Colonel Richard S. Couch
USAF - Class of 64
First Test pilot to fly the AV-1 (B-2
Bomber)
The B-2 was first revealed to the
public on November 22, 1988, when AV-1 (82-1066) was unveiled at Palmdale. At
this time, the aircraft was still not ready for its first flight. The fact that
the production and service-introduction schedules were not revealed led the
media to suspect that the program was well behind schedule, which was indeed the
case. The media speculation got even worse when the first flight of the AV-1 was
delayed. At this time, Congress was reluctant to commit to any production until
flight testing was well under way.
Taxi tests began on July 10, 1989.
The B-2 finally made its first flight on July 17, 1989 from Palmdale, crewed by
chief test pilot Bruce J. Hinds and Col.
Richard Couch. It
lasted 112 minutes and ended with a landing at Edwards AFB. After carrying out
initial tests, AV-1 was used for radar cross section tests. In early 1993, AV-1
was placed in long term storage to await upgrading to full service configuration
prior to joining the operational fleet.
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Winner 1990 of Iven
C. Kincheloe Award
recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight
testing. It was established in 1958 by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots
and honors the memory of test pilot and Korean War ace Iven C. Kincheloe, United
States Air Force, who died during flight testing.
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4950th
Test Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; semi-finalist in NASA astronaut group 8
selection.