The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down.

If you want to grow old as a pilot, you've got to know when to push it, and when to back off.

The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down.

I have no regrets about my life. People ask, "If you had to do it all over again, would you do it differently?" No. That's speculation.

At 42,000' in approximately level flight, a third cylinder was turned on. Acceleration was rapid and speed increased to .98 Mach. The needle of the machmeter fluctuated at this reading momentarily, then passed off the scale. Assuming that the off-scale reading remained linear, it is estimated that 1.05 Mach was attained at this time.

There is no kind of ultimate goal to do something twice as good as anyone else can. It's just to do the job as best you can. If it turns out good, fine. If it doesn't, that's the way it goes.

Most pilots learn, when they pin on their wings and go out and get in a fighter, especially, that one thing you don't do, you don't believe anything anybody tells you about an airplane.