Joseph Kittinger, who set longtime parachute record, dies
Associated Press
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FILE - Retired Air Force Col. Joseph W. Kittinger Jr., smiles during his induction into the Aviation Hall of Fame, Saturday, July 19, 1997, in Dayton, Ohio. Kittinger, the U.S. Air Force pilot who held the record for the highest parachute jump for more than 50 years, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Florida at age 94. (AP Photo/Michael Heinz, File)FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, Capt. Joseph Kittinger Jr., aerospace laboratory test director, sits in the open balloon gondola after his first parachute test jump for Project Excelsior at the Air Force Missile Development Center, N.M., Nov. 16, 1959. The gondola carried him at an altitude of 76,400 feet for his record free fall jump of more than 12 miles. At left is David Willard, who designed and developed special equipment for the gondola. Kittinger, the U.S. Air Force pilot who held the record for the highest parachute jump for more than 50 years, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Florida at age 94. (AP Photo/File)
AP1997
FILE - Retired Air Force Col. Joseph W. Kittinger Jr., smiles during his induction into the Aviation Hall of Fame, Saturday, July 19, 1997, in Dayton, Ohio. Kittinger, the U.S. Air Force pilot who held the record for the highest parachute jump for more than 50 years, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Florida at age 94. (AP Photo/Michael Heinz, File)
