Joseph Kittinger
Joseph William Kittinger II (July 27, 1928 – December 9, 2022) was an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF) who served from 1950 to 1978, and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. He held the world record for the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3 km)—from 1960 until 2012.
Joseph W. Kittinger II | |
|---|---|
Colonel Joseph W. Kittinger II, USAF (pictured as a captain) First person to conduct stratospheric space diving | |
| Nickname(s) | Red |
| Born | July 27, 1928 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2022 (aged 94) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1949–1978 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (6) Bronze Star (Valor) (3) Purple Heart (2) Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal (24) Prisoner of War Medal |
| Other work | Vice President of Flight Operations for Rosie O'Grady's Flying Circus (1978–1992) |
He participated in the Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior high-altitude balloon flight projects from 1956 to 1960 and was the first man to fully witness the curvature of the Earth.
A fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, Kittinger shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21 jet fighter. He was later shot down as well, subsequently spending 11 months as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese prison before he was repatriated in 1973.
In 1984, he became the first person to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon.
In 2012, Kittinger participated in the Red Bull Stratos project as capsule communicator at age 84, directing Felix Baumgartner on his 24-mile (39 km) freefall from Earth's stratosphere, which broke Kittinger's own 53-year-old record. Baumgartner's record would be broken two years later by Alan Eustace.