Air Force Museum of Alberta

95 Robert White

Robert White

"His record can be matched only by those airmen of high endeavour and professional calling who have devoted their lives and skills to the benefit of the free world, and whose contributions have substantially benefited Canadian aviation.”

Robert White

"His record can be matched only by those airmen of high endeavour and professional calling who have devoted their lives and skills to the benefit of the free world, and whose contributions have substantially benefited Canadian aviation.”

Robert White

Robert Allan “Bud” White grew up in Kirkland Lake and learned to fly on float planes at 16. He attended Upper Canada College; entered Royal Military College in 1948; and received his Mechanical Engineering degree from University of Toronto. He flew Sabres with 427 (F) Sqn. in Zweibrucken, Germany during the Cold War, and trained as an Engineering Test Pilot at Farnborough, UK. In 1962 he was ‘loaned’ to the USAF/NASA Mercury & Gemini Launch Vehicle Program offices, where he was involved in the last 2 Mercury & first 4 Gemini space launches from Cape Canaveral.

In 1967, as Senior Test Pilot of AETE, he led the unsuccessful Canadian assault on the Russian-held World Altitude Record. The “Centennial Team” flew 42 flights on 25 ‘zooms’ – 12 of which were above 96,000 feet – to set a new FAI Canadian National altitude record of 100,110 feet.

Born: 11 Dec 1928, Sudbury, ON
Awards: OMM, QSJM, CD

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