X-15 Pilots

X-15 Pilots 1959 - 1960 1961 1962 1963
X-15 Flights above 80 km 1964 1965 1966 1967 - 1968

Name (Status) Country   Employer Flights X-15 Flights over 80 km & Other Notes
Adams, Michael
(Deceased Astronaut)		 USA M USAF 7 Selected on July 20, 1966 - Transferred from the USAF MOL Group 1
Died when the X-15 entered an unrecoverable spin during the reentry of X-15 Flight 191
X-15 Flight 191 - November 15, 1967 (Speed - 57,44 kph, Altitude - 81.08 km)
Armstrong, Neil
(Former Astronaut)		 USA M NASA 7 Selected in 1957 - Left the X-15 program on July 26, 1962
Became an astronaut for NASA on September 17, 1962 (First man on the moon)
Crossfield, Scott
(Deceased X-15 Pilot)		 USA M NAA 14 Selected in 1957 - Left the X-15 program on December 6, 1960
Flew the first unpowered flight of the X-15 on June 8, 1959 - X-15 Flight 1
Died in an airplane crash on April 20, 2006 in the mountains of northern Georgia, USA
Dana, William
(Former Astronaut)		 USA M NASA 16 Selected in 1965 - Left the X-15 program in December 1968
Flew the final fight of the X-15 on October 24, 1968 - X-15 Flight 199
X-15 Flight 174 - November 1, 1966 (Speed - 6,034 kph, Altitude - 93.54 km)
X-15 Flight 197 - August 21, 1968 (Speed - 5,540 kph, Altitude - 81.83 km)
Engle, Joseph
(Former Astronaut)		 USA M USAF 16 Selected in 1963 - Left the X-15 program on October 14, 1965
Became an astronaut for NASA on April 4, 1966 (Flew two Space Shuttle missions)
X-15 Flight 138 - June 29, 1965 (Speed - 5,522 kph, Altitude - 85.527 km)
X-15 Flight 143 - August 10, 1965 (Speed - 5,712 kph, Altitude - 82.601 km)
X-15 Flight 153 - October 14, 1965 (Speed - 5,718 kph, Altitude - 81.23 km)
Kincheloe, Iven
(Deceased X-15 Pilot)		 USA M USAF 0 Selected in 1957
Died in a F-104 airplane crash on July 26, 1958 before taking a X-15 flight
Knight, William
(Deceased Astronaut)		 USA M USAF 16 Selected in 1965 - Transferred from the USAF Dyna-Soar Group
Left the X-15 program in December 1968 - Died on May 7, 2004 due to leukemia
X-15 Flight 190 - October 17, 1967 (Speed - 6,204 kph, Altitude - 85.5 km)
McKay, John
(Deceased Astronaut)		 USA M NASA 29 Selected in 1957 - Left the X-15 program on September 8, 1966
Died on April 27, 1975 from late complications from the X-15 crash on November 9, 1962
X-15 Flight 150 - September 28, 1965 (Speed - 6,005 kph, Altitude - 90.099 km)
Petersen, Forrest
(Deceased X-15 Pilot)		 USA M USN 5 Selected in October 1958 - Left the X-15 program on January 10, 1962
Test Pilot representing the United States Navy - Died on December 8, 1990 from cancer
Rushworth, Robert
(Deceased Astronaut)		 USA M USAF 34 Selected in October 1958 - Left the X-15 program on July 1, 1966
Died on March 17, 1993 from a heart attack
X-15 Flight 87 - June 27, 1963 (Speed - 5,511 kph, Altitude - 86.87 km)
Thompson, Milton
(Deceased X-15 Pilot)		 USA M NASA 14 Selected in 1963 - Transferred from the USAF Dyna-Soar Group
Left the X-15 program on August 25, 1965 - Died on August 6, 1993 due to natural causes
Walker, Joseph
(Deceased Astronaut)		 USA M NASA 25 Selected in 1957 - Left the X-15 program on August 22, 1963
Died on June 8, 1966 from a midair collision of a F-104 and a XB-70
X-15 Flight 77 - January 17, 1963 (Speed - 5,917 kph, Altitude - 82.81 km)
X-15 Flight 90 - July 19, 1963 (Speed - 5,969 kph, Altitude - 106.01 km)
X-15 Flight 91 - August 22, 1963 (Speed - 6,105 kph, Altitude - 107.96 km)
White, Alvin
(Former X-15 Pilot)		 USA M NAA 0 Selected in 1957
Left the X-15 program on June 12, 1960 without taking a single X-15 flight
White, Robert
(Former Astronaut)		 USA M USAF 16 Selected in 1957 - Left the X-15 program on December 14, 1962
X-15 Flight 62 - July 17, 1962 (Speed - 6,166 kph, Altitude - 95.94 km)

Key
NAA North American Aviation
USAF United States Air Force
MOL Manned Orbital Laboratory
USN United States Navy

X-15 Pilots 1959 - 1960 1961 1962 1963
X-15 Flights above 80 km 1964 1965 1966 1967 - 1968

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Updated - September 17, 2006