Joe Kittinger
| 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. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1950–1978 |
| 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
|
Joseph William Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a USAF Command Pilot. Following his initial operational assignment in fighter aircraft, he participated in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior in 1960, setting a world record for the highest skydive from a height greater than 31 kilometres (19 mi). He was also the first man to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon.
Serving as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, he achieved an aerial kill of a North Vietnamese MiG-21 jet fighter and was later shot down himself, spending 11 months as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese prison.
In 2012, at the age of 84, he participated in the Red Bull Stratos project as capsule communicator, directing Felix Baumgartner on his record-breaking 39-kilometer (24 mi) freefall from Earth's stratosphere, exceeding Kittinger's earlier freefall in 1960.
Born July 27, 1928, in Tampa, Florida, Kittinger was educated at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, and the University of Florida. He became fascinated with planes at a very young age and soloed in a Piper Cub by the time he was 17. After racing speedboats as a teenager, he entered the U.S. Air Force as an aviation cadet in March 1949. On completion of aviation cadet training in March 1950, he received his pilot wings and a commission as a second lieutenant. He was subsequently assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany, flying the F-84 Thunderjet and F-86 Sabre.
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