William J. Knight

William J. Knight
Member of the California Senate
from the 17th district
In office
December 2, 1996 – May 7, 2004
Preceded byDon Rogers
Succeeded byGeorge Runner
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 36th district
In office
December 7, 1992 - November 30, 1996
Preceded byTom McClintock
Succeeded byGeorge Runner
Personal details
Born
William J Knight

(1929-11-18)November 18, 1929
Noblesville, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMay 7, 2004(2004-05-07) (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ChildrenSteve Knight, 2 other
Other namesPete Knight
Alma materButler University
Purdue University
Air Force Institute of Technology, B.S. 1958
OccupationTest pilot
Awards
Space career
USAF astronaut
Rank Colonel, USAF
Selection1960 Dyna-Soar Group 1
MissionsX-15 Flight 190
X-15 Flight 188

William John "Pete" Knight (November 18, 1929 – May 7, 2004) (Col, USAF) was an American aeronautical engineer, politician, Vietnam War combat pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the U.S. Air Force and NASA. He was also selected for participation in the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

On October 3, 1967, Knight piloted X-15 Flight 188, the program's fastest flight. Flying at a maximum Mach of 6.7 and a maximum speed of 4,520 mph (7,274 km/h), he set a speed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft.[1] The flight was made in the X-15A-2, the second of three planes in the X-15 fleet.

Two weeks later on October 17, Knight flew X-15 Flight 190, reaching a maximum altitude above 50 miles. This qualified him as an astronaut according to the United States definition of the boundary of space. However, this altitude did not surpass the Kármán line, the internationally accepted boundary of 100 kilometers (62 miles).

  1. ^ "Fastest Speed in a Non-Spacecraft Aircraft". Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 13 November 2014.