--- title: "This test pilot dressed as a gorilla to mess with other Air Force pilots" description: "Some World War II aviators told the flight surgeons at Edwards Air Force Base that they'd seen a gorilla flying a plane with no propeller." date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2023-05-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/the-test-pilot-of-the-usafs-first-jet-fighter-dressed-as-a-gorilla-to-mess-with-other-pilots/" categories: - "Air Force" - "History" - "Join the Military" - "Military Culture" tags: - "Air Force" - "Military Culture" --- # This test pilot dressed as a gorilla to mess with other Air Force pilots ![gorilla test pilot]() *(U.S. Air Force)* [Edwards Air Force Base]() in California certainly has its fair share of oddball aircraft and eccentric pilots. But a test pilot flying a top-secret airplane in a gorilla suit? In 1942, Bell Aircraft was developing its [P-59 Airacomet](), the first jet engine fighter designed by the United States. And although it never saw action, it was an important step in the development of American air power. It was also a top-secret project at the time. The British had a jet fighter airframe in development since 1941, as did the Nazis. The future of air supremacy in the Second World War might have been on the line, so everything had to be hush-hush. The jet program was so secret, in fact, that when the P-59 was taxiing, airmen placed a fake wooden propeller on its nose so onlookers wouldn't notice anything unusual about the aircraft. In the air, however, it was a different story. Test pilots flying the usual piston-driven aviation engine would report back to base with sightings of a fast-moving plane without a propeller. They also claimed the aircraft was flown by a "gorilla, wearing a derby hat, waving a stogie at them." That of course, would be the craziest thing anyone ever heard—except it was true. There was a gorilla test pilot. ![gorilla test pilot]() The Chief test pilot for [Bell Aircraft]() was Jack Woolams. By the time Bell was testing its P-59 design, Woolams had already served 18 months in the Army Air Corps. He was the man behind the gorilla mask. Other test pilots who were exposed to Woolams' prank were convinced by [Air Force]() psychologists that they hadn't really seen the gorilla flying the plane, "because everyone knows you can't fly without a propeller." Notably, no one really called the story implausible because a gorilla was at the stick. That would be stupid. ![gorilla test pilot bell p-59 airacomet]() *[Bell P-59 Airacomet]() side view. (U.S. Air Force)* Woolams was also the first test pilot to fly a fighter aircraft coast-to-coast nonstop and set an altitude record in 1943. He died preparing for an air show in 1946, but he was a man ahead of his time — a harbinger of the nonstop, record-breaking years of air power development to come for test pilots in the 1950s and 1960s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E\_Swps3RFH8 ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()