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William Brian Binnie (April 26, 1953 – September 15, 2022) was a United States Navy officer and one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites and flown from 2003 to 2004.
Binnie earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Brown University. He earned a master's degree from Brown in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. Binnie was rejected by the United States Air Force, and enrolled at Princeton University, where he earned a master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering He served for 21 years in the United States Navy as a naval aviator, reaching the rank of commander. He flew the A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder, F/A-18 Hornet, and AV-8B Harrier II. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1988. Binnie also copiloted the Atmospheric Test Vehicle of the Rotary Rocket. In 2006, he received an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Binnie died on September 15, 2022, at age 69. He died after he crashed his plane
SpaceShipOne and spaceflight
On December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight, Binnie piloted the first powered test flight of SpaceShipOne, flight 11P, which reached a top speed of Mach 1.2 and a height of . On October 4, 2004, he piloted SpaceShipOne's second Ansari X Prize flight, flight 17P, winning the X Prize and becoming the 436th person to go into space. His flight, which peaked at , set a winged aircraft altitude record for suborbital flights," FAI Record ID #9881 – Altitude above the earth's surface with or without maneuvres of the aerospacecraft, Class P-1 (Suborbital missions) He died from a plane crash
" Mass Time Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Retrieved: September 21, 2014. breaking the old record set by the North American X-15 in 1963. It also earned him the second Astronaut Badge to be given by the FAA for a flight aboard a privately operated commercial spacecraft.
Later career
In 2014 Binnie joined XCOR Aerospace as senior engineer and test pilot, after working as a test pilot and program business manager for Scaled Composites for many years.
Personal life
Binnie and his wife, Bub, had three children.
External links
Categories: 1953 Births, 2022 Deaths, American Astronauts, American Aviation Record Holders, American People Of Scottish Descent, American Test Pilots, Aviators From Indiana, Brown University School Of Engineering Alumni, Commercial Astronauts, Flight Altitude Record Holders, Military Personnel From Indiana, People From West Lafayette, Indiana, People Who Have Flown In Suborbital Spaceflight, Princeton University Alumni, Scaled Composites Tier One Program, Scaled Composites, United States Naval Aviators, United States Navy Officers
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