10 June 1969: The U.S. Air Force donated the first North American Aviation X-15, serial number 56-6670, to the Smithsonian Institution for display at the National Air and Space Museum. The first of three X-15A hypersonic research rocketplanes built by North American for the Air Force and the National Advisory Committee (NACA, the predecessor of NASA), 56-6670 made the first glide flight and
Mike Hyde entered the class of 1960 at the Air Force Academy immediately after high school. While there, he was an energetic prankster who also played baseball as a pitcher. He achieved his ambition of being a fighter pilot after graduation.
Mike went through pilot training at Laredo and Bainbridge and then went on to flying the F-100. His first assignment was to the 48th TFW at Lakenheath RAF Station from 1962 to 1966 where he sat on Victor Alert and later went on to Wing Tac Eval. He was sent to Vietnam in September 1966 where he flew with the 510th TFS, “The Buzzards of Bien Hoa”.
On 8 December 1966, his F-100 was hit by ground fire as he made a second pass on a Viet Cong position at Kien Hoa, South Vietnam. He was declared missing in action. In September 1990 his remains returned to the United States and he was buried at the Air Force Academy Cemetery.
Michael has a military marker in his memory at USAF Academy, CO.
