Former Edwards test pilot inducted into Aviation Hall of Fame Published Jan. 12, 2011 By Diane Betzler Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Among this year's four individuals being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame for outstanding aviation achievements is Edwards' own Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. Dubbed a born pilot, Captain Kincheloe's interest in aviation began at age 5 when he started flying model airplanes. At 16 he soloed in aircraft and eventually went on to become known as America's first spaceman. A Korean War fighter pilot, then-Lt. Kincheloe received a spot promotion to captain after shooting down his first MiG. He became a double-ace pilot shortly after while flying 101 sorties in F-86s and 30 in F-80s. His lifelong ambition, however, was to become a test pilot. His dream assignment came in the mid-1950s when he was assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Here, he flew the newest fighter aircraft of the time, from McDonnell's (now McDonnell Douglas) F-101, to Convair's F-102, Lockheed's (now Lockheed Martin) F-104 and Republic Aircraft Company's F-105. It was love at first sight, however, when in early 1956, Captain Kincheloe saw the Bell X-2, the Air Force's new research plane. He made his first check-out flight in the X-2 on May 25, and as the story goes, the X-2 was his aircraft from that day on. He became known as the first man in space on Sept. 7 of that year after reaching 126,500 feet above the earth's surface. The X-15, a faster and more powerful rocket plane, was in development at the time and Captain Kincheloe was selected to be its pilot, but he was killed on July 26, 1958, when the F-104 he was testing suffered engine failure on takeoff at Edwards. To preserve his memory, Purdue University established the Kincheloe Scholarship Fund to aid undergraduates in the study of aeronautics and astronautics. The Society of Experimental Test Pilots also named its yearly trophy after him, and in 1959, Kinross Air Force Base, Mich., was renamed Kincheloe AFB in his honor. Also in his honor, Edwards has named one of its streets Kincheloe Street. Fellow 2011 NAHF inductees include: Retired Air Force Col. Charles Edward McGee, a Tuskegee Airman and fighter pilot who flew 409 combat missions while serving in three wars; S. Harry Robertson, pilot, engineer, entrepreneur and aviation safety pioneer who is recognized as "The Father of the Crashworthy Fuel System" and the late Gen. Thomas D. White, USAF, former chief of staff and key Cold War architect of integrating space technology into modern defense systems. The formal enshrinement ceremony will take place at the National Aviation Hall of Fame--located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force--in Dayton, Ohio, July 16, 2011. The four inductees will join the 207 legends of flight previously honored by the NAHF on the night that's often referred to as "America's Oscar Night of Aviation." Captain Kincheloe will be joining other Edwards well-know aviation greats who have also been enshrined into the NAHF, such as Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon; his Apollo crewmate Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon; and Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound while flight testing the Bell X-1 over the skies of Edwards. Story sources: The information in this story was gathered from the History and Heritage of the U.S. Air Force on the Air Force Link website and the National Aviation Hall of Fame website.