American Astronaut. During World War II, he served as a US Navy pilot in the Pacific Theater, earning the Air Medal with two Clusters and a Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, he joined Edwards Air Force Base, California in 1951, as a D-558 and X-1 test pilot. As a project pilot, he flew on the F-100, F-102, F-104 and F-107 test programs before being assigned as the third NASA X-15 pilot in October 1961. He made 29 X-15 flights, reaching an altitude of 90 km and obtaining astronaut wings, before being seriously injured in the November 1962 X-15, crash on Mud Lake, Nevada. Injuries suffered by McKay in the X-15 crash and subsequent permanent pain were a major factor in his premature death. He also suffered from diabetes and turned to alcohol to numb the pain of his accident injuries. Liver disease was a contributing factor to his death. In 1996, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor, and in 2005 he was posthumously awarded Astronaut Wings.
American Astronaut. During World War II, he served as a US Navy pilot in the Pacific Theater, earning the Air Medal with two Clusters and a Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, he joined Edwards Air Force Base, California in 1951, as a D-558 and X-1 test pilot. As a project pilot, he flew on the F-100, F-102, F-104 and F-107 test programs before being assigned as the third NASA X-15 pilot in October 1961. He made 29 X-15 flights, reaching an altitude of 90 km and obtaining astronaut wings, before being seriously injured in the November 1962 X-15, crash on Mud Lake, Nevada. Injuries suffered by McKay in the X-15 crash and subsequent permanent pain were a major factor in his premature death. He also suffered from diabetes and turned to alcohol to numb the pain of his accident injuries. Liver disease was a contributing factor to his death. In 1996, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor, and in 2005 he was posthumously awarded Astronaut Wings.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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