Scott Crossfield, first man to Mach 2, and to space has died.

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Ya know, when celebs die, I really don't take notice ... but on Scott Crossfield I will and do ... what a career ... what a career ... and well at least he died doing what he loved doing ... it could have been alot worse ... I have had friends and relatives slowly and painfully die on a hospital bed ... at least Scott was in control of his own destiny till the bitter end ... my God what a giant we have seen pass on ...

First man to Mach 2 ... I hope in Heaven they have a Flight Test School

for Angels.

Reply to
lunarlos
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P.s. Yes 81,000 feet is a far cry from 260,000+ but I will give him the first man in space (non orbit) as without a space suit, your blood will boil just as good at 81, as it would at 260 ...

Reply to
lunarlos

And how do you know he was in control??

Reply to
frank

I mean in control of his destiny ... he made the choice to take off ... its not like he died slowly of colon cancer ... or bone marrow cancer ... no control of ones life in those situations ... except just dying :(

Sorry to mislead you ...

Reply to
lunarlos

Kind of like he made the choice to get out of bed, he controlled his destiny. I get it. Either way, it is a sad loss.

Reply to
frank

The article quotes Yeager saying Crossfield had a huge ego, Yeager got it right and wrong. Yes, Crossfield had a huge ego - but so did every other pilot, military and NACA. Good greif, you have to in order to strap into an experimental aircraft and fly it to the limit of it's capabilities and then deliberatley go beyond them to pave the way for service jocks and milk run commuters like myself. And watch otehrs die doing it and then the next day or next hour go up and do the same thing and try to get out of it alive. And knowingly. As far as I'm concerned they were (and are) quite entitled to those egos and everything else they may have had or gotten, they're a breed apart.

Vale Crossfield, the deep blue just keeps on going where you are now.

Reply to
Andrew

I'd agree with this, other than to point out that even amongst big egos there a big ones and BIG ones...

...but even so, I can't say as I've ever heard anything particularly negative about either Crossfield or Yeager. Both of them are good at what they do, and yet the true professionals amongst them (test pilots in general) don't seem to distinguish much between "milk run commuter" pilots and test pilots - to them there are just pilots, and everyone else. Not saying that you don't have to earn thier respect, but once you do it's pretty genuine.

At least that's the impression I've gained from 20+ years working with them.

Reply to
Rufus

I heard on the news tonight ( and read several times as well) that there was NO love lost between Yeager and Crossfield. Perhaps thay BOTH had large egos.

I have also read that Scott Crossfield was congenial and friendly when approached. I have also read that Yeager is not. Never having met either man in the flesh (nor will I be likely to), I cannot vouch for the truth of these stories, but there are a LOT of them.

As for Mr. Crossfield, may he rest in eternal peace.

Reply to
The Old Man

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