NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Joseph Kittinger

Joseph William Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) is a former pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Man High and Project Excelsior and also, as being the first man to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon. is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ... Prisoner of War Medal The Prisoner of War Medal was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. ... Joseph Kittinger next to the Excelsior gondola on June 02, 1957 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Joseph Kittinger next to the Excelsior gondola on June 02, 1957 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... 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 balloons to the upper layers of the earths atmosphere. ... Kittingers record-breaking skydive 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. ...

Early life and military career

Born in Tampa, Florida (U.S.), he was educated at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, and the University of Florida. After racing speedboats as a teenager and later completing his aviation cadet training, he joined the USAF in March of 1950. He was assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. Tampa redirects here. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... The Bolles School is a private college preparatory school with an international reputation for excellence. ... â€œJacksonvilleâ€ redirects here. ... The University of Florida (Florida, UFL, or UF) is a public land-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... Categories: Stub | Boat types ... Aviation encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices created by human ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Boeing C-17A Lot XII Globemaster III Serial 00-0172 Spirit of the Cascades at the Ramstein cargo terminal. ...

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 Kittinger's record leap. In 1957 as part of Man High he set an interim balloon altitude record of 96,760 feet (29,500 m) in Man High I. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.) Holloman AFB is an Air Force base located in Otero County, New Mexico. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Largest metro area Albuquerque metropolitan area Area Ranked 5th - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 kmÂ²) - Width 342 miles (550 km) - Length 370 miles (595 km) - % water 0. ... Holloman AFB is an Air Force base located in Otero County, New Mexico. ... John Paul Stapp, M.D., Ph. ... A rocket sled is essentially a small railroad car with rockets attached. ... Manhigh 2 gondola Project Manhigh along with Project Excelsior was a pre space-age military project that brought men in balloons to the upper layers of the earths atmosphere. ... For other uses, see Balloon (disambiguation). ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ...

Project Excelsior

Captain Kittinger 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 three parachute jumps wearing a pressurized suit, from a helium balloon with an open gondola. Image File history File links Kittinger-life-cover. ... Image File history File links Kittinger-life-cover. ... Kittingers record-breaking skydive 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. ... Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Fairborn and Dayton, Ohio. ... : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... High altitude are regions on the Earths surface (or in its atmosphere) that are high above mean sea level. ... This article is about the device. ...

The first, from 76,400 feet (23,287 m) in November, 1959 was a near tragedy when an equipment malfunction caused him to lose consciousness, but the automatic parachute saved him (he went into a flat spin at a rotational velocity of 120 rpm; the G factor at his extremities was calculated to be over 22 times that of gravity, setting another record). Three weeks later he jumped again from 74,700 feet (22,769 m). For that return jump Kittinger was awarded the Leo Stevens parachute medal.

On August 16, 1960 he made the final jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,330 m). Towing a small drogue chute for stabilization, he fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds reaching a maximum speed of 614 mph (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Pressurization for his right glove malfunctioned during the ascent, causing his hand to swell. He set records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest drogue-fall (14 min) and fastest speed by a man through the atmosphere. [1] is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A B-52H Stratofortress from the 5 Bomb Wing deploying its drag chute for landing A drogue parachute is a type of parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly moving object. ...

The jumps were made in a "rocking-chair" position, descending on his back, rather than the usual arch familiar to skydivers, because he was wearing a 60-lb "kit" on his behind and his pressure suit naturally formed that shape when inflated, a shape appropriate for sitting in an airplane cockpit. Gordon Cooper in a helmet and pressure suit, A pressure suit is a pressurized suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly so high that even breathing pure oxygen at surrounding pressure would not provide enough oxygen for them to function: see hypoxia. ...

For the series of jumps, Kittinger was decorated with an oak leaf cluster to his D.F.C. and awarded the Harmon Trophy by President Dwight Eisenhower. Bronze and Silver oak leaf clusters An Oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on military awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. ... The Harmon Aviator Trophy The Harmon Aviatrix Trophy The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the worlds outstanding aviator, aviatrix (female aviator), and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible). ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ...

Later work

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. Image File history File links Joseph Kittingers record-breaking skydive Picture is from the US Air Force, and therefore in the public domain. ... Image File history File links Joseph Kittingers record-breaking skydive Picture is from the US Air Force, and therefore in the public domain. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a person whose area of interest is astronomy or astrophysics. ...

Kittinger later served three combat tours during the Vietnam War, flying a total of 483 missions, the first two tours as an aircraft commander in A-26 Invaders. On a voluntary third tour in 1971-72, he commanded the F-4 Phantom 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron and then became vice commander of the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. On March 1, 1972, he shot down a MIG-21 in air-to-air combat, and was later downed himself on May 11, 1972, just before the end of his tour. He spent 11 months as a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" prison. Kittinger was senior officer among the newer POWs (those captured after 1969) and in John D. Sherwood's Fast Movers is described as having been in serious conflict with his fellow prisoners over his leadership style. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... First flown in 1942, the American Douglas A-26 Invader (after 1948, the B-26, and after 1966, the A-26A) was a twin-engined light attack bomber aircraft built during World War II and seeing service during the Cold Wars major conflicts. ... The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ... Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... This article is about the incarceration center for prisoners of war used during the Vietnam War. ...

He retired as a colonel 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 the first solo Atlantic crossing in the 106,000 cubic foot (3,000 m³) Balloon of Peace" - Rosie O'Grady from September 14–18, 1984, (National Geographic Feb, 1985). For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation). ... 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. ... The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

Kittinger wrote a book, published in 1961, called The Long, Lonely Leap. Now long out of print, surviving copies are expensive, but as of November 2005 a reprint is planned.

Currently

In 1997, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. [2]. Kittinger lives in the Orlando, Florida area and is Vice President of Flight Operations for Rosie O'Grady's Flying Circus. He is still active in the aviation community as a consultant and touring barnstormer. The National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio. ... : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... Nickname: Location in Orange County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State Counties Orange Government - Mayor Buddy Dyer (D) Area - City 101 sq mi (261. ...

On January 23, 2007 the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the United States Air Force Auxiliary, honored Joe by renaming the TX-352 Squadron for him. Texas Governor Rick Perry cited Joe's work as did the Texas Senate with a special resolution presented during the dedication ceremony attended by Joe and his wife Sherry. The Col. Joseph W. Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron of CAP's Texas Wing, is based at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

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