In 1961, pilot Robert M. White flew a hypersonic rocket-powered airplane six times faster than the speed of sound and higher than 300,000 feet above the Earth's surface. This is his story. Tracing his childhood on the rough streets of Manhattan during the Depression, his years as a pilot and POW during World War II, his service in Korea and Vietnam and his rise as an experimental test pilot in the Air Force, this autobiography is a testament to the role of persistence and excellence in the life of a man whose aeronautical feats are now legend. It is the portrait of an extraordinary man in pursuit of the American dream and a glimpse into a remarkable time in America's aviation history.

Robert M. White (1924-2010) was a retired major general in the United States Air Force who lived in Winter Park, Florida.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments     

Foreword by Neil A. Armstrong     

Preface by Jack L. Summers     

Prologue     


1. The Formative Years     

2. Up in the Air Junior Birdman     

3. My First War     

4. A Guest of the Enemy     

5. Career Management 101     

6. A Pilot's Dream     

7. A Brief History Lesson     

8. The Fun Begins     

9. Riding the Rocket     

10. Pushing the Envelope     

11. Distractions, Decorations, and Disaster     

12. Goodbye Edwards, Hello Bitburg     

13. Another War     

14. The FX Program     

15. Home Again     

16. Back to School     

17. The Last Stop     

18. Going Home     

19. Reflections     


Epilogue     

Index