Husband And Wife Train For Flight In F-104 Starfighters
Two Florida residents have become
the first to complete a new commercial space flight training
program at NASA's John F Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Terence Witt,
founder of Witt Biomedical, and his wife Virginia trained for space
in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the same supersonic plane used
to prepare Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts for space travel.
The husband and wife team completed their training with
Starfighters, Inc, a privately-owned company operating under a
formal Space Act Agreement allowing them full utilization of KSC's
Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).
The Witts each passed a mandatory medical evaluation and
completed two days of ground school covering the principles of
atmospheric pressure and high-altitude flight before completing
training in a hypobaric pressure chamber. Then, they received an
extensive flight safety briefing, complete with ejection seat and
parachute training, and strapped into the cockpit of an F-104
Starfighter.
Each completed a flight profile carefully designed to prepare
future space tourists for the physical challenges of a suborbital
space flight. A high-speed vertical climb simulated the high
sustained g-forces of a rocket launch and was followed by
supersonic flight over the Atlantic Ocean. A parabolic
maneuver exposed the couple to the sensation of weightlessness.
"My life can now be separated into two distinct parts, the part
before I flew an F-104 and the part after. I can't thank the
Starfighters team enough for making this possible," said Witt, a
licensed commercial pilot. "To say that it was merely 'incredible'
does it a great disservice."
Starfighters is authorized by both the FAA and NASA to offer
commercial suborbital space flight training from KSC's Shuttle
Landing Facility. The company's commercial operations at Kennedy
are a result of a partnership between NASA and Space Florida aimed
at developing and supporting the commercial space industry.
"Space Florida has been essential to the success of our
mission," said Rick Svetkoff, Starfighters President and Chief
Pilot. "We both want to see the commercial space industry grow in
Florida. With Space Florida's continued unwavering support we are
making real strides toward that vision."
"Starfighters, in partnership with NASA-KSC and Space Florida,
has achieved an incredibly important milestone with this
announcement," noted Space Florida President Frank DiBello. "The
Commercial Sub-Orbital Training Program provides a great example of
the types of innovative programs that will form the foundation of
Florida's growing commercial space sector. We are pleased to be a
part of this groundbreaking program here in Florida."
The Witt's training flights were facilitated by KSC Chief of
Flight Operations, Tom Friers and SLF Chief Air Traffic Controller,
Ron Feile. "The SLF and its staff are instrumental in helping
us achieve and sustain our commercial mission at KSC," noted
Svetkoff, "We couldn't have asked for a more professional and
dedicated team to work alongside."
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