Eagle Biography
Robert D. Knapp
Fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut, and politician, William J. "Pete" Knight
is holder of the world's speed record for winged powered flight. Born in Nobelsville,
Indiana, in 1929, he earned his commission and pilot wings through the Aviation Cadet
Program in 1953. As a second lieutenant, Knight won the Allison Trophy for his racing
performance while flying the F-89 Scorpion in the Dayton National Air Show of
1954. In 1956, he attended the Air Force Institute of Technology and graduated 2 years
later with a degree in aeronautical engineering.
He continued his schooling by next
attending the Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California.
Remaining at Edwards AFB, Knight was involved in several flight test programs including
advanced testing of the F-100 Super Sabre. In 1960, he was one of five Air Force
test pilots selected for the X-20 Dyna Soar program--the technologies test
project which led to the Space Shuttle development. After cancellation of the X-20, Knight
moved to the ongoing X-15 test program. In October 1967, he piloted the X-15A-2 to the
speed of Mach 6.7. During this flight, the aircraft surface temperature exceeded 3,000
degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in serious structural problems. Despite these problems, he
successfully maneuvered the X-15 to a flawless landing.
Knight next saw combat in
Southeast Asia flying F-100s at Phan Rang AB where he flew 253 combat missions. After his
Vietnam tour, he was assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he served as the Test
Director for developmental test and evaluation of the F-15 Eagle. Following
graduation from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1973, Knight returned to
Wright-Patterson AFB as the F-4 System Program Office (SPO) Director. As a result of
reorganization within the Aeronautical Systems Division, he became Director of the Fighter
Attack SPO responsible for the development and production of several Air Force fighter
aircraft. In 1979, he returned to Edwards AFB as the Air Force Flight Center Commander
where he served until retirement in 1982. During his distinguished career, Colonel Knight
accumulated more than 7,000 flying hours in over 100 different military and civilian
aircraft. Not satisfied with a quiet retirement, he was elected Mayor of the City of
Palmdale, California, in 1988.
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| More About The Eagle: |
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| Honored as an Eagle In: |
| 1982
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1989
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| See the Lithograph: |
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On 3 October 1967, "Pete" Knight climbed into the cockpit of the
X-15A-2 for another flight in a series designed to push the aircraft to Mach
8. In the grand Edwards AFB test tradition, this would be a flight to "
push the edge of the envelope" one more time. High over the Mojave
Desert, his aircraft dropped away from the launch B-52 and he ignited the
engine to begin his climb. As the outboard propellants burned out, he
jettisoned the two large external tanks and rocketed forward through the thin
atmosphere leveling off in full power at just over 100,000 feet. Boosted by
over 140 seconds of engine-burn time, the rocket plane shot to Mach 6.7
(4,250 miles per hour)--the fastest winged powered flight ever in a manned
vehicle.
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