Captain Iven Carl Kinch Kincheloe

 As a young ROTC cadet in 1948, Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. got to meet test pilot Chuck Yeager and even sat in the cockpit of the Bell X-1. This inspired the young cadet to reach for higher...

July 26, 1958, Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr.  flew F-80s on thirty combat missions and F-86s on 101 combat missions, downing five MiG-15s, becoming an Ace, and earning himself the Silver Star.

After the war, "Kinch" became a test pilot, and flew the F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, and F-106 Delta Dart, the Bell X-2 and became the absolute altitude world record holder of 126,200 feet in 1956.

On September 7, 1956, rocketing skyward at more than 2000 miles per hour in the Bell X-2, "Kinch" flew a suborbital flight above most of our atmosphere, and the first flight ever above 100,000 feet. Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr. became known as "The First Spaceman"

Sadly, in July 1958, Kincheloe was killed in the crash of an F-104A Lockheed F-104A-10-LO during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. During an ejection at low altitude, the downwards catapulted ejection seat of the F-104 did not allow enough time for the deployed parachute to slow his descent. "Kinch" Korean War ace, and “America’s No.1 Spaceman” flew west at only thirty years of age.

Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr. was survived by his wife, Dorothy, their young son, and a daughter who was born only two months later...

There is little question that had "kinch" not been killed during that Starfighter flight, he would have been selected for the space program, and a member of the famed Mercury 7 astronauts.

Iven Carl "Kinch" Kincheloe Jr.(July 2, 1928 – July 26, 1958)

Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation with bronze oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal with three bronze campaign stars
Air Force Longevity Service Award with bronze oak leaf cluster
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Korea Medal
Korean War Service Medal

Kincheloe, Iven C.

Captain U.S. Air Force

25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force

Date of Action: April 1, 1952

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Iven Carl Kincheloe, United States Air Force, for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United Nations as Pilot of an F-86 Fighter Plane in the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Group, Fifth Air Force, on 1 April 1952. While leading a flight of four F-86 type aircraft, Captain Kincheloe encountered sixteen enemy aircraft attempting to intercept friendly fighter-bombers, Captain Kincheloe quickly broke his flight into elements to engage the enemy, and boldly attacked although greatly outnumbered. He pressed attacks against two of the enemy, completely disregarding efforts of other aircraft to deter him. Displaying unusual aggressiveness, Captain Kincheloe severely damaged the aircraft of the enemy flight leader, forcing him to eject himself, and despite heavy damage to his own aircraft, attacked another and destroyed it completely. Captain Kincheloe's destruction of the two aircraft effectively broke up the enemy force and prevented their attack on the friendly fighter-bombers. Through his personal courage, outstanding airmanship, and devotion to duty, Captain Kincheloe reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.