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Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / History of the Test Pilot

Post #654723 by mike and marie on Sun, Oct 7, 2012 12:15 PM

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A recent thread on space age and tiki got us thinking about that perennial favorite, the good old test pilot -- because if you think about it the very name is much more "space age" (or at least proto-"space age") than "tiki." (Really the only thing "tiki" about the name is the South Pacific WWII air force connotation of the time and also the idea that a test pilot at the helm of some modern new supersonic aircraft might be able to get you to your paradise island, stat.)

According to the Grog Log and as also mentioned in a 2006 article here, it was invented by Donn Beach somewhere around 1941. But can anyone say exactly when or where it was first served?

And could this Clark Gable film from 1938 also have had an influence in the name?