Brian Binnie, who was one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane that won the Ansari X Prize in 2004, passed away on September 15, 2022, at the age of 69. His family announced his death on Sunday, but did not reveal the cause of death. According to a GoFundMe page set up by his relatives, he died of cardiovascular heart failure.
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A Passion for Aerospace Engineering
Binnie was born on April 26, 1953, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where his father, William P. Binnie, was a physics professor at Purdue University. When he was five years old, his family moved back to Scotland, where his father taught at Aberdeen University and later at Stirling University. Binnie developed an interest in aerospace engineering and aviation from a young age. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Brown University, and another master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.
Binnie joined the United States Navy as a naval aviator in 1978, after being rejected by the United States Air Force. He flew various aircrafts, including the A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder, F/A-18 Hornet, and AV-8B Harrier II. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1988 and served for 21 years in the Navy, reaching the rank of commander.
After retiring from the Navy in 1999, Binnie joined Scaled Composites, an aerospace design company founded by Burt Rutan. He worked as a test pilot and program business manager for several projects, including the Rotary Rocket’s Atmospheric Test Vehicle and SpaceShipOne.
A Historic Flight into Space
On October 4, 2004, Binnie made history by piloting SpaceShipOne’s second flight to win the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million award for the first privately built spacecraft to make two flights into space within two weeks. SpaceShipOne was launched from a carrier aircraft called WhiteKnight at an altitude of about 50,000 feet. Binnie then ignited the rocket engine and accelerated to Mach 3.09, reaching a peak altitude of 367,442 feet (69.6 miles or 112 kilometers). He became the 436th person to go into space and broke the record for the highest altitude achieved by a winged aircraft, surpassing the previous record of 354,200 feet (67.1 miles or 107.9 kilometers) set by the X-15 rocket plane in 1963.
Binnie’s flight also earned him the second Astronaut Badge awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration for a flight aboard a privately operated commercial spacecraft. He also received several honors and awards for his achievement, including an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen in 2006.
A Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration
After winning the Ansari X Prize, Binnie continued to work for Scaled Composites until 2014, when he joined XCOR Aerospace as a senior engineer and test pilot. He also participated in various public events and media appearances to share his experience and passion for space exploration.
Binnie is survived by his wife, Bub, and their three children. He is remembered as a pioneer and a hero who pushed the boundaries of human flight and inspired generations of future explorers.
