Jack Ridley (pilot)
Jackie Lynwood Ridley | |
|---|---|
XS-1 Research Team. Jack Ridley is 2nd from right. | |
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born | June 16, 1915 Garvin, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 1957 (aged 41) northwest of Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma, B.S. 1939 Caltech, M.S. 1945 |
Colonel Jackie Lynwood Ridley (June 16, 1915 – March 12, 1957) was an aeronautical engineer, USAF test pilot and chief of the U.S. Air Force's Flight Test Engineering Laboratory. He helped develop and test many Cold War era military aircraft. He worked on the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to achieve supersonic flight, and was highly respected among fellow test pilots, most notably Chuck Yeager, for his engineering skills.