He flew some of the most advanced aircraft of the era and would ultimately accumulate over 9,000 hours of flight time, 2,000 in high-performance jets.

The fact that both involved an advanced aircraft manufactured by the world's biggest aviation company has only added to anxiety and raised questions over regulation.

Over 1,500 pilots were trained for advanced aircraft fighting at this airport.

However, as the research and development phase for the two projects progressed, costs escalated due to the complexity normally associated with advanced aircraft projects.

The latter was a very advanced aircraft when built, an aerodynamically clean all-metal cantilever (without external bracing) monoplane.