3 May 1976 – On 1 May 1976 Pan American World Airways’ Boeing 747SP–21 Clipper Liberty Bell, N533PA, departed New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, on a record-setting around the world flight which was completed on 3 May 1976. Under the command of Captain Walter H. Mullikan, the airline’s chief pilot, the flight crew
In 1966, Leonard N. “Lenny” Masiello was an employee of Hamilton Standard who was preparing to enter U.S. Air Force pilot training.
In the early part of that year, Masiello was approached by Dr. Vance Marchbanks, Jr. and was asked to assist in testing the Apollo space suit. Masiello participated in numerous tests of the suit, aided by his excellent physical condition, which contributed to the final design. One round of testing, held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, was attended by active and former astronauts including John Herschel Glenn, Jr.; John Leonard Swigert, Jr.; Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.; and Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom.
Masiello left Hamilton Standard in late 1966 to enter pilot training, after which he was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.