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
Otis Dale Shaw was born in Bostwick, Nebraska and raised in rural Idaho and northeastern Washington. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force from the Washington State University ROTC program in 1951. After completing flight training at Williams AFB, he went on to fly the F-86F, F-84F, and F-100. Before retiring from his 20-year military career in 1972, he was assigned to the faculty of Air Command and Staff College and positions in Defense contracting and procurement.
Dale’s passions included golf, woodworking, building things, and flying. One of his greatest accomplishments was the construction of his own experimental plane, dubbed “Looper”, painted in Order of Daedalians green and gold.
Dale was a proud member of the Order of Daedalians, holding positions as Flight Captain, Assistant Adjunct, Trustee and Secretary of the Daedalian Foundation, National Secretary and Director, and a member of the Board of Directors.
But for all his other interests, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. No plea for help went unanswered, no broken-down car unaided, no hand-sketched furniture design unfulfilled.
