Joseph Kittinger Joseph William Kittinger II is a former USAF
Command Pilot, career military officer and retired Colonel in the United States Air Force.
He participated in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior in 1960, setting the record longest
skydive from a height greater than 31 kilometres . He was also the first man to make a solo
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon and the first human to observe the curvature
of the Earth. Serving as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam
War, he achieved an aerial kill of a North Vietnamese jet fighter and was later shot
down himself, spending 11 months as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese prison.
In 2012, at the age of 84, he participated in the Red Bull Stratos project as capsule
communicator, directing Felix Baumgartner on his record-breaking 39-kilometer (24 mi)
freefall from Earth's stratosphere. Early life and military career
Born in Tampa, Florida, Kittinger was educated at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida,
and the University of Florida. After racing speedboats as a teenager, he entered the U.S.
Air Force in March 1949. On completion of aviation cadet training in March 1950, he
received a USAF Pilot rating and a commission as a Second Lieutenant. He was subsequently
assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany, flying
the F-84 Thunderjet and F-86 Sabre. In 1954 Kittinger was transferred to Holloman
AFB, New Mexico, and the Air Force Missile Development Center (AFMDC). He flew the observation/chase
plane that monitored flight surgeon Colonel John Stapp's rocket sled run of 632 mph (1,017 km/h)
in 1955. Kittinger was impressed by Stapp's dedication and leadership as a pioneer in
aerospace medicine. Stapp, in turn, was impressed with Kittinger's skillful jet piloting, later
recommending him for space-related aviation research work. Stapp was to foster the high-altitude
balloon tests that would later lead to Kittinger's record-setting leap from over 102,800 feet
(31,300 m). In 1957, as part of Project Manhigh, Kittinger set an interim balloon altitude
record of 96,760 feet (29,490 m) in Manhigh I, for which he was awarded his first Distinguished
Flying Cross. Project Excelsior
Captain Kittinger was next assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories at
Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. For Project Excelsior (meaning "ever upward"),
a name given to the project by Colonel Stapp as part of research into high altitude bailouts,
he made a series of three extreme altitude parachute jumps from an open gondola carried
aloft by large helium balloons. These jumps were made in a "rocking-chair" position, descending
on his back, rather than in the usual face-down position familiar to skydivers. This was because
he was wearing a 60 lb (27 kg) "kit" on his behind, and his pressure suit naturally
formed a sitting shape when it was inflated, a shape appropriate for sitting in an airplane
cockpit. Kittinger's first high-altitude jump, from
about 76,400 feet (23,300 m) on November 16, 1959, was a near-disaster when an equipment
malfunction caused him to lose consciousness. The automatic parachute opener in his equipment
saved his life. He went into a flat spin at a rotational velocity of about 120 rpm. The
g-forces at his extremities have been calculated to be over 22 times the force of gravity,
setting another record. Excelsior II : On December 11, 1959, he jumped
again from about 74,700 feet (22,800 m). For that leap, Kittinger was awarded the A.
Leo Stevens Parachute Medal. On August 16, 1960, he made the final jump,
from the Excelsior III, at 102,800 feet (31,300 m). Towing a small drogue parachute for initial
stabilization, he fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles
per hour (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Pressurization
for his right glove malfunctioned during the ascent, and his right hand swelled to twice
its normal size but he rode the balloon up to 102,800 feet before stepping off.
Of the jumps from Excelsior, Kittinger said, "There's no way you can visualize the speed.
There's nothing you can see to see how fast you're going. You have no depth perception.
If you're in a car driving down the road and you close your eyes, you have no idea what
your speed is. It's the same thing if you're free falling from space. There are no signposts.
You know you are going very fast, but you don't feel it. You don't have a 614-mph wind
blowing on you. I could only hear myself breathing in the helmet."
Kittinger set historical numbers for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest
drogue-fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere. These
were the USAF records, but were not submitted for aerospace world records to the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Kittinger's records for the highest ascent, highest parachute
jump, and fastest velocity stood for 52 years, until they were broken in 2012 by Felix Baumgartner.
For this series of jumps, Kittinger was decorated with a second Distinguished Flying Cross,
and he was awarded the Harmon Trophy by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Project Stargazer Back at Holloman Air Force Base, Kittinger
took part in Project Stargazer on December 13–14, 1960. He and the astronomer William
C. White took an open-gondola helium balloon packed with scientific equipment to an altitude
of about 82,200 feet (25,100 m), where they spent over 18 hours performing astronomical
observations. Later USAF career
Kittinger later served three combat tours of duty during the Vietnam War, flying a total
of 483 combat missions. During his first two tours he flew as aircraft commander in Douglas
A-26 Invaders and modified On Mark Engineering B-26K Counter-Invaders as part of Projects
Farm Gate and Big Eagle. Following his first two Vietnam tours, he
returned to the United States, and he soon transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F-4
Phantom II. During a voluntary third tour of duty to Vietnam in 1971-72, he commanded
the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron (555 TFS), the noted "Triple Nickel" squadron, flying
the F-4D Phantom II. Kittinger also later served as vice commander of the 432nd Tactical
Reconnaissance Wing, which also had several fighter squadrons assigned, including the
555 TFS. During this period he was credited with shooting down a North Vietnamese MiG-21
while flying an F-4D, USAF Serial No. 66-7463, with his WSO, 1st Lieutenant Leigh Hodgdon.
Kittinger was shot down on May 11, 1972, just before the end of his third tour of duty.
While flying an F-4D, USAF Serial No. 66-0230, with his Weapons Systems Officer, 1st Lieutenant
William J. Reich, Lieutenant Colonel Kittinger was leading a flight of Phantoms approximately
five miles northwest of Thai Nguyen, North Vietnam, when they were engaged by a flight
of MiG-21 fighter planes. Kittinger and his wingman were chasing a MiG-21 when Kittinger's
Phantom II was hit by an air-to-air missile that damaged the fighter's starboard wing
and set the airplane on fire. Kittinger and Reich ejected a few miles from Thai Nguyen
and were soon captured and taken to the city of Hanoi. During the same engagement, Kittinger's
wingman, Captain S. E. Nichols, shot down the MiG-21 they had been chasing.
Kittinger and Reich spent 11 months as prisoners of war (POWs) in the Hỏa Lò Prison, the
so-called "Hanoi Hilton." Kittinger was put through rope torture soon after his arrival
at the POW compound and this made a lasting impression on him. Kittinger was the senior
ranking officer (SRO) among the newer prisoners of war, e.g., those captured after 1969. In
Kittinger's autobiography "Come Up and Get Me" (by Kittinger and Craig Ryan), Kittinger
emphasized being very serious about maintaining the military structure he considered essential
to survival. Kittinger and Reich were returned to American hands on March 28, 1973, and they
continued their Air Force careers, with Kittinger promoted to full colonel shortly thereafter
and attending the U.S. Naval War College. Kittinger retired from the Air Force in 1978.
Military awards and decorations Kittinger has received the following awards
and decorations: Later civilian career
Kittinger retired from the Air Force as a Colonel in 1978 and initially went to work
for Martin Marietta Corporation in Orlando, Florida. He later became Vice President of
Flight Operations for Rosie O'Grady's Flying Circus, part of the Rosie O'Grady's/Church
Street Station entertainment complex in Orlando, prior to the parent company's dissolution.
Still interested in ballooning, he set a gas balloon world distance record for the AA-06
size class (since broken) of 3,221.23 km in 1983. He then completed the first solo
Atlantic crossing in the 106,000 cubic foot (3,000 m³) Balloon of Peace from September
14 to September 18, 1984. As an official FAI world aerospace record, it is the longest
gas balloon distance flight in AA-10 size category (5,703.03 km). He participated in
the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning in 1989 (ranked third) and 1994 (ranked 12th).
In the early 1990s, Kittinger played a lead role with NASA assisting Charles "Nish" Bruce
to break his highest parachute jump record and to become the first man to break the sound
barrier. The project was suspended in 1994 due to Bruce suffering a mental breakdown
from PTSD. It was subsequently cancelled following Bruce's re-occurring illness and suicide in
2002. Joining the Red Bull Stratos project, Kittinger
advised Felix Baumgartner on Baumgartner's October 14, 2012 free-fall from 128,100 feet
(39,045m). The project collected leading experts in the fields of aeronautics, medicine and
engineering to ensure its success. Kittinger eventually served as CAPCOM (capsule communicator)
for Baumgartner's jump, which exceeded the altitude of Kittinger's previous jump during
Project Excelsior. As of 2013, Kittinger has been assisting balloonist
Jonathan Trappe's attempt to be the first to cross the Atlantic by cluster balloon.
Kittinger lives in the Orlando area and is still active in the aviation community as
a consultant and touring barnstormer. Trivia
While serving as a USAF Captain, Kittinger made a June 9, 1957 appearance on What's My
Line? His occupation was shown as "Balloon Test Pilot USAF (Just set test record -- 96,000
feet)." Ozzie Nelson correctly guessed his occupation.
In September 1992, Colonel Joe Kittinger Park in Orlando, Florida was completed by the Greater
Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) for the City of Orlando. Located on the southwest
corner of the Orlando Executive Airport (KORL), the aviation-themed park was named in Kittinger's
honor, but was temporarily closed and partially demolished circa 2008-2011 to permit a highway
expansion project of the State Road 408 East-West Expressway.
In 1997, Kittinger was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.
On January 23, 2007, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the United States Air Force Auxiliary,
honored Kittinger by renaming the Texas CAP wing's TX-352 Squadron after him. Texas Governor
Rick Perry cited Kittinger's work, as did the Texas state senate with a special resolution
presented during the dedication ceremony attended by Kittinger and his wife, Sherry. The Colonel
Joseph W. Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron of CAP's Texas Wing is based at the former
Bergstrom AFB, which is now the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The Project Manhigh and Excelsior balloon capsules and the suit from his highest jump
are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson
AFB in Dayton, Ohio. An additional exhibit depicting his highest balloon jump opened
at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC on April 6, 2008.
Kittinger has also been honored at a 2009 ceremony in Caribou, Maine, the launch point
for his 1984 solo Trans-Atlantic balloon flight. He served as the guest of honor at the community's
sesquicentennial celebration. In March 2011, the Colonel Joe Kittinger Park
was reopened at its previous location at the corner of Crystal Lake Drive and South Street
in Orlando, Florida, in the southwest quadrant of Orlando Executive Airport. In 2013, the
Mayor of Orlando and other City of Orlando and GOAA officials approved inclusion in the
park of a restored USAF F-4 Phantom II aircraft. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
identified an F-4D on display in Corsicana, Texas, AF Ser. No. 65-0747, for transfer to
Orlando, said aircraft to be relocated, restored, placed on pylon static display at the park,
and painted with the colors and markings of an F-4D previously flown by Colonel Kittinger
during the Vietnam War. On February 20, 2013, Kittinger visited his
alma mater, the University of Florida, and spoke to over 400 students and faculty about
his contributions to the Red Bull Stratos Mission. Kittinger, a UF alumnus, told his
story of when he took the 102,800 foot jump from a high altitude balloon. This event took
place during the UF Engineers Week, and it was made possible due to the efforts of the
UF American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, UF Air Force ROTC, and UF College of Engineering.