Frederick M. Trapnell
Frederick Mackay Fred Trapnell was a United States Navy admiral and aviation pioneer. Trapnell was the first US Navy pilot to fly a jet aircraft, was considered the best, most experienced naval test aviator of his generation, cofounded the branchs first test pilot school, and played a pivotal role in both the development of future Naval aircraft and the survival of the postWorld War II Navys air arm.
Frederick Trapnell was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to Benjamin Trapnell of Charles Town, West Virginia and Ada Probasco of Ohio. Trapnell came from a prosperous family with a long military tradition. His father and several cousins attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Marylandalthough Benjamins military career was cut short by an infamous hazing incident. Several other cousins were officers in the United States Army as was his brother, Wallace Probasco Trapnell, who served in the Signal Corps. Following his father, Trapnell attended the Naval Academy, graduated, and was commissioned an ensign in 1923. After serving for two years at sea on board the battleship USS California and the cruiser USS Marblehead, Trapnell was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1926 for flight training, thus beginning his career as a naval aviator.
Source: Wikipedia