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William J. Knight | |
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| Member of theCalifornia Senate from the17th district | |
| In office December 2, 1996 – May 7, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Don Rogers |
| Succeeded by | George Runner |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the36th district | |
| In office December 7, 1992 - November 30, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Tom McClintock |
| Succeeded by | George Runner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William J Knight (1929-11-18)November 18, 1929 Noblesville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 7, 2004(2004-05-07) (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Steve Knight, 2 other |
| Other names | Pete Knight |
| Alma mater | Butler University Purdue University Air Force Institute of Technology, B.S. 1958 |
| Occupation | Test pilot |
| Awards |  |
| Space career | |
| USAFastronaut | |
| Rank |  Colonel,USAF |
| Selection | 1960 Dyna-Soar Group 1 |
| Missions | X-15 Flight 190 X-15 Flight 188 |
William John "Pete" Knight (November 18, 1929 – May 7, 2004) (Col,USAF) was an Americanaeronautical engineer,politician,Vietnam War combatpilot,test pilot, andastronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew theNorth American X-15, an experimentalspaceplane jointly operated by the U.S. Air Force andNASA. He was also selected for participation in theX-20 Dyna-Soar program.
On October 3, 1967, Knight pilotedX-15 Flight 188, the program's fastest flight. Flying at a maximumMach of 6.7 and a maximum speed of 4,520mph (7,274 km/h), he set aspeed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft.[1] The flight was made in the X-15A-2, the second of three planes in the X-15 fleet.
Two weeks later on October 17, Knight flewX-15 Flight 190, reaching a maximum altitude above 50 miles. This qualified him as an astronaut according tothe United States definition of the boundary of space. However, this altitude did not surpass theKármán line, the internationally accepted boundary of 100 kilometers (62 miles).
Knight was born November 18, 1929, inNoblesville, Indiana, to parents William T. Knight (1906–1968) and Mary Emma Knight (1909–1959). Following high school, Knight attendedButler University andPurdue University. He graduated with aBachelor of Science degree inAeronautical Engineering from the U.S.Air Force Institute of Technology in 1958.
Knight was married to Helena Stone and they had three sons,Steve, Peter, and David. Helena predeceased Knight. Knight remarried and at his death in 2004 he was survived by his widow Gail, a brother, three sons, four stepchildren and 15 grandchildren.
Knight joined theUnited States Air Force in 1951. While only asecond lieutenant, he flew anF-89 at the National Air Show in 1954 and won the Allison Jet Trophy.
Starting in 1958, following his graduation from both U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology and theAir Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School (Class 58C), Knight served as a test pilot atEdwards Air Force Base,California. He was a project test pilot for theF-100 Super Sabre,F-101 Voodoo,F-104 Starfighter and later,T-38 Talon andF-5 Freedom Fighter test programs. In 1960, he was one of six test pilots selected to fly theX-20 Dyna-Soar, which was slated to become the first winged orbital space vehicle capable of lifting reentries and conventional landings. After the X-20 program was canceled in 1963, he completed the astronaut training curriculum through theAerospace Research Pilot School (Class 63A) at Edwards AFB and was selected to fly theNorth American X-15.
He had more than his share of eventful flights in the X-15. While climbing through 107,000 feet (33,000 m) atMach 4.17 on June 29, 1967, he suffered a total electrical failure and all onboard systems shut down. After reaching a maximum altitude of 173,000 feet (53,000 m), he calmly set up a visual approach and, resorting to old-fashioned "seat-of-the-pants" flying, he glided down to a safe emergency landing at Mud Lake,Nevada.[2] For his remarkable feat of airmanship that day, he earned aDistinguished Flying Cross.
On October 3, 1967, Knight set a world aircraft speed record for manned aircraft by piloting the X-15A-2 to 4,520 miles per hour (7,274 km/h) (Mach 6.70),[3][4] a record that still stands today. During 16 flights in the aircraft, Knight also became one of only five pilots to earn theirAstronaut Wings by flying an airplane in space, reaching an altitude of 280,500 feet (85,500 m).
After nearly ten years of test flying at Edwards AFB, he went toSoutheast Asia in 1968, where he completed a total of 253combat missions in theF-100 during theVietnam War. Following his combat tour, he served as test director during development of theF-15 Eagle atWright Patterson Air Force Base inDayton, Ohio. He also was the program director for the International Fighter (F-5) Program at Wright-Patterson. In 1979, he returned to Edwards AFB, and served as a test pilot for theF-16 Fighting Falcon.
After 32 years of service and more than 6,000 hours in the cockpits of more than 100 different aircraft, he retired from the U.S. Air Force as acolonel in 1982.
In 1984, he was elected to the city council ofPalmdale, California, and four years later became the city's first elected mayor. In 1992, he was elected to serve in theCalifornia State Assembly representing the 36th District. He served in theState Senate representing the 17th District from 1996 until his death on May 7, 2004. Knight's youngest son,Steve Knight served as assemblyman for the 36th Assembly District from 2008 to 2012, the seat previously held by his father.
Knight's brother and son came out as gay, and Knight pursued anti-LGBT legislation in his political work. During his term in the Senate, Knight gained statewide attention in 2000 as the author ofProposition 22, a.k.a. the "Knight Initiative", the purpose of which was to bansame-sex marriage: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The proposition passed with 61.4% approval and 38.6% against. On March 9, 2004, Knight's son, David Knight, who is gay, married his partner during the period whenSan Francisco registered same-sex marriages in defiance of state law. These marriages were nullified by theCalifornia Supreme Court in 2004.[5] The Court later found Proposition 22 to be unconstitutional inIn re Marriage Cases (2008).[6]
Knight's younger brother died ofAIDS-related complications in 1995 at age 60. Of his younger brother's homosexuality, Knight said "We never talked about it."[7]
In the city of Palmdale,Pete Knight High School was opened in his memory.[12] The school began its first year in the school year of 2003–2004 and celebrated its first graduating class in 2007.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | California State Assemblyman 36th District December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | California State Senator 17th District December 2, 1996 – May 7, 2004 | |
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