serviceyears branch death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date rank image article_title name
1939-1944 united forces states army air corps united states army air 12 october 1954 wawaset park , wilmington , delaware united states of america 47th fighter squadron 36th fighter squadron 80th fighter squadron distinguished medal american defense medal asiatic-pacific campaign medal with four battle service stars presidential unit citation cross silver star distinguished flying cross air place of burial world war ii 10 may 1918 major george welch.jpg george welch -lrb- pilot -rrb-
 george welch
george welch -lrb- pilot -rrb-

george welch -lrb- may 10 , 1918 -- october 12 , 1954 -rrb- was a world war ii flying ace , a medal of honor nominee , and an experimental aircraft pilot after the war .
welch is best known for being one of the few united states army air corps fighter pilots able to get airborne to engage japanese forces in the attack on pearl harbor and for his work as a test pilot .
welch retired from the united states army air forces as a major in 1944 , and became a test pilot for north american aviation , receiving some notoriety for reportedly being the first pilot to exceed mach 1 in the prototype xp-86 sabre -lrb- two weeks before chuck yeager 's record flight -rrb- .
controversy exists as to the actual details of the flight and if this flight took place , it is generally not recognized as a record because of a lack of verifiable speed measurement and because the aircraft 's highest speeds were attained while diving .
in 1954 , welch died following a crash in a test flight in a north american f-100 super sabre .
