Joe Henry Engle Flies West, NAA Honors Legacy | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Mon, Jul 15, 2024

Joe Henry Engle Flies West, NAA Honors Legacy

Engineer, Pilot, Astronaut Swept Hangars as Youth

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) paid tribute to USAF Major General Joe Henry Engle, who passed away on July 10, 2024.

Engle always had a passion to fly, even as a kid in Chapman, Kansas. But there wasn’t much flying or flight instruction there, so he had to put it off until he got to the University of Kansas where he spent summers sweeping hangars at Cessna. His boss recognized his passion and began teaching and mentoring him about airplanes. Engle graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering and a commission in the ROTC. The commission got him accepted to flight school at George Air Force Base in California. Between graduation and reporting to flight school he and his mentor built a kit airplane Engle flew around Wichita.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Amy Spowart, NAA President and CEO explained, “From then on, Joe’s career reads like a Hollywood movie. At fighter pilot training, he caught the attention of Chuck Yeager, who championed Joe’s assignment to the X-15 program. In 1965, Joe flew the X-15 to an altitude of 280,600 ft. and became the youngest astronaut pilot. The next year, he was a natural choice for NASA as the only candidate with spaceflight experience.”

Engle trained for the Apollo program but never made it to the moon. Instead, he pivoted to NASA’s next big program, the Space Shuttle. He was one of the crews launched from a modified Boeing 747 and conducted approach and landing tests in the Shuttle Enterprise. In 1981 he commanded the second flight of the Shuttle Columbia and manually performed the re-entry and nearly 30 flight test maneuvers during the descent from Mach 25 to the landing rollout.

Spowart added, "His distinction as the first astronaut pilot to fly two entirely different winged vehicles into space, the X-15 and the Space Shuttle, is a testament to his unparalleled skills and dedication."

Maj. Gen. Joe Engle received the NAA’s Robert J. Collier Award in 1981. It is given in the U.S. for the improvement of the concept of manned reusable spacecraft along with fellow astronauts John Young, Robert Crippen, and Richard Truly. Engle was awarded NAA’s National Harmon Trophy by President Ronald Reagan.

Maj. Gen. Joe Henry Engle passed away peacefully on July 10 with his loving wife Jeanie, and daughter Katie, at his side. In a statement from the family shared by Jeanie they said, "...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."

Blue skies and tailwinds, Maj. Gen. Joe Henry Engle.

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/history/x15/ , naa.aero/

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (06.30.25): Ground Stop (GS)

Ground Stop (GS) The GS is a process that requires aircraft that meet a specific criteria to remain on the ground. The criteria may be airport specific, airspace specific, or equip>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.30.25)

Aero Linx: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) improves safety and public confidence in aviation, marine and rail transport thro>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (06.30.25)

“The Palo Alto stopover confirmed—yet again—that flight schools and aero-clubs are no longer just curious about electric training; they are ready to buy. In just >[...]

NTSB Final Report: ICON A5

Pilot’s Failure To Maintain Clearance From The Water While Flying At A Low Altitude Analysis: The flight of two airplanes was in cruise flight on a north heading about 50 ft >[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 06.26.25: PA18 Upgrades, ‘Delta Force’, Rhinebeck

Also: 48th Annual Air Race Classic, Hot Air Balloon Fire, FAA v Banning 100LL, Complete Remote Pilot The news Piper PA-18 Super Cub owners have been waiting for has finally arrived>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC