Higher and Faster: Memoir of a Pioneering Air Force Test Pilot

by Robert M. White, Jack L. Summers

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786449897
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Series:	Transportation/Aviation
Pages:	295
Sales rank:	636,427
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert M. White (1924–2010) was a retired major general in the United States Air Force who lived in Winter Park, Florida. Jack L. Summers is a retired physician and university professor. He lives in Florida.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Foreword Neil A. Armstrong 1

Preface Jack L. Summers 5

Prologue 7

1 The Formative Years 11

2 Up in the Air Junior Birdman 23

3 My First War 42

4 A Guest of the Enemy 55

5 Career Management 101 79

6 A Pilot's Dream 92

7 A Brief History Lesson 109

8 The Fun Begins 115

9 Riding the Rocket 125

10 Pushing the Envelope 142

11 Distractions, Decorations, and Disaster 171

12 Goodbye Edwards, Hello Bitburg 187

13 Another War 199

14 The FX Program 218

15 Home Again 227

16 Back to School 236

17 The Last Stop 246

18 Going Home 258

19 Reflections 267

Epilogue 278

Index 281