In 1961 Robert White was an Air Force test pilot who made aviation history when he piloted a rocket-powered X-15 airplane to speeds never attained before. He was the first to break Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound), as well as Mach 5 and Mach 6 (over 4,ooo mph).
In 1962, he became the first pilot to take a winged aircraft into space when he surpassed an altitude of 59 miles. All of his feats were critical in the development of the U.S. space program
Mr White,85, died on March 17, 2010 in Orlando, Florida after several months of declining health.
He was a career Air Force officer, retiring in 1981 as a major general.
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