Eagle's Lair
Members Roster

April 20, 2006

Ladies & Gentlemen:

To view videos of the X-15's early test program, click here.

It is with deep sorrow and regret that we have learned today that Scott Crossfield, one of the several test pilots who flew 56-0763 when it was a chase plane at Edwards AFB for the X-15, has died. He was flying his personal aircraft through Georgia yesterday when it went down and he was killed.

The team members of NAE™ were fortunate last February to have met him while the NAE™ was on display at the Western Washington EAA Conference where he was a guest speaker. Ed Shadle had met him prior to that back in 1997 with some of the other pilots who'd also flown the airframe our project is now using for our record attempt platform. Here's some reflections from driver Ed Shadle.

"I first met Scott Crossfield in 1997 at the reunion of the X-15 pilots at Edwards AFB during their annual open house/air show. Here I was, surrounded by Pete Knight, Joe Engle, Bill Dana and Scott Crossfield! These guys were some of my greatest heros and I was chatting with them like we were old buddies. They were almost as interested in our F-104A, #763 as I was with their exploits in the X-15.
I met Scott Crossfield again this year as the Washington Aviation Conference.  Our F-104 was a featured display at the conference so Mr. Crossfield naturally had to stop by to visit with the team before his scheduled presentation. While chatting with Scott, he related how he had done over 80 dead stick landings with the F-104 in preperation for landing the X-15, which was always dead sticked. He told me that most of the landings were done in our airplane #763. During our conversation, I asked if he had ever bailed out of an aircraft. He told me that three seperate times he was told to eject but after some argument he just turned off his radio and went ahead and landed the airplane anyway. Scott had many other good stories to tell and we really enjoyed the visit. God speed..................Ed Shadle"

This man's list of accomplishments are almost endless, but his most notable was being the first man to go beyond twice the speed of sound in the 1950s.

Keith Zanghi Remembers

I remember the day I met Scott Crossfield as if it was yesterday.  July 16, 2004 will always be a fond memory for me.  The Saturday before, the team had the Eagle on display at the Arlington Air Show and Colonel Joe Kittinger dropped by to say hello.  He is an old friend of Ed Drumheller II and was at the show giving a speech.  Col. Joe came by the car and during the conversation mentioned that he was going to be at the National Aviation Hall of Fame Induction in Dayton the following weekend and offered me a place at his table since I was going to be on the East Coast.
 
On the day of the awards banquent, Col. Joe invited me to a black tie event for drinks held just before the evening activities.  It was strictly limited to National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees and their families.  It was a heady experience for me, as in the room were all the living giants of the aviation and areospace industry: all pioneers.  As I looked around the room I saw Scott Crossfield and mentioned it to Col. Joe.  He said, let me introduce you to him and grabbed me by the arm to follow.
 
I was carrying with me photos of the Eagle and original photos of 56-0763 when it was at Edwards AFFTC.  Scott remembered the aircraft and went on to ask many questions.  One that he asked was how we were going to keep the car on the ground.  I went in to this long explanation of how we were going to use computers and tie it in with the canards.  He listened, and after I was done, waved his hand to say no, then pointed his finger at me and said, "Here is what you do.  Paint a line on the windshield and have the driver keep the line below the horizon."  I thought about that answer for several days and it finally came to me that he was absolutely right on.  By keeping the line below the horizon (by moving the canards to maintain down pressure on the front wheels) you would always have a safe attitude without the chance of the nose coming up.
 
Later at the dinner table, I spent 15 minutes with Scott Crossfield on my right, Col. Joe and General Joe Engle on my left.  Surrounding us were perhaps 10 people listening to the conversation between myself  and the three avaiton pioneers.  It will always be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

For more information about Scott Crossfield, please go to the National Aviation Hall of Fame site and the Scott Crossfield Foundation site.

Sally Crossfield Farley continues to promote her Dad's legacy with the Scott Crossfield Foundation.

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