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.
Jack L. Summers is a retired physician and university professor. He lives in Florida.

Robert M. White and Jack L. Summers
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 295
Bibliographic Info: 53 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4989-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5822-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      v
Foreword by Neil A. Armstrong      1
Preface by 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