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
PK Robinson – Misty 45
PK Robinson was born in 1939 in Galion, Ohio. He attended one year of college at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, before entering the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1958.
Robinson graduated and was commissioned a 2d Lt in the Air Force on June 6, 1962, and completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams AFB, Arizona, in August 1963. He next completed F-100 Super Sabre Combat Crew Training at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and was then assigned to the 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, where he served from August 1964 to October 1967.
He was sent to Southeast Asia in October 1967, where he flew F-100’s with the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Tuy Hoa AB in the Republic of Vietnam, followed by service as a Misty Fast-FAC out of Phu Cat AB, returning to the United States in October 1968. Robinson next completed the French Language Training Course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, in October 1969, followed by an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to the University of Paris, where he received a degree in International Relations in September 1971. Robinson next flew F-4 Phantom II fighters with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead AFB, Florida, from September 1971 to January 1972, when he deployed to Southeast Asia a second time. He served with the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, from January 1972 until he was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on July 1, 1972.
After spending 270 days in captivity, Maj Robinson was released during Operation Homecoming on March 28, 1973. After his release, Col Robinson served as a Weapons Systems Staff Officer for the Office of Legislative Liaison at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon until March 1977. He was then assigned as Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations and then Deputy Commander for Operations of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Bentwaters, England, where he flew F-4’s and later introduced the A-10 Thunderbolt II into Europe.
He served with the 81st TFW from March 1977 to June 1980, and then attended National War College at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., from June 1980 to June 1981. Col Robinson then served as Vice Commander of the 602nd Tactical Air Control Wing at Berstrom AFB, Texas, where he flew O-2 Milirole forward air control aircraft from June 1981 to March 1982. This was followed by an assignment as Commander of the 355th Tactical Training Wing, flying A-10’s at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona, from March 1982 to March 1984.
He then served as Deputy Director for Operations and Training in the Directorate of Operations at Headquarters USAF in the Pentagon from April 1984 to February 1985, followed by duty as the Deputy Director for Force Development in the Directorate of Plans and Programs from February 1985 to March 1986. Col Robinson’s final assignment was as Vice Commander of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis AFB, Nevada, where he served from March 1986 until his retirement from the Air Force on June 30, 1988. During the Vietnam War, Col Robinson flew 387 combat missions during two tours. PK Robinson went into the banking business after his retirement from the Air Force. He and his wife Reta have two children and four grandchildren. Col Robinson was Misty 45.
His 2nd Silver Star Citation reads:
Captain Paul K. Robinson, Jr., distinguished himself by gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as an F-100F Forward Air Controller over North Vietnam on 14 and 15 July 1968. On these dates, Captain Robinson participated in the rescue of an injured pilot who had ejected in one of the most heavily defended areas of the southern panhandle. He quickly acquired the exact locations of fourteen active antiaircraft artillery positions and through his skillful marking and target descriptions, all defending sites were either silenced or destroyed. Captain Robinson’s ability to predict requirements and to deal with the seemingly overwhelming hostile defenses transformed a hazardous rescue operation into a perfectly coordinated team effort which succeeded without a single injury or loss of aircraft. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Robinson has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
