White

Personal data:

Birthdate:  06 Jul 1924 Birthplace:  New York / New York Marital status:  married Children:  four Selection date:  1960 Selection group:   Job:  PLT Status:  Ret. 14 Dec 1962 Date of death:  17 Mar 2010 Age:  85 years

Suborbital Spaceflights (above 80 km):

Robert White next to the X-15 plane.

Robert White in the X-15 plane.

Additional information

• General major, USAF; Bachelor of science in electrical engineering; was selected in 1960 for X-15 Program (16 flights).
• Robert M. White flew the X-15 as its chief Air Force research pilot, contributing greatly to hypersonic and high altitude flight research in the early 1960′s. While conducting this research he repeatedly surpassed old records, with these new marks among his achievements:
  • First to fly faster than Mach 4: March 7, 1961
  • First to fly faster than Mach 5: June 23, 1961
  • First to fly faster than Mach 6: November 9, 1961
  • Official FAI altitude record for highest flight by a winged aircraft,314,750 feet: July 17, 1962
• Bob White held a degree in aeronautical engineering and had a career of distinguished service in the Air Force, retiring as a Major General.
• General White was a part of aerospace history, not only for the X-15 but for many other achievements. His combat experience covered three wars: World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. In the last year of WW II, on his 52nd combat mission, his P-51 was shot down over Germany, making him a prisoner of war in 1945.
• His many other career duties included command of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB and service as program manager for F-15 development. He retired as a two-star Major General, as Chief of Staff of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force (in 1962). That was a NATO Command in Germany, with authority over air forces of the United States, Germany, and Canada when the country was still divided and the Cold War was still in progress.
• Gen. Robert White died on Mar 17, 2010 at the age of 85. White was the first of the X-15 pilots to reach the 80 km level which count as the boundary of space. On Jul 17, 1962 he flew X-15-3 from Delamar Dry Lake, Nevada to Edwards Air Force Base on a 10-minute suborbital flight reaching 96 km altitude.