Joe Engle, the only astronaut to pilot both an X-15 aircraft and a space shuttle, died in Houston on Wednesday, July 10. Engle was 91 years old.
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NASA announced the passing of retired U.S. Air Force Major General Engle, the last surviving X-15 pilot.
The Kansas native graduated from the University of Kansas with an aeronautical engineering degree in 1955. He received his Air Force commission through ROTC and began USAF flight school in March 1956.
In June 1965, Engle piloted an X-15 to an altitude of 280,600 feet. NASA noted that three of his sixteen flights in the X-15 surpassed the 50-mile (264,000 feet) altitude required for astronaut rating.
At just 32 years old, NASA recruited Engle as an astronaut. This made him also the youngest pilot ever to qualify.
In 1977, Engle served as the commander of one of the two crews participating in the approach and landing test missions for the Space Shuttle “Enterprise.”
“In November 1981, he commanded the second flight of the space shuttle Columbia. He was the first and only pilot to manually fly an aerospace vehicle from Mach 25 to landing,” NASA wrote in its press release.
“He accumulated the last of his 224 hours in space when he commanded the space shuttle Discovery in August 1985. [That was] one of the most challenging shuttle missions ever,” NASA’s statement continued. “On that mission the crew deployed three commercial satellites and retrieved, repaired, and redeployed another malfunctioning satellite that had been launched on a previous shuttle mission.”
As an Astronaut, Joe Engle Piloted 185 Different Types of Aircraft
Engle also piloted 185 different types of aircraft and accumulated 14,700 flight hours. He has received prestigious honors. These include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the NASA Space Flight Medal.
Meanwhile, Engle also earned many military honors during his service. These include the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.
“Joe Henry was a loving husband, father, and grandfather,” Engles’s wife, Jeanie said in NASA’s press release.
“Blessed with natural piloting skills, General Joe, as he was known to many, was at his happiest in any cockpit. Always with a smile, he lived a fulfilled life as a proud American, U.S. Air Force pilot, astronaut, and Kansas Jayhawk,” Jeanie Engle added. “His passing leaves a tremendous loss in our hearts. We take comfort that he has joined Tom Stafford and George Abbey, two of the best friends anyone could ask for.”