author
A. Scott (Albert Scott) Crossfield
1921–2006
Known for pushing flight into new territory, this pioneering test pilot became the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound and helped shape the early X-15 program. His memoir brings together cockpit drama, engineering grit, and a lifelong fascination with what aircraft could do next.
1 Audiobook
Always another dawn : The story of a rocket test pilot
by A. Scott (Albert Scott) Crossfield
About the author
Born in Berkeley, California, in 1921, A. Scott Crossfield became one of the best-known American test pilots of the postwar era. After serving as a naval aviator and studying aeronautical engineering, he worked as a research pilot for NACA, the organization that later became NASA.
He is especially remembered for becoming the first pilot to fly at Mach 2 in 1953. Crossfield also played a central role in the North American X-15 program, serving as both a project pilot and one of the first men to fly the rocket-powered research aircraft that helped bridge the gap between aviation and spaceflight.
Later in life, he remained active in aerospace and aviation safety, and his autobiography, Always Another Dawn, reflects both the technical side of flight test work and the nerve it demanded. He died in 2006, but he remains a standout figure in the story of high-speed flight.