Col. Fitzhugh “Fitz” L. Fulton, Jr

Year Inducted: 2015

Col. Fitzhugh “Fitz” L. Fulton, Jr. enjoyed a 40-year career in aviation that would be literally impossible to duplicate today. He flew 235 different types of airplanes and was an experimental test pilot for the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and Scaled Composites, experiencing every generation of advanced aircraft in the 20th Century. He not only helped develop the Mach 2 B-58 Hustler and tested the triple sonic XB-70 Valkyrie, but piloted the launch aircraft for every experimental research plane from the Bell X-1 to the X-15. Fulton also flew the Boeing 747 that launched the first landing test flights of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

In 1962, he set a payload-to-altitude record of 85,000 ft. in the B-58, a record that stands to this day. Fulton won numerous awards for his many significant test flights, including four Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Harmon Trophy and the SETP Kincheloe Award.