X-15 pilots

In keeping with the joint nature of the X-15 project, its pilots came from the four different organizations that were cooperating to design, build, and fly the airplane.

X-15 Pilots in Order by Dates of First Flight:

A. Scott Crossfield, North American Aviation-14 flights
Joseph A. Walker, NASA-25 flights
Robert M. White, United States Air Force (USAF)-16 flights
Forrest S. Petersen, United States Navy-5 flights
John B. McKay, NASA-29 flights
Robert A. Rushworth, USAF-34 flights
Neil A. Armstrong, NASA-7 flights
Joe H. Engle, USAF-16 flights
Milton O. Thompson, NASA-14 flights
William J. Knight, USAF-16 flights
William H. Dana, NASA -16 flights
Michael J. Adams, USAF-7 flights

Total number of flights-199

The X-15 had its share of emergency landings and accidents, but only two produced serious injuries or death. On Nov. 9, 1962, Jack McKay experienced an engine failure and landed at Mud Lake, Nev. The landing gear collapsed, flipping him and the aircraft on its back. Although he recovered from his injuries sufficiently to fly again, he eventually had to retire because of them. On Nov. 15, 1967, on Michael Adams seventh flight, he entered a spin from which he was able to recover but could not bring it out of an inverted dive because of a technical problem with the adaptive flight control system. He died in the resultant crash of the X-15 number three.

This short video clip provides two different views of X-15 pilots. In the first group are (left to right): Bob Rushworth and Joe Engle, Jack McKay, Pete Knight, Milt Thompson, and Bill Dana. The pilots shown in the close-up views are McKay, Thompson, and Dana.

   Last Modified: December 9, 2001
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