Husband And Wife Train For Flight In F-104 Starfighters

Two Florida residents have become the first to complete a new commercial space flight training program at NASA's John F Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Terence Witt, founder of Witt Biomedical, and his wife Virginia trained for space in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the same supersonic plane used to prepare Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts for space travel. The husband and wife team completed their training with Starfighters, Inc, a privately-owned company operating under a formal Space Act Agreement allowing them full utilization of KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).

The Witts each passed a mandatory medical evaluation and completed two days of ground school covering the principles of atmospheric pressure and high-altitude flight before completing training in a hypobaric pressure chamber. Then, they received an extensive flight safety briefing, complete with ejection seat and parachute training, and strapped into the cockpit of an F-104 Starfighter.

Each completed a flight profile carefully designed to prepare future space tourists for the physical challenges of a suborbital space flight. A high-speed vertical climb simulated the high sustained g-forces of a rocket launch and was followed by supersonic flight over the Atlantic Ocean.  A parabolic maneuver exposed the couple to the sensation of weightlessness.

"My life can now be separated into two distinct parts, the part before I flew an F-104 and the part after.  I can't thank the Starfighters team enough for making this possible," said Witt, a licensed commercial pilot. "To say that it was merely 'incredible' does it a great disservice."

Starfighters is authorized by both the FAA and NASA to offer commercial suborbital space flight training from KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The company's commercial operations at Kennedy are a result of a partnership between NASA and Space Florida aimed at developing and supporting the commercial space industry.

"Space Florida has been essential to the success of our mission," said Rick Svetkoff, Starfighters President and Chief Pilot. "We both want to see the commercial space industry grow in Florida. With Space Florida's continued unwavering support we are making real strides toward that vision."

"Starfighters, in partnership with NASA-KSC and Space Florida, has achieved an incredibly important milestone with this announcement," noted Space Florida President Frank DiBello. "The Commercial Sub-Orbital Training Program provides a great example of the types of innovative programs that will form the foundation of Florida's growing commercial space sector. We are pleased to be a part of this groundbreaking program here in Florida."

The Witt's training flights were facilitated by KSC Chief of Flight Operations, Tom Friers and SLF Chief Air Traffic Controller, Ron Feile.  "The SLF and its staff are instrumental in helping us achieve and sustain our commercial mission at KSC," noted Svetkoff, "We couldn't have asked for a more professional and dedicated team to work alongside."

FMI: www.spaceflorida.gov, www.starfighters.net