{"id":1458,"date":"2010-12-20T13:17:39","date_gmt":"2010-12-20T18:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joeclarksblog.com\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2019-11-16T13:11:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-16T17:11:26","slug":"heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joeclarksblog.com\/?p=1458","title":{"rendered":"Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

My student and I finished our flight a little early and when we returned to the ramp, I saw an early model Cessna 210 sitting in front of the flight dispatch building. From afar, the airplane looked good. As I approached it, it looked even better.<\/p>\n

The interior was in good shape. I could see no corrosion on the airframe, and the avionics were up to date. As I was admiring the airplane, an older gentleman approached.<\/p>\n

He was obviously the pilot of the 210. \u201cWant to take a closer look?\u201d he asked as he opened the pilot\u2019s door.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I would, if it would be okay,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d he said as he placed his briefcase on the right seat. Then we began talking about old Cessnas. It was obvious he was a pilot\u2019s pilot and had been around Cessnas quite a bit. We talked of the merits of the 210 and other Cessnas. Finally, I said I had to go meet my next student and he said he had to get on with his flight.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed my short little discussion with the 210 pilot. As he climbed into the airplane, I walked into dispatch and met my friend, Rich.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know who you\u2019re just talking to?\u201d Rich asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know – some old 210 pilot who really knew a lot about the airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I am sure he knows about 210 as well as a lot of other airplanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Scott Crossfield<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThat was Scott Crossfield.\u201d<\/p>\n

I jerked my head around to see the 210 taxiing away from our ramp.\u00a0 Wow, a true American hero<\/em>, I thought.<\/p>\n

While I was talking to him, he came across as simply another Cessna pilot. During our discussion, I had the fleeting thought I would enjoy sitting down and picking this man\u2019s brain a little more deeply regarding his knowledge about Cessnas. I knew he would be one of those pilots who would fit in nicely with our little group of aviators at the home field.<\/p>\n

And then, he turns out to be Scott Crossfield! The<\/em> Scott Crossfield. Today, I wonder how many young people learning how to fly even know the name Scott Crossfield. I question how many know of his history and his contributions to the field of aviation.<\/p>\n

Crossfield was born October 2, 1921 and grew up in California and Washington. He enlisted in the Navy and fought in World War II as a Navy fighter pilot. After the war, he went on to acquire both his baccalaureate and master\u2019s degrees in aeronautical engineering. Then he began his work as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket<\/p><\/div>\n

On November 20, 1953 while working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ (NACA), Crossfield became the fastest human alive when he piloted the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket at twice the speed of sound. Later, after joining North American Aviation, Crossfield became instrumental in the design of the X-15.<\/p>\n

Crossfield would go on to become a division vice president of Eastern Airlines, then a senior vice president at Hawker Siddeley, and finally he served the U.S. House of Representatives on their Committee for Science and Technology.<\/p>\n

On that day\u00a0in the late 1990s when I met him on the ramp, I think Crossfield was content with being merely Scott, just another Cessna pilot.<\/p>\n

-30-<\/p>\n

\u00a92010 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My student and I finished our flight a little early and when we returned to the ramp, I saw an early model Cessna 210 sitting in front of the flight dispatch building. From afar, the airplane looked good. As I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,6,8,9],"tags":[226,285,329,386,829,839,1187,1224,1247,1468,1794,1822,2064,2391,2482,2505,2589,2795,2897,3157,3513,3659,3906,3945,4320],"class_list":["post-1458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aviation","category-aviation-history","category-flying-2","category-life-in-general","category-personal","tag-a-true-american-hero","tag-aeronautical-engineering","tag-airplanes","tag-an-older-gentleman","tag-cessna-210","tag-cessnas","tag-douglas-d-558-ii-skyrocket","tag-eastern-airlines","tag-edwards-air-force-base","tag-flying","tag-hawker-siddeley","tag-heroes","tag-just-another-cessna-pilot","tag-military-service","tag-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-naca","tag-navy","tag-north-american-aviation","tag-pilots","tag-professional-pilots","tag-scott-crossfield","tag-test-pilot","tag-the-fastest-human-alive","tag-the-u-s-house-of-representatives-committee-for-science-and-technology","tag-the-x-15","tag-world-war-ii"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t