DC-3
234:USS
232:and
227:USS
107:LTJG
103:Rank
57:Died
38:Born
1032:Web
277:SS
1110::
1058:.
605:^
584:^
523:,
519:,
515:,
511:,
507:,
503:,
499:,
491:,
413:.
1094:.
1073:.
1048:.
1026:.
1004:.
974:.
46:)
42:(
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