Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

Jim Weir wrote:

Add one more pilot to my "Balls Of Brass" book, right
in there with Yeager and Glenn.

Not only that Jim.... Since he will probably be the main pilot on a
continuing basis there might also be a day when he has been
upstairs to space more times than anyone else.

Curious question to the group...... Who holds the record right now for
the most number of trips upstairs to spaceville.

In article ,
Shiver Me Timbers writes:
Jim Weir wrote:

Add one more pilot to my "Balls Of Brass" book, right
in there with Yeager and Glenn.

Not only that Jim.... Since he will probably be the main pilot on a
continuing basis there might also be a day when he has been
upstairs to space more times than anyone else.

He hasn't been there yet, either for International recognition (100
Km/62 St. Miles) or U.S.A.F. Atronaurt wings qualification (50 St
Mi./ 88 Km). I don't doubt that Scaled Composites will get there,
but it's not Miller Time yet.

To put it into our X-15 persoective, by the end of teh X-15's program
with 199 flights, 41 of those flights had exceeded the altitude
reached so far by Spaceship One. I don't have teh counts by
individual pilot totted up yet, but I'd say that Joe Walker flew at
least 6 of those, and Joe Engle may have flown more.

Curious question to the group...... Who holds the record right now for
the most number of trips upstairs to spaceville.

Dr. Frank Chang-Diaz and Jerry Ross are currently tied with 7.
Note that Chang-Diaz has a total of 66.76 days in free-fall, and 3
EVAs for a total of 19.77 Hrs of spacewalking.
Ross yas a total time of 58.04 days in free-fall, and 9 EVAs for 58.45
Hrs of spacewalking.

The leader right now for total time is orbit goes to Sergei Avdeyev,
with 3 flights for a total of 747.59 days iin free-fall. He's got 10
EVAs for a total of 41.98 Hrs of spacewalking.

Lots more useful stuff at teh Encyclopedia Astronautica at:
hrrp://www.astronautix.com

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster