NASA research pilot Stephen D. Ishmael in front of an F-104 in this 1984 photo. Ishmael became a NASA research pilot in 1977, and during the following year began flying the F-8 Digital Fly-by-Wire aircraft. Ishmael also flew on the advanced fighter technology integration (AFTI)F-16 and the X-29 program among others. In the early 1990s, he was selected as one of two research pilots to fly the NASA SR-71s.