A veteran Test Pilot and
combat pilot, California State Sen. William J. "Pete" Knight, has
made his last departure from Mother Earth.
Knight passed away at the City of Hope National Medical Center a
few weeks after finding out that he was diagnosed with acute
myelogenous leukemia.
Once known as "The Fastest Man Alive," Knight earned that nom de
plume after flying an X-15 rocket plane at Mach 6.7 on Oct. 3,
1967, a speed record of 4520 mph (for fixed-wing aircraft) that
reportedly still stands to this day. Knight spent 32 years as an
Air Force officer, a test pilot and a veteran combat pilot, logging
253 missions in F-100 Super Sabres over Vietnam up until 1968. His
later flights in a variety of highly experimental aircraft
eventually earned him astronaut wings -- a rare distinction.
Edwards AFB historians note that While climbing through 107,000
feet at Mach 4.17 on June 29, 1967, Knight suffered a total
electrical failure in an X-15. All onboard systems shut down. After
reaching 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, Nev. For his
remarkable feat of airmanship that day, he earned a Distinguished
Flying Cross."
In 1988, Colonel Knight was enshrined in the National Aviation
Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. He was one of the first five men
recognized by the City of Lancaster's Walk of Honor in 1990. In
1998, he was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in
Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Colonel Knight served as the President of the Society of
Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) in 1982. He now chairs the
Society's scholarship foundation, is a Fellow of the SETP and an
Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics.
During his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, he flew and tested more
than 100 types of fighter, trainer, bomber and transport
aircraft. He has more than 7,000 flying hours including 5,000
in jet aircraft. Colonel Knight's combat service includes 253
missions in the F-100 aircraft over Vietnam. He was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross and the Legion of Merit, both with two
Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters.
In recent years, Knight oversaw California's 17th Senatorial
District, which contains most of the Victor Valley, having been
elected to the State Senate in 1996. Previous to that, he served as
a city councilman and the mayor of Palmdale, CA, a city well-known
in aeronautic circles.
California Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, (R-Lancaster),
remembered Knight by saying that, "Besides being a war hero, he was
truly somebody who wanted to protect our freedoms and he did that
very courageously."
CA Governor Arnold Schwarzanegger has directed state flags to
fly at half-staff over the Capitol and noted that, "Today we are
saddened by the death of an extraordinary man... Senator Knight's
memory will live on through his lifelong contributions to our
nation's aerospace communities and our state's public affairs."
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