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| death_cause = Air crash
| death_cause = Air crash
| resting_place = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
| resting_place = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
| nationality = American
| education = [[Purdue University]], B.S. 1949
| education = [[Purdue University]], B.S. 1949
| known_for = [[Test pilot]] and [[flying ace]]
| known_for = near-space altitude record
| air_force = {{Air force|United States}}
| air_force = {{Air force|United States}}
| rank = [[File:US Air Force O3 shoulderboard rotated.svg|25px]] [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
| rank = [[File:US Air Force O3 shoulderboard rotated.svg|25px]] [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
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}}
}}


'''Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr.'''<ref>'''Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr.''' is on his [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/kinchel.htm grave marker] at [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<br />However, his first name is sometimes spelled '''Ivan'''.<!--see talk page--><br />{{cite web |last=Bryan |first=C. D. B. |date=1979-09-23 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/23/books/1979wolfe-right.html |title=The Right Stuff |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2006-04-02}} (''[[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]]'', however, consistently uses '''Iven''').<br />{{cite web |year=1997 |url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/crippen-rl.html |title=Astronaut bio: Robert L. Crippen |publisher=NASA, Johnson Space Center |access-date=2006-04-02}}</ref> (July 2, 1928 – July 26, 1958)<ref name="wpafb.m">{{cite web|last=Burns |first=Curtis A. |year=1975 |url=http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/afp/kinch.htm |title=Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. |publisher=National Museum of the United States Air Force |access-date=2006-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060225004912/http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/afp/kinch.htm |archive-date=2006-02-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="afbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006465 |title=Captain Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. |publisher=Air Force Link |access-date=2006-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025063935/http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006465 |archive-date=2005-10-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> was an American [[fighter pilot]], [[test pilot]], [[aeronautical engineer]], a [[flying ace]] in the [[Korean War]], and depending on the definition of [[outer space]], the first person to have reached space, having performed a [[suborbital spaceflight]] on September 7, 1956, in the [[Bell X-2]] rocketplane.<ref name="afbio" /><ref name="sbtcnat">{{cite news|last=Mumford|first=Lou|date=September 10, 2006|title=Cassopolis native was first man in space|work=South Bend Tribune|location=(Indiana)|url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-10/news/26963269_1_historic-flight-plane-korea|access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/k/kincheloe.html |title = Kincheloe}}</ref>
'''Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr.'''{{efn|Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. is on his [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/kinchel.htm grave marker] at [[Arlington National Cemetery]]. However, his first name is sometimes spelled '''Ivan'''.<!--see talk page--><ref>{{cite web |last=Bryan |first=C. D. B. |date=1979-09-23 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/23/books/1979wolfe-right.html |title=The Right Stuff |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2006-04-02}}</ref> [[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]]'', however, consistently uses Iven}}<ref>{{cite web |year=1997 |url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/crippen-rl.html |title=Astronaut bio: Robert L. Crippen |publisher=NASA, Johnson Space Center |access-date=2006-04-02}}</ref> (July 2, 1928 – July 26, 1958)<ref name="wpafb.m">{{cite web|last=Burns |first=Curtis A. |year=1975 |url=http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/afp/kinch.htm |title=Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. |publisher=National Museum of the United States Air Force |access-date=2006-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060225004912/http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/afp/kinch.htm |archive-date=2006-02-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="afbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006465 |title=Captain Iven C. Kincheloe Jr. |publisher=Air Force Link |access-date=2006-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025063935/http://www.af.mil/history/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006465 |archive-date=2005-10-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> was an American pilot. He served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the [[Korean War]], in which he was recognized as a [[flying ace]]. He continued as a [[test pilot]] after the war, participating in the [[Bell X-2]] program, in which he set an altitude record of {{convert|126200|ft|-1}} in 1956. For this suborbital flight above most of the atmosphere, he became known as "The First Spaceman".<ref name="afbio" /><ref name="sbtcnat">{{cite news|last=Mumford|first=Lou|date=September 10, 2006|title=Cassopolis native was first man in space|work=South Bend Tribune|location=(Indiana)|url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-10/news/26963269_1_historic-flight-plane-korea|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=October 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022213242/http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-10/news/26963269_1_historic-flight-plane-korea|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/k/kincheloe.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228050628/http://astronautix.com/k/kincheloe.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 28, 2016 |title = Kincheloe}}</ref> He was selected for the Air Force's program to put a man in space,<ref>{{Cite news |title=America's First Spaceman |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2003/07/25/1356467/americas-first-spaceman |access-date=2023-01-11}}</ref> but was killed in a plane crash in 1958.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Born July 2, 1928, in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], Kincheloe grew up in [[Cassopolis, Michigan|Cassopolis]] in the [[West Michigan|southwest]] part of the state, the only child of Iven C. Kincheloe Sr. (1894–1966) and Frances Wilder Kincheloe. Interested in aviation from a very young age, he graduated from [[Dowagiac, Michigan|Dowagiac]] High School in 1945 and attended [[Purdue University]] in [[West Lafayette, Indiana]].
Born July 2, 1928, in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], Kincheloe grew up in [[Cassopolis, Michigan|Cassopolis]] in the [[West Michigan|southwest]] part of the state, the only child of Iven C. Kincheloe Sr. (1894–1966) and Frances Wilder Kincheloe. Interested in aviation from a very young age, he graduated from [[Dowagiac, Michigan|Dowagiac]] High School in 1945 and attended [[Purdue University]] in [[West Lafayette, Indiana]].


Kincheloe joined the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps]] (ROTC), was a member of [[Sigma Phi Epsilon]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] (Indiana Alpha), and graduated in 1949 with a [[Bachelor of Science|bachelor's degree]] in [[aeronautical engineering]]. In the summer of 1948, the ROTC cadet met test pilot [[Chuck Yeager]] and sat in the cockpit of the [[Bell X-1]].
Kincheloe joined the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps]] (ROTC), was a member of [[Sigma Phi Epsilon]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] (Indiana Alpha), and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]] in 1949. In the summer of 1948, the ROTC cadet met test pilot [[Chuck Yeager]] and sat in the cockpit of the [[Bell X-1]].


==Korean War==
==Korean War==
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After the war, Kincheloe was a gunnery instructor at [[Nellis Air Force Base]] outside [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], then resumed his activity as a test pilot (subsequent to his prior flight test activities associated with the F-86E), graduating in December 1954 from the [[Empire Test Pilots' School]] at [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough, England]]. He participated in the testing of the [[Century Series]] of [[fighter aircraft]] ([[North American F-100 Super Sabre|F-100 Super Sabre]], [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|F-101 Voodoo]], [[Convair F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102 Delta Dagger]], [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104 Starfighter]], [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105 Thunderchief]], and [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106 Delta Dart]]).
After the war, Kincheloe was a gunnery instructor at [[Nellis Air Force Base]] outside [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], then resumed his activity as a test pilot (subsequent to his prior flight test activities associated with the F-86E), graduating in December 1954 from the [[Empire Test Pilots' School]] at [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough, England]]. He participated in the testing of the [[Century Series]] of [[fighter aircraft]] ([[North American F-100 Super Sabre|F-100 Super Sabre]], [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo|F-101 Voodoo]], [[Convair F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102 Delta Dagger]], [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104 Starfighter]], [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105 Thunderchief]], and [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106 Delta Dart]]).


In the mid-1950s, Kincheloe joined the [[Bell X-2]] program and on September 7, 1956,<ref name="Twga">{{cite book |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Michael J.H. |first=Christopher |last=Chant |title=The world's greatest aircraft |year=1999 |publisher=Regency House Publishing Ltd. |location=Hertfordshire |isbn=1-85605-523-X |chapter=The chronology of flight 1940 to &#91;1999-03-25&#93; |quote=The Bell X-2 research aircraft is flown by Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe to an altitude of 126,200 ft (38,466m). |page=388}}</ref> flew at more than {{convert|2000|mi/h|km/h|-1|abbr=on}} and to a height of {{convert|126200|ft|-1}}<ref name="wpafb.m" /><ref name="Twga" /> (some sources list 126,500),<ref name="afbio" /> the first flight ever above {{convert|100,000|ft|round=5}}. For this he was nicknamed "America's {{nowrap|No. 1 Spaceman"}}. He was awarded the [[Mackay Trophy]] for 1956 for the flight.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Mackay Trophy|year=1957|journal=The Air Power Historian|volume=4|issue=3|page=173|jstor = 44512998}}</ref>
In the mid-1950s, Kincheloe joined the [[Bell X-2]] program and on September 7, 1956,<ref name="Twga">{{cite book |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Michael J.H. |first=Christopher |last=Chant |title=The world's greatest aircraft |year=1999 |publisher=Regency House Publishing Ltd. |location=Hertfordshire |isbn=1-85605-523-X |chapter=The chronology of flight 1940 to &#91;1999-03-25&#93; |quote=The Bell X-2 research aircraft is flown by Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe to an altitude of 126,200 ft (38,466m). |page=388}}</ref> flew at more than {{convert|2000|mi/h|km/h|-1|abbr=on}} and to a height of {{convert|126200|ft|-1}}<ref name="wpafb.m" /><ref name="Twga" /> (some sources list 126,500),<ref name="afbio" /> the first flight ever above {{convert|100,000|ft|round=5}}, above 30 km (18.6 mi) and above 20 mi (32.2 km). For this he was nicknamed "America's {{nowrap|No. 1 Spaceman"}}. (However, this altitude is below the [[Kármán line]], the threshold for "space" later established by the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|Fédération aéronautique internationale]]{{efn|The FAI established 100 km (62.14 mi) as a space boundary which isn't exactly the altitude of the (varying) Kármán line.}}, as well as below the 50-mile-boundary used by the U.S. Air Force.) He was awarded the [[Mackay Trophy]] for 1956 for the flight.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Mackay Trophy|year=1957|journal=The Air Power Historian|volume=4|issue=3|page=173|jstor = 44512998}}</ref>


The X-2 program was halted three weeks later, after a fatal crash resulted in the death of [[Mel Apt]] in a flight in which Apt became the first person to exceed Mach 3.<ref name=nnx2dv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oJwpAAAAIBAJ&pg=3499%2C5391936 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Needle-nose X-2 dives to earth |date=September 28, 1956 |page=1}}</ref> Kincheloe was later selected as one of the first three pilots in the next rocket-powered aircraft program, the [[North American X-15|X-15]],<ref name=jckpfspm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_o5fAAAAIBAJ&pg=3925%2C3047033 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Jet crash kills pilot slated to be one of first spacemen |date=July 27, 1958 |page=1}}</ref> and would have been part of the [[Man in Space Soonest]] project.
The X-2 program was halted three weeks later, after a crash resulted in the death of [[Mel Apt]] in a flight in which he became the first person to exceed Mach 3.<ref name=nnx2dv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oJwpAAAAIBAJ&pg=3499%2C5391936 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Needle-nose X-2 dives to earth |date=September 28, 1956 |page=1}}</ref> Kincheloe was later selected as one of the first three pilots in the next rocket-powered aircraft program, the [[North American X-15|X-15]],<ref name=jckpfspm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_o5fAAAAIBAJ&pg=3925%2C3047033 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Jet crash kills pilot slated to be one of first spacemen |date=July 27, 1958 |page=1}}</ref> and would have been part of the [[Man in Space Soonest]] project.


==Death and legacy==
==Death and legacy==
In July 1958, Kincheloe was killed in the crash of an F-104A (Lockheed F-104A-10-LO s/n 56-772) at Edwards AFB; he had ejected at low altitude, but the deployed parachute did not adequately slow his descent.<ref name=jckpfspm/><ref name=tdinavn>{{cite web|url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/26-july-1958/ |work=This Day in Aviation|title=26 July 1958 |date=July 26, 2017|access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref> He was buried with full military honors at [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref name=pres7276>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b0BYAAAAIBAJ&pg=7085%2C3973780 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Ike asks successor to aid lad |date=November 18, 1958 |page=2}}</ref><!--|work=Milwaukee Journal |title=Eisenhower asks favor of the 1972–'76 president |agency=Associated Press |date=November 18, 1958 |page=4 --> Only thirty years old, Kincheloe was survived by wife, Dorothy, their young son, Iven III, and a daughter who was born two months later, Jeannine.<ref>[http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ Kincheloe's family],</ref>
In July 1958, Kincheloe was killed in the crash of an F-104A (Lockheed F-104A-10-LO s/n 56-772) at Edwards Air Force Base; he had ejected at low altitude, but given that the early F-104 used a downwards catapulted ejection seat the deployed parachute did not adequately slow his descent.<ref name=jckpfspm/><ref name=tdinavn>{{cite web |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/26-july-1958/ |work=This Day in Aviation |last=Swopes |first=Bryan |title=26 July 1958 |date=26 July 2022 |access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref> He was buried with full military honors at [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref name=pres7276>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b0BYAAAAIBAJ&pg=7085%2C3973780 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Ike asks successor to aid lad |date=November 18, 1958 |page=2 |via=Google News}}</ref><!--|work=Milwaukee Journal |title=Eisenhower asks favor of the 1972–'76 president |agency=Associated Press |date=November 18, 1958 |page=4 --> Only thirty years old, Kincheloe was survived by wife, Dorothy, their young son, Iven III, and a daughter who was born two months later, Jeannine.<ref>[http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ Kincheloe's family] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212003854/http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ |date=2015-02-12 }},</ref>
* On September 25, 1959, [[Kincheloe Air Force Base]] in Michigan's [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]] was renamed in his honor;<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Boster|first1=Steven F.|title=Aerospace Profile: Space Age Pioneer|journal=Aerospace Historian|volume=16|issue=4|pages = 7–8|year=1969|jstor = 44524658}}</ref> formerly [[Kinross Charter Township, Michigan|Kinross]] AFB, it closed in <!--September-->1977.
* On September 25, 1959, [[Kincheloe Air Force Base]] in Michigan's [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]] was renamed in his honor;<ref>{{cite journal |last=Boster |first=Steven F. |title=Aerospace Profile: Space Age Pioneer |journal=Aerospace Historian |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=7–8 |year=1969 |jstor=44524658}}</ref> formerly [[Kinross Charter Township, Michigan|Kinross]] Air Force Base, it closed in <!--September-->1977.
* A monument stands approximately 1½ miles (2½ km) east of his hometown of Cassopolis, Michigan; an angular stone slab {{convert|12|ft|spell=in}} in height, it bears a silver model of the X-2 pointed skyward.<ref name=kmonrest>{{cite news |url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-24/news/26928475_1_experimental-plane-spacemen-altitude |work=South Bend Tribune |location=(Indiana) |title=Kincheloe monument restored |last=Smalls |first=Yashekia |date=September 24, 2006 |access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref><ref name=bx2memmi>{{cite web|url=http://www.bellx-2.com/sightings/kincheloe/cassopolis-mi.html |work=Bell X-2 |title= Sightings: Capt. Iven Kincheloe Memorial, Cassopolis, Michigan |date=2016 |access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref> ({{coord|41.915|-85.973}})
* A monument stands approximately 1½ miles (2½ km) east of his hometown of Cassopolis, Michigan; an angular stone slab {{convert|12|ft|spell=in}} in height, it bears a silver model of the X-2 pointed skyward.<ref name=kmonrest>{{cite news |url=http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-24/news/26928475_1_experimental-plane-spacemen-altitude |work=South Bend Tribune |location=(Indiana) |title=Kincheloe monument restored |last=Smalls |first=Yashekia |date=September 24, 2006 |access-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-date=December 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214014607/http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-09-24/news/26928475_1_experimental-plane-spacemen-altitude |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=bx2memmi>{{cite web |url=http://www.bellx-2.com/sightings/kincheloe/cassopolis-mi.html |work=Bell X-2 |title=Sightings: Capt. Iven Kincheloe Memorial, Cassopolis, Michigan |date=2016 |access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref> ({{coord|41.915|-85.973}})
* Kincheloe Elementary School, part of the nearby Dowagiac Union School District, is named in his honor.<ref name=duskelem>{{cite news |url=http://dowagiacschools.org/kincheloe-elementary/ |publisher=Dowagiac Union Schools |title=Kincheloe Elementary |access-date=December 13, 2017}}</ref>
* Kincheloe Elementary School, part of the nearby Dowagiac Union School District, is named in his honor.<ref name=duskelem>{{cite news |url=http://dowagiacschools.org/kincheloe-elementary/ |publisher=Dowagiac Union Schools |title=Kincheloe Elementary |access-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901153120/http://dowagiacschools.org/kincheloe-elementary/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The television program ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' included a character named Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe, played by [[Ivan Dixon]].
* The television program ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' included a character named Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe, played by [[Ivan Dixon]].
* In 1992, he was inducted into the [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]].<ref name=ind92>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36299236/the_los_angeles_times/|title=Ceremony Will Honor 5 Test Pilots|last1=Halley|first1=Blaine|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|location=Los Angeles, California|date=September 19, 1992|via=Newspapers.com|page=B2}}</ref>
* In 1992, he was inducted into the [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]].<ref name=ind92>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36299236/the_los_angeles_times/ |title=Ceremony Will Honor 5 Test Pilots |last=Halley |first=Blaine |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles, California |date=September 19, 1992 |via=Newspapers.com |page=B2}}</ref>
* In 2011, he was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]].<ref>"[http://www.nationalaviation.org/2011-enshrinement/ 50th Annual Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony]". ''National Aviation Hall of Fame'' website. Retrieved on 2011-07-23.</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Lou |last=Mumford |title=An Honor Long Overdue |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/southbendtribune/access/2405321101.html?FMT=ABS |work=[[South Bend Tribune]] |date=2011-07-22 |access-date=2011-07-25}}</ref>
* In 2011, he was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]].<ref>"[http://www.nationalaviation.org/2011-enshrinement/ 50th Annual Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony]". ''National Aviation Hall of Fame'' website. Retrieved on 2011-07-23.</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Lou |last=Mumford |title=An Honor Long Overdue |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/southbendtribune/access/2405321101.html?FMT=ABS |work=[[South Bend Tribune]] |date=July 22, 2011 |access-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107131548/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/southbendtribune/access/2405321101.html?FMT=ABS |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The Society of Experimental Test Pilots [[Iven C. Kincheloe Award]] is named in his honor.<ref name=setp58>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36531611/the_los_angeles_times/|title=Need of Human Pilots, Despite Missiles, Seen|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|page=4|location=Los Angeles, California|date=October 5, 1958|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
* The Society of Experimental Test Pilots [[Iven C. Kincheloe Award]] is named in his honor.<ref name=setp58>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36531611/the_los_angeles_times/ |title=Need of Human Pilots, Despite Missiles, Seen |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=4 |location=Los Angeles, California |date=October 5, 1958 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
* The Purdue University [[Arnold Air Society]] squadron is named in his honor.
* The Purdue University [[Arnold Air Society]] squadron is named in his honor.


==Awards and decorations==
==Decorations==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
{|
⚫
|colspan="2"|[[File:Senior Pilot USAF Wings.svg|150px]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[USAF Aeronautical Ratings#Pilot ratings|Senior pilot badge]]
|-
|-
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Silver_Star_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
⚫
|[[Silver Star]]
|-
|-
|colspan="4"|[[File:Senior Pilot USAF Wings.svg|200px]]
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}}
⚫
|[[Legion of Merit]]
|-
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="4"|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Silver Star ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] with two bronze [[oak leaf clusters]]
|-
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=oak|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=oak|other_device=|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|[[Air Medal]] with three bronze oak leaf clusters
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=|ribbon=AF Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon.png|width=110}}
|-
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=AF_Presidential_Unit_Citation_Ribbon.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|name=KSMRib|width=110}}
⚫
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Air Force Presidential Unit Citation]] with bronze oak leaf cluster
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Air Force Longevity Service ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=Presidential Unit Citation (Korea)|width=110}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Republic_of_Korea_War_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}
⚫
|-
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
⚫
|[[Korean Service Medal]] with three bronze [[service star]]s
|-
|-
|}
|}

{|
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|-
⚫
|colspan="12"|[[USAF Aeronautical Ratings#Pilot ratings|USAF Senior pilot badge]]
⚫
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Air Force Longevity Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}
⚫
|-
⚫
|[[Air Force Longevity Service Award]] with bronze oak leaf cluster
⚫
|colspan="6"| [[Silver Star]]
⚫
|colspan="6"| [[Legion of Merit]]
|-
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<br>with two bronze [[oak leaf cluster]]s
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Air Medal]]<br>with three bronze oak leaf clusters
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Air Force Presidential Unit Citation]]<br>with bronze oak leaf cluster
|-
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[National Defense Service Medal]]
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Korean Service Medal]]<br>with three bronze [[campaign star]]s
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Air Force Longevity Service Award]]<br>with bronze oak leaf cluster
|-
⚫
|colspan="4"|[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan="4"|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
|colspan="4"|[[Korean War Service Medal]]
|-
|-
|}
|}


===Silver Star citation===
⚫
[[File:Presidential Unit Citation (Korea).svg|106px]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation]]
[[File:SilverStarMed.gif|50px|left]]
:Kincheloe, Iven C.
:Captain U.S. Air Force
:25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force
:Date of Action: April 1, 1952


:Citation:
[[File:United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|106px]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[United Nations Korea Medal]]


{{blockquote|The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Iven Carl Kincheloe, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United Nations as Pilot of an F-86 Fighter Plane in the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force, on 1 April 1952. While leading a flight of four F-86 type aircraft, Captain Kincheloe encountered sixteen enemy aircraft attempting to intercept friendly fighter-bombers, Captain Kincheloe quickly broke his flight into elements to engage the enemy, and boldly attacked although greatly outnumbered. He pressed attacks against two of the enemy, completely disregarding efforts of other aircraft to deter him. Displaying unusual aggressiveness, Captain Kincheloe severely damaged the aircraft of the enemy flight leader, forcing him to eject himself, and despite heavy damage to his own aircraft, attacked another and destroyed it completely. Captain Kincheloe's destruction of the two aircraft effectively broke up the enemy force and prevented their attack on the friendly fighter-bombers. Through his personal courage, outstanding airmanship, and devotion to duty, Captain Kincheloe reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/25200|title=Valor awards for Iven Carl Kincheloe|website=Military Times|access-date=2022-09-14}}</ref>}}
[[File:Republic of Korea War Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]]&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Korean War Service Medal]]


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui|S.A Rafiqui]]
* [[List of Korean War air aces]]
* [[List of Korean War air aces]]

* [[Elmer W. Harris]], fellow Korean squadron pilot
== Notes ==
{{notelist|30em}}


==References==
==References==
Line 107: Line 124:
* [http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/News01/609240424 "Kincheloe monument restored, rededicated"]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} – ''[[South Bend Tribune]]'', September 24, 2006 both now in references -->
* [http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060924/News01/609240424 "Kincheloe monument restored, rededicated"]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} – ''[[South Bend Tribune]]'', September 24, 2006 both now in references -->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061002083330/http://www.afa.org/magazine/Sept2006/0906aces.pdf Photograph of Kincheloe with other pilots of his squadron wearing red caps and scarves], "Sabres and Aces", ''Air Force Magazine'', September 2006, p.&nbsp;81.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061002083330/http://www.afa.org/magazine/Sept2006/0906aces.pdf Photograph of Kincheloe with other pilots of his squadron wearing red caps and scarves], "Sabres and Aces", ''Air Force Magazine'', September 2006, p.&nbsp;81.
* [http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.] at the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]]
* [http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212003854/http://www.nationalaviation.org/kincheloe-jr-iven-carl/ |date=2015-02-12 }} at the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020301201600/http://www.astronautix.com/astros/kinheloe.htm Astronautix biography of Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020301201600/http://www.astronautix.com/astros/kinheloe.htm Astronautix biography of Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.]
* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/kinchel.htm Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.] Photograph of his grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery, with brief biography.
* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/kinchel.htm Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.] Photograph of his grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery, with brief biography.


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = Human altitude record
| years = 1956-1960
| with =
| before = [[Arthur W. Murray]]
| after = [[Robert Michael White]]
}}
{{S-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kincheloe, Iven Carl}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kincheloe, Iven Carl}}
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[[Category:Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics alumni]]
[[Category:Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Flight altitude record holders]]
[[Category:Flight altitude record holders]]
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[[Category:20th-century American engineers]]
[[Category:20th-century American engineers]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1958]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1958]]
[[Category:Victims of flight test accidents]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Michigan]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Michigan]]

Latest revision as of 22:14, 26 August 2024

Iven C. Kincheloe Jr.
Born
Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr.

(1928-07-02)July 2, 1928
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJuly 26, 1958(1958-07-26) (aged 30)
Edwards Air Force Base, California, U.S.
Cause of deathAir crash
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
EducationPurdue University, B.S. 1949
Known fornear-space altitude record
AwardsSilver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
Air Medal (4)
Aviation career
Air force United States Air Force
BattlesKorean War
Rank Captain

Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr.[a][2] (July 2, 1928 – July 26, 1958)[3][4] was an American pilot. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, in which he was recognized as a flying ace. He continued as a test pilot after the war, participating in the Bell X-2 program, in which he set an altitude record of 126,200 feet (38,470 m) in 1956. For this suborbital flight above most of the atmosphere, he became known as "The First Spaceman".[4][5][6] He was selected for the Air Force's program to put a man in space,[7] but was killed in a plane crash in 1958.

Early life and education

[edit]

Born July 2, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan, Kincheloe grew up in Cassopolis in the southwest part of the state, the only child of Iven C. Kincheloe Sr. (1894–1966) and Frances Wilder Kincheloe. Interested in aviation from a very young age, he graduated from Dowagiac High School in 1945 and attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Kincheloe joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity (Indiana Alpha), and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1949. In the summer of 1948, the ROTC cadet met test pilot Chuck Yeager and sat in the cockpit of the Bell X-1.

Korean War

[edit]

Upon graduation from college, Kincheloe received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and entered flight training. After earning his pilot wings in August 1950, he spent a year as a test pilot, flying the F-86E at Edwards Air Force Base, California, was promoted to first lieutenant, and transferred to Korea in September 1951.

During the war, he was assigned to the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, he flew F-80s on thirty combat missions and F-86s on 101 combat missions, downing five MiG-15s (becoming an ace and earning the Silver Star) before returning to the U.S. in May 1952. At this time, he had reached the rank of captain.

Post-war career

[edit]

After the war, Kincheloe was a gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base outside Las Vegas, Nevada, then resumed his activity as a test pilot (subsequent to his prior flight test activities associated with the F-86E), graduating in December 1954 from the Empire Test Pilots' School at Farnborough, England. He participated in the testing of the Century Series of fighter aircraft (F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, and F-106 Delta Dart).

In the mid-1950s, Kincheloe joined the Bell X-2 program and on September 7, 1956,[8] flew at more than 2,000 mph (3,220 km/h) and to a height of 126,200 feet (38,470 m)[3][8] (some sources list 126,500),[4] the first flight ever above 100,000 feet (30,480 m), above 30 km (18.6 mi) and above 20 mi (32.2 km). For this he was nicknamed "America's No. 1 Spaceman". (However, this altitude is below the Kármán line, the threshold for "space" later established by the Fédération aéronautique internationale[b], as well as below the 50-mile-boundary used by the U.S. Air Force.) He was awarded the Mackay Trophy for 1956 for the flight.[9]

The X-2 program was halted three weeks later, after a crash resulted in the death of Mel Apt in a flight in which he became the first person to exceed Mach 3.[10] Kincheloe was later selected as one of the first three pilots in the next rocket-powered aircraft program, the X-15,[11] and would have been part of the Man in Space Soonest project.

Death and legacy

[edit]

In July 1958, Kincheloe was killed in the crash of an F-104A (Lockheed F-104A-10-LO s/n 56-772) at Edwards Air Force Base; he had ejected at low altitude, but given that the early F-104 used a downwards catapulted ejection seat the deployed parachute did not adequately slow his descent.[11][12] He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.[13] Only thirty years old, Kincheloe was survived by wife, Dorothy, their young son, Iven III, and a daughter who was born two months later, Jeannine.[14]

Awards and decorations

[edit]
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze oak leaf cluster
USAF Senior pilot badge
Silver Star Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
with two bronze oak leaf clusters 		Air Medal
with three bronze oak leaf clusters 		Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
with bronze oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal
with three bronze campaign stars 		Air Force Longevity Service Award
with bronze oak leaf cluster
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation United Nations Korea Medal Korean War Service Medal

Silver Star citation

[edit]
Kincheloe, Iven C.
Captain U.S. Air Force
25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force
Date of Action: April 1, 1952
Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Iven Carl Kincheloe, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United Nations as Pilot of an F-86 Fighter Plane in the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force, on 1 April 1952. While leading a flight of four F-86 type aircraft, Captain Kincheloe encountered sixteen enemy aircraft attempting to intercept friendly fighter-bombers, Captain Kincheloe quickly broke his flight into elements to engage the enemy, and boldly attacked although greatly outnumbered. He pressed attacks against two of the enemy, completely disregarding efforts of other aircraft to deter him. Displaying unusual aggressiveness, Captain Kincheloe severely damaged the aircraft of the enemy flight leader, forcing him to eject himself, and despite heavy damage to his own aircraft, attacked another and destroyed it completely. Captain Kincheloe's destruction of the two aircraft effectively broke up the enemy force and prevented their attack on the friendly fighter-bombers. Through his personal courage, outstanding airmanship, and devotion to duty, Captain Kincheloe reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.[23]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. is on his grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery. However, his first name is sometimes spelled Ivan.[1] The Right Stuff, however, consistently uses Iven
  2. ^ The FAI established 100 km (62.14 mi) as a space boundary which isn't exactly the altitude of the (varying) Kármán line.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bryan, C. D. B. (1979-09-23). "The Right Stuff". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
  2. ^ "Astronaut bio: Robert L. Crippen". NASA, Johnson Space Center. 1997. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
  3. ^ a b Burns, Curtis A. (1975). "Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe Jr". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 2006-02-25. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
  4. ^ a b c "Captain Iven C. Kincheloe Jr". Air Force Link. Archived from the original on 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
  5. ^ Mumford, Lou (September 10, 2006). "Cassopolis native was first man in space". South Bend Tribune. (Indiana). Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kincheloe". Archived from the original on December 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "America's First Spaceman". NPR.org. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  8. ^ a b Chant, Christopher (1999). "The chronology of flight 1940 to [1999-03-25]". In Taylor, Michael J.H. (ed.). The world's greatest aircraft. Hertfordshire: Regency House Publishing Ltd. p. 388. ISBN 1-85605-523-X. The Bell X-2 research aircraft is flown by Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe to an altitude of 126,200 ft (38,466m).
  9. ^ "Mackay Trophy". The Air Power Historian. 4 (3): 173. 1957. JSTOR 44512998.
  10. ^ "Needle-nose X-2 dives to earth". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 28, 1956. p. 1.
  11. ^ a b "Jet crash kills pilot slated to be one of first spacemen". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. July 27, 1958. p. 1.
  12. ^ Swopes, Bryan (26 July 2022). "26 July 1958". This Day in Aviation. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Ike asks successor to aid lad". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 18, 1958. p. 2 – via Google News.
  14. ^ Kincheloe's family Archived 2015-02-12 at the Wayback Machine,
  15. ^ Boster, Steven F. (1969). "Aerospace Profile: Space Age Pioneer". Aerospace Historian. 16 (4): 7–8. JSTOR 44524658.
  16. ^ Smalls, Yashekia (September 24, 2006). "Kincheloe monument restored". South Bend Tribune. (Indiana). Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  17. ^ "Sightings: Capt. Iven Kincheloe Memorial, Cassopolis, Michigan". Bell X-2. 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "Kincheloe Elementary". Dowagiac Union Schools. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  19. ^ Halley, Blaine (September 19, 1992). "Ceremony Will Honor 5 Test Pilots". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "50th Annual Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony". National Aviation Hall of Fame website. Retrieved on 2011-07-23.
  21. ^ Mumford, Lou (July 22, 2011). "An Honor Long Overdue". South Bend Tribune. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  22. ^ "Need of Human Pilots, Despite Missiles, Seen". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 5, 1958. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Valor awards for Iven Carl Kincheloe". Military Times. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr..


Preceded by Human altitude record
1956-1960 		Succeeded by
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