Record Setting X-15 Pilot Dies

[Jimbeaux]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obitu...

[ErnestM]

Saw that this morning. RIP.

[patmahe]

He got to do some extrordinary things during his life, we should all be so lucky.

RIP

[Eric Mc]

That era of test pilot got to break so many records. Most of them are in their eighties now - or dead.

How many X-15 pilots remain alive now? I reckon Neil Armstrong might be the last one.

[Jimbeaux]

Eric Mc said:

That era of test pilot got to break so many records. Most of them are in their eighties now - or dead.

How many X-15 pilots remain alive now? I reckon Neil Armstrong might be the last one.

A very special group is passing indeed.

[ErnestM]

Joe Engle (shuttle pilot too) is still around...

[Eric Mc]

ErnestM said:

Joe Engle (shuttle pilot too) is still around...

Good to hear.

What about Bill Dana?

Other deceased X-15 pilots I can remembr off hand are Scott Crossfield, Joe Walker, Mike Adams and Milt Thompson.

Edited by Eric Mc on Friday 26th March 18:06

[ErnestM]

I think Bill Dana is still around - don't know what he is doing now. Scott Crossfield died in 2006 when his Cessna crashed after he gave a lecture at Maxwell AFB in Alabama (been there - Air War College - Nice Library - You would go nuts in it Eric).

Don't know about the other ones.

[Tango13]

Is Forrest "Pete" Peterson still alive? After the X-15 program I believe he went on to be XO of the USS Enterprise.

[florian]

X-15 Literature

By the way: There is an excellent book on the X-15. The title is "X-15: Extending the Frontiers of Flight" by D. R. Jenkins (2007). It can be downloaded for free from the NASA Technical Reports Server:

Link to download page

Lots and lots of amazing technical detail can be found in that book. Well worth a read!

[Ravell]

Very sad news.

On a similar note to florian's recomendation,

At The Edge of Space gives a very personal and detailed look at the X-15 program. Well worth a read!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/At-Edge-Space-M-Thompson/d...