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."

FMI: www.spacefame.org/knight2.html, www.leukemia.org