James Lore Murray Major General James L . Murray ( January 4 , 1919 – May 9 , 2004 ) was a United States Air Force officer and Engineering Project Manager for the XB - 52 at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base . Biography . General Murray started his Air Force career as an instructor ; his 5 , 500 hours aloft spanned the era from Stearman PT - 13 biplane trainers to the North American F - 86 Sabre . Notable amongst his students were members of the Tuskeegee Airmen 332d Fighter Group ( 99th Pursuit Group ) and aviation author Ernest K . Gann , who referred to him as " a most skillful young Army pilot " in Fate Is the Hunter ( page 213 . ) From 1945 to 1948 , he flew a Curtiss - Wright C - 46 Commando flying laboratory on 122 missions to gather icing data as part of the NASA Ames Research Center ' s effort to develop modern anti - ice systems . As Chief of the Special Projects Branch of the Aircraft Laboratory at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base from 1948 to 1950 , then - Major Murray led the effort to persuade aircraft manufacturers and operational Air Force units to accept the ejection seat as a safe and effective means of escape at high speed . The seat testing took place at Edwards Air Force Base located in Palmdale , California . The seat was attached to a sled that was connected to a stretch of rail road tracks . It was propelled by rockets at a high rate of speed which at the end launched a dummy from the seat with a parachute . When it came time to actually attempt an ejection from an aircraft in flight , Major Murray discovered the seat didn ' t fit properly in the cockpit of the aircraft that it was designed for , so ultimately the seat chassis was sent to Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles for modifications . Upon the corrections to the seat it was a " Go " . Major Murray was flying in an aircraft next to the test plane . The test plane was flown by a close friend and test pilot . The test pilot began to steer the plane towards the ground and Major Murray witnessed the first ejection from the air . The test rail road tracks are still in existence today at Edwards A . F . B . as a reminder of the profound safety achievement and life saver for pilots . General Murray survived two plane crashes in his lifetime . The first was before the ejection seat and took place when he was instructing a student that was one of The Tuskeegee Airmen . They were flying in a single - engine , two - seater trainer with a slide - back canopy over Florida . An oil hose broke and they lost engine power . Murray was able to take control of the plane and land it in a swampy field , causing severe damage to the engine and belly of the plane . They were not injured . The second plane crash was when General Murray was an executive for an aerospace company and was aboard the company ' s business jet as a passenger . The plane began its descent for landing on a very cold winter day in Michigan . General Murray , concerned about an ice buildup , looked out the window over the wing and noticed large sheets of ice on the wings . He quickly notified the pilots , but it was too late . General Murray then observed the ice breaking off of the wings and being sucked into the jet engine intakes . The engines shut down , and the plane had to make an emergency landing on a partially iced - over lake . Upon the plane crashing , it immediately burst into flames . General Murray quickly opened the door and ushered out the pilots and the other executives he was traveling with . The water was now covered in aircraft fuel . The fuel ignited , leaving General Murray no escape . His only option was to dive into the flames that were on top of the water . He suffered burns that were , fortunately , not serious . He said that swimming in the icy waters was the worst of it ! While he was the Engineering Project Manager for the XB - 52 at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base from 1951 – 1952 , Lt . Col . Murray worked with future Boeing chairman " T " A . Wilson and many others overseeing the development of the aircraft . General Murray also worked for a division of Lockheed Skunk Works . He was assigned to the project development of " The Black Missile " . This was the first missile that was undetectable by radar . It was being built in a large tan - colored hangar located on the north corner of The Burbank Airport , located in Burbank , California . The hangar was owned by Lockheed Skunk Works Division . It was accessed via San Fernando Rd . This hangar was not the typical hangar . It was larger than normal and heavily guarded . There were no signs of what was really going on there . General Murray worked there daily , entering the door on the west side of the hangar . He explained , upon entering the hangar there was an enormous black curtain that was drawn across the center of the hangar , splitting the work space . He stayed on his side and the other workers stayed on their side . They never saw each other or looked beyond the curtain . General Murray was advised that the other side of the curtain contained a highly classified development , as his project wasn ' t classified enough . Years later , General Murray discovered what was going on behind the curtain . He was told the first stealth aircraft was in its early stages of development and testing . Murray declined to speak about which aircraft . The hangar was torn down in the year 2002 , closing another door to an amazing piece of history . After being commissioned in the active Air Force Reserve in 1955 , Murray eventually retired as a Major General in 1975 with what was known as a " Cosmic Secret " security clearance . He received the high honor of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal . General Murray held several executive positions in the aerospace industry , among them as vice - president of the C - 5 division at the Douglas Aircraft Company , and a 20 - year career as president / CEO of Teledyne / CAE , makers of the Boeing Harpoon and Tomahawk missile engine . September 11 , 2001 , General Murray was 82 years of age . General Murray , a true patriot watching the aftermath of the attacks unfold on the television , told his youngest son , " If I weren ' t 82 years old , I would re - enlist and go fight ! General Murray died on May 9 , 2004 at the age of 85 . His dream was to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery amongst friends and heroes . He was interred in Section 54 of Arlington Cemetery .