April 20, 2006
THE RIGHT STUFF
I was dismayed to hear that uber-test pilot Scott Crossfield died in a small aircraft incident over Ellijay, Georgia (serendipitously the last place I spent the night in jail, owing to an ill-advised kidney shot to a corpulent cop. How many kidneys do I have? Only two, but it felt like four were beaten. And I highly recommend the nightstick over the curled fist any day).
To Scott: Down in an airplane at 84 years of age. I fucking envy him! Just as I'm sure he would have wanted to go. This guy flew the most fearsome experimental aircraft ever conceived. The first man to fly the fabled X-15, the greatest rocket ship of all time, and the only vehicle to fly into space and land again on its own. The first man to break Mach 2. The first man to break Mach 3.
The only chink in Scott's armor? The gummint wanted him to fly the Bell X-1, and be the first person to break the sound barrier, in 1947. He said it was dangerous, never been done, plane might explode. Wanted $100,000 in 1947 dollars because he was a civilian, and could ask that. They went with Chuck Yeager, who did it for his captain's pay. I don't begrudge Crossfield for asking, though. And he went on to a brilliant career.
The pioneers of space fall before our eyes. In ten years they will all be gone, likely.
To Scotty Crossfield. He's slipped the surly bonds, and touched the face of God, I hope. He had the Right Stuff.
Ah, shit. And Amen.
Posted by: Marianne at April 21, 2006 4:06 AMAmen. Rest in peace.
Aviation owes the guy a lot but I'm sure all pilots go to heaven cause they've been practicing to get there for so long.
Posted by: Libby at April 21, 2006 9:40 AMA fitting memorial. Well said, Hoss.
Posted by: Elisson at April 21, 2006 11:02 AMHell yeah! Amazing fellow...born in the time of real men.
Posted by: Kelly at April 21, 2006 1:00 PMActually, I believe it was Slick Goodlin that wanted the money to fly the X-1 faster than sound.
Either way, Scott was a gutsy guy, and I have a hard time thinking his aircraft or the weather got the better of him. Perhaps he had a heart attack in flight. It surely beats dying in hospice.
Posted by: BLT at April 21, 2006 5:47 PMDamn, you're right. Of course it was Slick. Didn't even have to look that up. Brain fart. Although I DID look it up just to rub my own nose in it, and he was throwing $150,000 figures around.
Posted by: Velociman at April 21, 2006 6:56 PMFew of us get to go out appropriately. Dale Earnhardt, Nelson Rockefellar come to mind. Crossfield either stroked out at the stick or fought a thunderstorm at altitude. God bless him.
Posted by: rankin' rob at April 22, 2006 7:19 PMI would imagine after a life like that, a quiet death in bed would be a little bit of a letdown.
Not for us, for him.
Posted by: Samira at April 23, 2006 5:20 PMI want to die quietly, in my sleep, like my uncle. Not like his passengers...
Posted by: triticale at April 24, 2006 12:33 AM