Joseph W. Kittinger II (1928- )

Kittinger next to the Excelsior gondola

Joseph W. Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) was a pilot in the United States Air Force. He is remembered for his participation in Project Man High and Project Excelsior. Public domain image from [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Public domain image from [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Manhigh 2 gondola Project Manhigh along with Project Excelsior was a pre space-age military project that brought men in ballons to the upper layers of the earths atmosphere. ... Project Excelsior was a series of high altitude parachute jumps made by Captain (later Colonel) Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in 1959 and 1960 to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system. ...

Born in Tampa, Florida he was educated at Bolles School, Jacksonville and the University of Florida. After racing speedboats as a teenager and later completing his aviation cadet training he joined the USAF in March, 1950. He was assigned to the 86th Fighter bomber Wing based at Ramstein AFB in West Germany. In 1954 he was transferred to Holloman AFB in New Mexico and the Air Force Missile Development Center (AFMDC). Kittinger flew the observation plane which monitored Colonel John Paul Stapp's rocket sled run of 632 mph in 1955. Kittinger was impressed by the dedication of Stapp (a pioneer in space medicine). Stapp in turn was impressed with Kittinger's skillful jet piloting, later recommending him for space aviation work. Stapp was to foster the high altitude tests which would lead to Kittingers record leap. In 1957 as part of Man High he set a balloon altitude record of 96,000 feet in Man High I. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Tampas skyline For alternate meanings, see Tampa (disambiguation) Tampa is a city located in Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida. ... Century Tower, University of Florida. ... Categories: Stub | Boat types ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ramstein Air Base is a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the town of Ramstein, Germany. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Holloman AFB is an Air Force base located in Otero County, New Mexico. ... This article needs cleanup. ... John Paul Stapp, M.D., Ph. ... A rocket sled is essentially a small railroad car with rockets attached. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Balloons are often used or given on special occasions, like cards or flowers. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ...

He was then assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. For Project Excelsior (meaning 'ever upward', a name given to the project by Colonel Stapp), as part of research into high altitude bailout, he made a series of high altitude parachute jumps, from 76,400 feet (23,287 m) in November, 1958; from 74,700 feet (22,769 m) in December, 1958. In 1959 Kittinger made an open gondola jump from 14 miles. For the jump Kittinger was awarded the Leo Stevens parachute medal. On August 16, 1960 he jumped from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m). He was in freefall for 4½ minutes and reached a maximum speed of 614 mph (982 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). He set records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest freefall and fastest speed by a man through the atmosphere. For his jumps he was decorated with an oak leaf cluster to his D.F.C. and awarded the C.B. Harmon Trophy. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Fairborn and Dayton, Ohio. ... Dayton, Ohio Dayton is the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio. ... High altitude are regions on the Earths surface (or in its atmosphere) that are high above mean sea level. ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to 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). ...

Back at Holloman AFB he also took part in Project Stargazer on December 13-14, 1962. He and William C. White, an astronomer, took a balloon of equipment to a height of 82,200 feet (25,055 m) and spent over eighteen hours at that height in performing observations. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Kittinger served three combat tours during the Vietnam War, commanding the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was shot down on May 11, 1972 and spent almost a year as a prisoner of war. The Vietnam War was a war fought roughly from 1957 to 1975 after the North Vietnamese government secretly agreed to begin involvement in South Vietnam. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

He retired in 1978 and went to work for Martin Marietta. Still interested in ballooning he won the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning three times (1982, 1984, 1985) and completed a solo Atlantic crossing in the 3,000 m³ Rosie O'Grady from September 14-18, 1984. Events January January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. ... Martin Marietta Corporation was founded in 1961 through the merger of The Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. ... The Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning is the worlds oldest and most respected gas balloon race first run on September 30, 1906 in Paris, France. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January-February January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kittinger still lives in Tampa where he has a public park named after him.