JOHN B. “JACK” McKAY

1922-1975

Jack McKay flew the X-15 for twenty-nine flights, the second largest number of flights. He was the fifth pilot to fly the X-15. His pilot-familiarization flight took place on October 28, 1960, when he

achieved Mach 2.02 and an altitude of 50,700 feet. As frequently occurred on the X-15 flights, there was a technical problem. In this case, the ventral chute did not open upon landing. McKay went on to achieve his highest Mach number of 5.65 on August 26, 1964, and his highest altitude of 295,600 feet on September 28, 1965.

On his seventh flight, which took place on November 9, 1962, he encountered a more serious problem. An electrical failure caused the rocket engine to peak out at only 30-percent power, forcing McKay to shut down the engine after achieving a Mach number of only 1.49 at an altitude of 53,950 feet. His airplane was still loaded with fuel, which he tried to jettison. He landed heavy at a much higher landing speed than normal because he could not extend the flaps. Upon touchdown on the lakebed, the rear skid collapsed, buckling the landing gear. The X-15 flipped on its back. Because McKay had jettisoned the canopy prior to rollover, his head hit the lakebed, crushing the upper vertebra in his neck.

In spite of chronic pain for the rest of his life, he flew the X-15 twenty-two more times. His last flight was on September 8, 1966, where ironically a fuel-line-low light caused a throttle-back, a shutdown, and an emergency landing at Smith Ranch. He achieved only Mach 2.44 (planned was Mach 5.42) and an altitude of 73,200 feet (planned was 243,000 feet).

John B. McKay was born on December 8,

1922, in Portsmouth, Virginia. During World War II, he served in the Pacific Theater as a pilot with the U. S. Navy. After the war, he attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech), graduating in 1950 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He joined the NACA, first as an engineer at the Langley Research Center and then as an engineer and research pilot at the NACA Dryden Flight Research Center. There he flew such experimental aircraft as the subsonic Douglas

D-558-1, the supersonic D-558-2, and the Bell X-1B and X-1E. He also tested some mainline Air Force aircraft such as the F-100, F-102,

F-104, and F-107. He was, however, first and foremost an aeronautical engineer. As a member of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, McKay published several technical papers.

McKay died a relatively early death on April 27, 1975, in Lancaster, California, which may

Bob Rushworth suited up for a flight, standing in front of the X-15 (barely seen behind him). USAF, Air Force Flight Test Center History Office, Edwards Air Force Base

have been hastened by his neck injury in the X-15. In 2005, he was posthumously awarded Astronaut Wings. Of McKay, his fellow test pilot Milton Thompson simply wrote: “Jack was a true southern gentleman. I miss him.”