Courter, Robert F. , Jr., 1925-2013
Person
Biographical Note
Robert F. Courter, Jr. was born on October 1, 1925 in New York. He studied engineering and enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on November 2, 1943. In 1945, he completed pilot training and became a flight instructor.
In 1951, the New York Air National Guard activated him to serve during the Korean War, where he flew a North American P-51 Mustang. Courter was discharged in 1953 and returned to the United States. He worked for Bell and was the third test pilot for the Bell Rocket belt, first flying it in July 1962.
Courter also was the test pilot for the Bell Jet Belt, the WASP (Williams Aerial Systems Platform) and the WASP II/X-Jet. He retired in 1987 and passed away on January 28, 2013.
In 1951, the New York Air National Guard activated him to serve during the Korean War, where he flew a North American P-51 Mustang. Courter was discharged in 1953 and returned to the United States. He worked for Bell and was the third test pilot for the Bell Rocket belt, first flying it in July 1962.
Courter also was the test pilot for the Bell Jet Belt, the WASP (Williams Aerial Systems Platform) and the WASP II/X-Jet. He retired in 1987 and passed away on January 28, 2013.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Bell Rocket Belt photograph and correspondence
Collection — Folder: One
Identifier: 2019-00-00-104
Contents of the Collection
This small collection consists of two items: a black-and-white photograph and a printed copy of e-mail correspondence related to the photograph. The 4x5" photograph depicts Bell test pilot Robert Courter wearing the Bell Rocket Belt with a child's doll on the back of it during a tethered test flight inside a hangar, circa late December 1964. It is stamped on the back: "Bell Aerosystems Company." The e-mail, dated October 2019, provides context for the image provided by William P. Suitor, fellow...