Scott Crossfield

Albert Scott Crossfield (October 2, 1921 – April 19, 2006), normally referred to as Scott Crossfield, was an American naval officer, aviator and test pilot. North American X-15 test pilot Scott Crossfield. ... North American X-15 test pilot Scott Crossfield. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... USN redirects here. ... An aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. ... Test pilots work on developing, evaluating and proving experimental aircraft. ...

Biography

Born in Berkeley, California, Crossfield grew up in California and Washington. He served with the U.S. Navy as a flight instructor and fighter pilot during World War II. From 1946-1950, he worked in the University of Washington's Kirsten Wind Tunnel while earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical engineering. In 1950, he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' High-Speed Flight Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as an aeronautical research pilot. In those early days, it was called Muroc Field, reverse spelling of the wealthy California Corum family who donated the land to the Army Air Corps. Crossfield joined the Navy because he could enter flight training two weeks earlier than a date offered by the Army Air Corps. Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northern California, in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... USN redirects here. ... A person who holds a flight instructor certificate is authorized within the limitations of that persons flight instructor certificate and ratings to give training and endorsements that are required for, and relate to: (a) A student pilot certificate; (b) A pilot certificate; (c) A flight instructor certificate; (d) A... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with aerial warfare. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering that concerns aircraft, spacecraft, and related topics. ... NACA official seal The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. ... NASA Insignia Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Dryden Flight Research Centers fleet of aircraft in 1993. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home...

Over the next five years, he flew nearly all of the experimental aircraft under test at Edwards, including the X-1, XF-92, X-4, X-5, Douglas D-558-I Skystreak and the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket. In generic use, an experimental aircraft is an aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in flight. ... The Bell X-1, originally XS-1 was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled, level flight. ... The Convair XF-92 was the first American delta-wing aircraft. ... The Northrop X-4 Bantam was a small twin-jet airplane that had no horizontal tail surfaces, depending instead on combined elevator and aileron control surfaces (called elevons) for control in pitch and roll attitudes. ... The Bell X-5 was the first aircraft capable of changing the sweep of its wings in flight. ... The Douglas Skystreak (the D-558-1) was designed in 1945 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). ... Douglas Skyrocket D-558-II The Douglas Skyrocket (the D-558-2) was a rocket-powered research aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy. ...

On November 20, 1953, he became the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound as he piloted the Skyrocket to a speed of 1,291 mph (2078 km/h, Mach 2.005). The Skyrocket D-558-II surpassed its intended design speed by 25 percent on that day. With 99 flights in the rocket-powered X-1 and D-558-II, he had — by a wide margin — more experience with rocketplanes than any other pilot in the world by the time he left Edwards to join North American Aviation in 1955. As North American's chief engineering test pilot, he played a major role in the design and development of the X-15 and its systems. Once it was ready to fly, it was his job to demonstrate its airworthiness at speeds ranging up to Mach 3. Because the X-15 and its systems were unproven, these tests were considered extremely hazardous. Crossfield flew 14 of the 199 total X-15 flight tests with most of these tests establishing and validating initial key parameters. Scott Crossfield not only designed the X-15 from the beginning, but introduced many innovations, to include putting engine controls of the rocket plane into the cockpit. Previously, all engine adjustments resulted from technicians making adjustments on the ground based upon results of flight profiles. In a 2000 public lecture, 'Scotty' (as he was known to friends) described how the X-15 aeronautical calculations and design required computing power that filled four 10x12 rooms. He went on to say that these very same calculations could be performed today on a notebook computer. He also hinted that Burt Rutan and his Scaled Composite company were performing pioneering work for a private aircraft to take-off from an airport, fly into outer space, and return to that airport. In 2004, White Knight carried Space Ship One to its successful launch and winning of the Ansari X-Prize, the first attempt for a plane since the X-15 cancellation. November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Mach number (Ma) is defined as a ratio of speed to the speed of sound in the medium in case. ... North American Aviation, Inc. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Test pilots work on developing, evaluating and proving experimental aircraft. ... Description Role: Research Aircraft Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Length: 50. ... SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ...

It was during this time that Crossfield was part of the Air Force's Man In Space Soonest project. Man In Space Soonest was a American program to put an astronaut into outer space before the Soviet Union would be able to. ...

On June 8, 1959, he completed the airplane's first flight, an unpowered glide from 37,550 feet. On September 17, 1959, he completed the first powered flight. Because of delays in the development of the X-15's mammoth 57,000 pounds force (254 kN) thrust XLR-99 engine, the early flights were completed with a pair of interim XLR-11 rocket engines. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Shortly after launch on his third flight, one of these engines exploded. Unable to jettison his propellants, Crossfield was forced to make an emergency landing during which the excessive load on the aircraft broke its back just behind the cockpit. He was uninjured and the airplane was repaired. During descent, the cockpit windows completely frosted and Crossfield was literally flying blind. Ever resourceful, he removed a flight boot, took off his sock, and created a peep hole to reference his chase plane wingman all the way to landing.

On June 8, 1960, he had another close call during ground tests with the XLR-99 engine. He was seated in the cockpit of the No. 3 X-15 when a malfunctioning valve caused a catastrophic explosion. Remarkably, he was once again uninjured and the airplane was completely rebuilt. On November 15 of the same year, he completed the X-15's first powered flight with the XLR-99 engine. Two flights later, on December 6, he brought North American's demonstration program to a successful conclusion as he completed his final flight in the X-15. Although it had been his hope to eventually pilot one of the craft into space, the USAF would not allow it, and gave strict orders which basically amounted to "stay in the sky, stay out of space." June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Altogether, he completed 16 captive carry (mated to the B-52 launch aircraft), one glide and 13 powered flights in the X-15. The surprise X-15 retirement after its record setting Mach 6.72 flight because of funding cutbacks led pilot Joe Engle to remark that if he knew it was the last flight, he would have pushed it to even faster speeds. Crossfield in his remarks to a number of aviation groups cited this as one of few aircraft programs in which grown men cried when it was cancelled. SpaceShipOne is carried beneath White Knight during a captive carry flight to test SpaceShipOnes aerodynamic and avionic performance. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... Joseph Joe Henry Engle (born August 26, 1932 in Dickinson County, Kansas) is a former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. ...

He remained at North American as systems director of test and quality assurance in the company's Space and Information Systems Division where he oversaw quality, reliability engineering and systems test activities for such programs as the Apollo command and service modules and the Saturn II booster. Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961–1975. ...

In 1966, he became the division's technical director for research engineering and test. In 1967, he joined Eastern Air Lines where he served as a division vice president for research and development and, subsequently, as a staff vice president working with U.S. military and civilian agencies on air traffic control technologies. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ...

In 1974-1975, he worked for Hawker-Siddeley as a senior vice president supporting HS 146 activities in the United States. In 1977, he joined the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology where he served, until his retirement in 1993, as a technical adviser on all aspects of civil aviation research and development and became one of the nation's leading advocates for a reinvigorated research airplane program. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Hawker-Siddeley was a British aircraft manufacturing company. ... SN Brussels Airlines Avro RJ85 The BAe 146 (also known as the Avro RJ) is a medium-sized commercial aircraft which was manufactured by BAE Systems until 2002. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Crossfield was played by Scott Wilson in the 1983 film The Right Stuff. Scott Wilson (born on March 29, 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia, (USA) is an American actor. ... // Events February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Lets Spend the Night Together opens in New York Top grossing films North America Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Tootsie Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy WarGames, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy Superman III Flashdance... The Right Stuff is both a 1979 book by Tom Wolfe, and a 1983 film adapted from the book. ...

From 2001-2003, Crossfield trained pilots Terry Queijo, Kevin Kochersberger, Chris Johnson and Ken Hyde for The Wright Experience, which prepared to fly a reproduction Wright Flyer on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight on December 17, 1903. The training was successful, but the recreation of the flight on December 17, 2003 was ultimately not successful due to low engine power and the flyer's rain-soaked fabric covering which added considerably to its takeoff weight. The Wright replica did fly successfully at Kitty Hawk after the Centennial jubilee but without media coverage. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Wright Flyer (often retrospectively referred to as Flyer I and occasionally Kitty Hawk) was the first powered aircraft designed and built by the Wright Brothers. ... The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871–January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867–May 30, 1912), are American brothers generally credited with making the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

In one sense, it was only fitting that Crossfield conduct this experimental flight training because all pilots in this project had to unlearn their considerable flying experience and learn forgotten Wright brothers techniques.

Years earlier, Crossfield demonstrated his flight test skills on his very first student solo. His instructor was not available on the designated early morning, so Crossfield, on his own, took off and went through maneuvers he had practiced with his instructor, to include spin entry and spin recovery. During the first spin, Crossfield experienced vibrations, banging, and noise in the aircraft that he had never encountered with his instructor. He recovered, climbed to a higher altitude, and repeated his spin entry and spin recovery, getting the same vibration, banging and noise. On his third spin entry, at yet an even higher altitude, he looked over his shoulder as he was spinning and observed the instructor's door disengaged and flapping in the spin. He reached back, pulled the door closed, and discovered all the vibrations, banging and noise stopped. Satisfied, he recovered from the spin, landed (actually, did several landings), and fueled the airplane. He also realized his instructor had been holding the door during their practice spin entries and recoveries, and never mentioned this door quirk. In later years, Crossfield often cited his curiosity about this solo spin anomaly and his desire to analyze what was going on and why it happened, as the start of his test pilot career.

When asked to name his favorite airplane, Crossfield replied, "the one I was flying at the time," because he thoroughly enjoyed them all and their specialness. To young teens, he would compare airplanes to different girls or boys they would date: each one was special and a learning experience.

Fatal Crash and Reactions

On April 19, 2006, a Cessna 210 piloted by Crossfield was reported missing while flying from Prattville, Alabama toward Herndon, Virginia.^[1] On April 20, authorities confirmed his body was found in the wreckage of his plane in a remote area of Gordon County, Georgia. There were severe thunderstorms in the area when air traffic monitors lost radio and radar contact with Crossfield's plane.^[2]. April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cessna 210 Centurion Cessna T210L A Cessna T210L shows the designs strutless cantilever wing The Cessna 210 Centurion (variants include the Cessna 210, turbocharged Cessna T210, and pressurized Cessna P210) is a 6 seat, high-performance, single-engine general aviation aircraft which was first flown January 1957. ... Prattville is a city located in Autauga County, Alabama and partially in Elmore County, Alabama. ... Herndon is the third-largest town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... Gordon County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ...

While lightning itself poses a relatively minor risk to all-metal aircraft like Crossfield's, thunderstorms often contain turbulence severe enough to break an aircraft into pieces, as well as strong downdrafts, heavy rain, severe icing, and heavy hail. The Gordon County Sheriff's department reported that debris from Crossfield's aircraft was found in three different locations within a quarter mile,^[3] suggesting that the plane broke up while it was still in the air.

Scott was returning from Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, where he had given a speech to a class of young Air Force officers attending the Air and Space Basic Course. He was survived by his wife of sixty years, Alice Crossfield; six children; and nine grandchildren.

A special funeral for inurnment at the Arlington National Cemetary columbarium occurred on Tuesday, August 15, 2006. One of the highlights featured four F-22 Raptor aircraft from the First Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia performing the missing man formation. The F-22s flew under departing airliners at Ronald Reagan National Airport, across the Pentagon, and lined-up on the columbariums before #3 pulled up into the "missing man". One of the departing airliners banked the aircraft to provide an aerial view of the missing man formation. The F-22 is not only the USAF premiere fighter, it is also the first aircraft that can go supersonic without igniting its afterburners.

Honors

Scott Crossfield received the Lawrence Sperry Award (1954), Octave Chanute Award (1954), Iven C. Kincheloe Award (1960), American Rocket Society (ARS) Astronautics Award (1960), Harmon International Trophy (1961 at the White House by President John F. Kennedy), Collier Trophy (1961 at the White House by President John F. Kennedy in 1962), NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (1993), and was named Honorary Fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1999). Crossfield is the only American to be honored in the White House for his contributions in advancing aeronautical science - or any other discipline - more than once, let alone two consecutive years. He has been inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame (1983), the International Space Hall of Fame (1988), the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame (1998), Aerospace Walk of Honor (1990) and the National Air and Space Museum Trophy (2000). He also had an elementary school named in his honor near his last residence, in Herndon, Virginia (a community just northeast of Dulles International Airport). A ribbon named after him is one of the Aerospace Education Awards in the Civil Air Patrol Senior Members program. He received an honorary doctor of science degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1982. While he was celebrated as a daring test pilot, he claimed that his actual profession was an engineer. "I am an aeronautical engineer, an aerodynamicist and a designer. My flying was only primarily because I felt that it was essential to designing and building better airplanes for pilots to fly." [2]. Even so, Crossfield often performed much of the dangerous initial test flight profiles with a small cadre of other test pilots before active duty Air Force and Navy test pilots were turned loose in the experimental aircraft. Crossfield opined his military, NACA/NASA, and manufacturer flight test job was to prepare military test pilots to earn recognition for aeronautical firsts by giving them solid flight data. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This award was created about 1901 by the Western Society of Engineers for papers of merit on engineering innovations. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... In 1926 Clifford B. Harmon, a wealthy sportsman and aviator, established the Harmon Trophy, a set of three international trophies to be awarded annually to the worlds outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F Kennedy, JFK, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... The Collier Trophy is the most prestigious award in the aviation field, given once a year to those that have made the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F Kennedy, JFK, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the scholarly society for the field of aerospace engineering. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... The National Aviation Hall of Fame is located in Dayton, Ohio and had inducted the following people, arranged in alphabetical order, and each has their year of induction in parentheses. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Little Joe II in the museums rocket park, viewed from the museum building. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California is a continually-growing venue for honoring test pilots who have significantly contributed to aviation and space research and development. ... This article is about the year. ... The National Air and Space Museum Trophy was established in 1985. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Herndon is the third-largest town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. ... Aerial photo Washington Dulles International Airport (IATA airport code IAD, ICAO airport code KIAD) serves the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. ... Civil Air Patrol seal The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). ... Located in Melbourne, Florida (Brevard County), United States, this independent technological college was founded by Jerome P. Keuper in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College, absorbing the University of Melbourne, and changing its name to Florida Institute of Technology in 1966. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

To friends and protegees, Crossfield was incredibly generous with his time and his insights. A morning meet for a cup of coffee could easily turn into a three-hour chat about almost anything. One such chat was about his first meeting with Vice President Nixon and test flight; Nixon remarked about the danger of flying. Crossfield replied, "I think you are in a much more precarious position, sir, as an elected official," then wryly remarked he predicted Watergate fallout well before any other person. To an even smaller group of those who were close, Crossfield discussed distinguishing capabilities of test pilots and who could be counted upon to get recurring reliable data on profile flights and those who were assigned to the chase planes.

References

• Thompson, Milton O. (1992) At The Edge Of Space: The X-15 Flight Program, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London. ISBN 1-56098-107-5

CNN or Cable News Network is a cable television network that was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner & Reese Schonfeld [1]. It is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System, owned by Time Warner. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• NASA Story on Scott Crossfield's Death
• Original NACA press release on Mach 2 flight
• X-15 Pilot Biographies
• Spacefacts biography of Albert Scott Crossfield
• A. Scott Crossfield Elementary School near his former residence
• Statement by NASA administrator upon his death[[Category:Octave Chanute Award recipients|Cross]