Tony LeVier

Anthony W. 'Tony' LeVier (1917-1998) was an American test pilot for Lockheed Corporation. Renowned for his expertise in high-risk flights, he played a pivotal role in selecting Groom Lake (Area 51) as the test site for the U-2 spy plane in 1955. Piloting a Beechcraft with CIA's Richard Bissell, Col. Osmund Ritland, and designer Kelly Johnson, LeVier surveyed remote sites and identified the dry lakebed ideal for secret operations. He conducted the U-2's first 'accidental' flight during taxi tests at Area 51, reaching airborne unexpectedly. U-2 high-altitude missions over the USSR and elsewhere generated numerous UFO sightings, which Project Blue Book attributed to the aircraft, accounting for over half of reports in the late 1950s-1960s without revealing classified details. LeVier's contributions indirectly linked advanced aviation to UFO misidentifications in government programs. No known UAP research publications or testimony.