Alvin S . White Alvin Swauger White ( December 9 , 1918 - April 29 , 2006 ) was an American test pilot , engineer , and a USAF astronaut . He flew the maiden flight s of both XB - 70 Valkyrie aircraft , the first 2 , 000 mph flight , and all subsequent Mach 3 exploration flights . Biography . Born to Harold H . White , Sr . and Ruth A . Winkleman , in Berkeley , California , he was a pilot for over 60 years . In 1936 , he enrolled in the University of California at Davis to study electrical engineering , and transferred to the campus at Berkeley two years later . He began his flying career in the Civilian Pilot Training Program , receiving his license in 1940 . During World War II , he enlisted in the U . S . Army Air Forces as an Aviation Cadet , graduated from training at Williams Field , Arizona in 1942 . He later flew bomber escorts and strafing missions over Europe in the P - 51 Mustang with the 355th Fighter Group from D - Day through V - E Day . After the war , White completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California , and went on to become an engineering test pilot for the U . S . Air Force and North American Aviation . He participated in a variety of flight test programs over his career , including the F - 86 Sabre jet , the F - 100 Super Sabre series , the YF - 107 and the X - 15 . In 1958 , White was selected for the U . S . Air Force ' s Man In Space Soonest manned spaceflight program . The program ended early due to financial and technical difficulties . In 1961 , he was selected as chief test pilot for the flight test program of the XB - 70 Valkyrie , the world ' s largest supersonic aircraft , piloting the first flights of both planes and taking the aircraft through the build up programs to flight at Mach 3 . On June 8 , 1966 , he was the sole survivor of the mid - air collision that destroyed the XB - 70 # 2 prototype , and killed his co - pilot , Major Carl Cross , USAF , and noted aviator Joe Walker . White ejected from the XB - 70 , sustaining serious injuries , including one arm being crushed as it was caught in the clamshell - like escape capsule as it closed around him just before ejection from the aircraft . Later in 1966 , White joined Trans World Airlines as Manager of Flight Operations , Research and Development . In 1969 , he became a consultant in the field of aviation and aeronautics , working primarily as an expert witness in accident investigation litigation , requiring simulation of accident flight conditions in a comparable aircraft . After 8 , 500 hours of flying time in over 125 different aircraft , he retired from the ranks of active pilots and settled in Tucson , Arizona . He died in 2006 leaving behind three divorced wives and three children . Honors . White ' s military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters . A past President and founding member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots , White earned some of the top awards for his profession , including the Iven C . Kincheloe Award , the Octave Chanute Award , and the Harmon Trophy , which was presented by President Lyndon B . Johnson . In 1994 , he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor .