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For those in the Central Texas area, our CAP Squadron is renaming itself for Col. Joe W. Kittinger. We are putting on an event the evening of Jan 23 at Austin Bergstrom Airport at TxDOT hangar/ramp which is on RWY 17L threshold or just south of airport entrance if coming by car... Joe will be there and the Governor has stated he will try to make it too... Civil Air Patrol United States Air Force Auxiliary Colonel Joseph W. Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron TX-352 Austin, Texas *PRESS RELEASE* *DATE SENT* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John S. Craparo, Capt, CAP 512-740-2506 *Civil Air Patrol to Honor Aviation and Space Legend Joe Kittinger * Austin, TX – On August 16, 1960, US Air Force Col. Joseph W. Kittinger stepped out of a helium balloon more than 19 miles high and fell more than 15 minutes to earth, earning a record that stands today for the highest skydive ever. At 7 p.m. on Jan. 23, Austin's own Civil Air Patrol will honor Kittinger by renaming their squadron in his honor at event open to the public at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Kittinger will speak at the event, as well as share dramatic video of his harrowing jump that helped the US win the space race. The event will take place at TxDOT Flight Services, 10335 Golf Course Rd. Austin, TX. The Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Texas-based TX-352 squadron will host this free event. "We are proud to honor this real-life American hero," said Maj. Dan Williams, TX-352 Squadron commander. * *"Col. Kittinger has a riveting story to tell that anyone — especially today's youth — simply needs to hear." On August 16, 1960, as a Captain in the US Air Force and the test director of a government research project named Project Excelsior, Kittinger piloted a gas balloon to an altitude of 102,800 feet into a hostile environment where the temperature hovered at 94 degrees below zero. Upon reaching altitude, he leaned forward and hurled himself from his open capsule toward the clouds churning above the New Mexico desert. The test was designed to develop equipment and escape procedures for high altitude flight. Kittinger broke the speed of sound during his freefall. Kittinger was dependent on a life support system and pressurized space suit. His body was connected to telemetry equipment which recorded his vital functions for later analysis. After a four minute thirty-seven second free-fall, he opened his parachute at 17,500 feet and continued safely to earth. This was part of the daily work of a handful of America's pre-astronauts who fathered manned space exploration. Kittinger's 15 minute journey became known as the Long Lonely Leap. His jump was just the beginning of the 1960's manned space-race and was an important precursor to NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. Joe Kittinger is the subject of many articles and two books, The Long Lonely Leap and The Pre-Astronauts. In addition to his work on high altitude and space research, Kittinger served multiple tours in Vietnam as a jet fighter pilot where he flew the F-4D Phantom II. He was one of the few Air Commandos to score a victory over a MiG-21. Toward the end of the war he spent 11 months in the infamous prison camp dubbed the Hanoi Hilton. Kittinger holds many aviation and aeronautical records including the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in a balloon in 1984. Test pilot, combat aviator, POW, and record holding sport-pilot, Joseph W. Kittinger is a genuine aerospace pioneer and American hero. The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with almost 60,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. CAP members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years. More information about Col Kittinger and the event can be found here: http://www.capphantom.org/ < http://www.capphantom.org/> WHO: Col. Joseph W. Kittinger, USAF retired, world record holder for highest skydive and POW WHAT: Renaming ceremony for Austin's own Civil Air Patrol Squadron TX-352 WHERE:TxDot Flight Services, 10335 Golf Course Rd. Austin, TX. WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23 ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
