William J. Knight
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| William J. "Pete" Knight | |
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| USAF Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Deceased |
| Born | November 18, 1929 |
| Died | May 8, 2004 (aged 74) |
| Other occupation | Test Pilot |
| Selection | 1960 Dyna-Soar Group |
| Missions | X-15 Flight 190 |
| Mission insignia |
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William J. "Pete" Knight (November 18, 1929 - May 8, 2004) was a U.S. politician, combat pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. Knight holds the world's speed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft.
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[edit] Air Force career
Knight joined the United States Air Force in 1951. While only a Second Lieutenant, he flew an F-89 at the National Air Show in 1954 and won the Allison Jet Trophy.
Starting in 1958, Knight served as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. He was a project test pilot for the F-100, F-101, F-104 and later, T-38 and F-5 test programs. In 1960, he was one of six test pilots selected to fly the X-20 Dyna-Soar, which was slated to become the first winged orbital space vehicle capable of lifting reentries and conventional landings. After the X-20 program was canceled in 1963, he completed the astronaut training curriculum at Edwards AFB and was selected to fly the X-15.
He had more than his share of eventful flights in the X-15. While climbing through 107,000 feet at Mach 4.17 on June 29, 1967, he suffered a total electrical failure and all onboard systems shutdown. After arching over at 173,000 feet, he calmly set up a visual approach and, resorting to old-fashioned "seat-of-the-pants" flying, he glided down to a safe emergency landing at Mud Lake, Nevada. For his remarkable feat of airmanship that day, he earned a Distinguished Flying Cross.
On October 3, 1967, Knight set a world aircraft speed record for manned aircraft by piloting the X-15A-2 to 4,520 miles per hour (Mach 6.7) — a record that still stands today. During 16 flights in the aircraft, Knight also became one of only five pilots to earn their astronaut's wings by flying an airplane in space, reaching an altitude of 280,500 feet.
After nearly ten years of test flying at Edwards AFB, he went to Southeast Asia in 1968 where he completed a total of 253 combat sorties in the F-100. Following his combat tour, he served as test director during development of the F-15 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. He also was the Program Director for the International Fighter (F-5) Program at Wright-Patterson. In 1979, he returned to Edwards AFB, and served as a test pilot for the F-16. After 32 years of service and more than 6,000 hours in the cockpits of more than 100 different aircraft, he retired from the USAF as a Colonel in 1982.
In honor of his achievements, Knight was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor with the inaugural class of 1990. Also, the Scaled Composites White Knight spacecraft launch plane was named after Knight and fellow X-15 pilot Robert White.
[edit] Political career
In 1984, he was elected to the city council of Palmdale, California, and four years later became the city's first elected mayor. In 1992, he was elected to serve in the California State Assembly representing the 36th District. He served in the State Senate representing the 17th District from 1996 until his death on May 8, 2004. During his term in the Senate, Knight gained statewide attention as the author of Proposition 22, aka the "Knight Initiative," whose entire text stated, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Knight's middle son, David Knight, who is gay, married his longtime partner in San Francisco; the marriage was later nullified by the California Supreme Court in March 2004.[1] Knight's youngest son, Steve Knight, is the 2008 Republican nominee for his father's old Assembly seat.
[edit] Watch
- Pete Knight's Final Television Interview (30 min., free, taped 4-1-2004)
[edit] School in his name
In the city of Palmdale, Pete Knight High School was opened in his memory. The school began its first year in the school year of 2003-2004 and will celebrate its first graduating class in 2007.
[edit] References
- Thompson, Milton O. (1992) At The Edge Of Space: The X-15 Flight Program, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London. ISBN 1-56098-107-5
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tom McClintock |
California State Assemblyman 36th District December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1996 |
Succeeded by George Runner |
| Preceded by Don Rogers |
California State Senator 17th District December 2, 1996 – May 8, 2004 |
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