Joseph F. Cotton: Difference between revisions

Colonel

Joseph F. Cotton
Colonel; Joseph F. Cotton
	Cotton in 2002
Birth name	Joseph Frederick Cotton
Nickname(s)	Joe
Born	January 22, 1922; Rushville, Indiana, U.S.
Died	May 5, 2016 (aged 94); Atherton, California, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army Air Forces; United States Air Force;
Years of service	1942–66 (24 years)
Rank	Colonel
Battles / wars	World War II; Cold War;
Awards	See below
Spouse(s)	Rema Nelson (1944–2016; his death) (3 children)
Other work	Flight instructor, Airline pilot

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Joseph Frederick Cotton (January 21, 1922 – May 5, 2016) was an American military test pilot.

Early life

Cotton was born in Rushville, Indiana, on January 21, 1922, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Cotton. Cotton was a graduate of Manilla High School where he was a member of the basketball team and a 4H club member. He lived in Rush County and helped his father with work on the family farm until he reached the age of 20.^[2]

Military service

In his first combat mission, in November 1943, the plane he was co-piloting crash-landed on the island of Corfu after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. After four months the crew members were able to escape with the help of Italian allies, and Mr. Cotton was sent back to the U.S. to recover from malaria and return to flight school^[3] to become a flight instructor.^[4]

He later attended the Empire Test Pilot School, and eventually was the chief test pilot for the Air Force. He was head of the B-58 Hustler and XB-70 test programs, and was flying in the ill-fated formation flight that resulted in the loss of XB-70 A/V2 on June 8, 1966.^[4] He retired from the Air Force in 1968 having been involved in aeronautical research for 22 of his 26 years. ^[5]

Awards and decorations

Badges, patches and tabs
	U.S. Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Personal decorations
	Legion of Merit
	Air Medal - for his actions during an emergency with the XB-70 when he extended the jammed nose gear by use of a legal-style paper clip.
	Air Force Commendation Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
	World War II Victory Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with star
	Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon

Other achievements

1966 - "Pilot of the Year"^[2]
1997 - Enshired on the Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, California
2016 - A bridge near his hometown is named in his honor,^[6] and was dedicated on July 4th, 2017.^[3]

Post-military career

Cotton was hired as an engineering flight test pilot for United after his military retirement. In total, he flew more than 16,000 flight hours in 80 different military bombers, fighters, transports, and civilian aircraft.^[5]

Cotton died on May 5, 2016, survived by his wife Rema, and three children.^[2]

References

^ Farbstein, Michael. "Atherton couple celebrates 70th anniversary". TheAlmanac. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gulker, Linda (14 May 2016). "Aviation pioneer Col. Joe F. Cotton "takes his last flight" at age 94". InMenlo. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b Wood, Barbara. "Hometown names bridge after longtime Atherton resident Joe Cotton". The Almanac.
^ ^a ^b "Afternoon with a Flight Test Legend". Check-Six.com.
^ ^a ^b "Joe Cotton" (PDF). Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association.
^ "House Resolution 3" (PDF). Indiana General Assembly. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

[1] Farbstein, Michael. "Atherton couple celebrates 70th anniversary". TheAlmanac. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

[obit-2] Gulker, Linda (14 May 2016). "Aviation pioneer Col. Joe F. Cotton "takes his last flight" at age 94". InMenlo. Retrieved 14 July 2017.

[Bridge-3] Wood, Barbara. "Hometown names bridge after longtime Atherton resident Joe Cotton". The Almanac.

[C6-4] "Afternoon with a Flight Test Legend". Check-Six.com.

[PMLAA-5] "Joe Cotton" (PDF). Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association.

[6] "House Resolution 3" (PDF). Indiana General Assembly. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American military test pilot}}
 {{Infobox military person
 |honorific_prefix= Colonel
-|image           =
+|image           = Joe_Cotton_at_the_B-47_Association_Reunion_in_2002.jpg
 |image_size      = 250
 |alt             =
-|caption         =
+|caption         = Cotton in 2002
 |birth_name      = Joseph Frederick Cotton
 |birth_date      = {{Birth date |1922|1|22}}
@@ Line 34: / Line 35: @@
 ==Early life==
-Cotton was born in [[Rushville, Indiana]] on Jan. 21, 1922, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Cotton. Cotton was a graduate of Manilla High School where he was a member of the basketball team and a 4H club member. He lived in Rush County and helped his father with work on the family farm until he reached the age of 20.<ref name=obit/>
+Cotton was born in [[Rushville, Indiana]], on January 21, 1922, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Cotton. Cotton was a graduate of Manilla High School where he was a member of the basketball team and a 4H club member. He lived in Rush County and helped his father with work on the family farm until he reached the age of 20.<ref name=obit/>
-==Military Service==
+==Military service==
-In his first combat mission, in November 1943, the plane he was co-piloting crash landed on the island of Corfu after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. After four months the crew members were able to escape with the help of Italian allies, and Mr. Cotton was sent back to the U.S. to recover from malaria and return to flight school<ref name="Bridge">{{cite web|last1=Wood|first1=Barbara|title=Hometown names bridge after longtime Atherton resident Joe Cotton|url=https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2017/07/13/hometown-names-bridge-after-longtime-atherton-resident-joe-cotton|website=The Almanac}}</ref> to become a flight instructor.<ref name="C6">{{cite web|title=Afternoon with a Flight Test Legend|url=http://www.check-six.com/lib/Cotton_interview.htm|website=Check-Six.com}}</ref>
+In his first combat mission, in November 1943, the plane he was co-piloting crash-landed on the island of Corfu after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. After four months the crew members were able to escape with the help of Italian allies, and Mr. Cotton was sent back to the U.S. to recover from malaria and return to flight school<ref name="Bridge">{{cite web|last1=Wood|first1=Barbara|title=Hometown names bridge after longtime Atherton resident Joe Cotton|url=https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2017/07/13/hometown-names-bridge-after-longtime-atherton-resident-joe-cotton|website=The Almanac}}</ref> to become a flight instructor.<ref name="C6">{{cite web|title=Afternoon with a Flight Test Legend|url=http://www.check-six.com/lib/Cotton_interview.htm|website=Check-Six.com}}</ref>
 He later attended the Empire Test Pilot School, and eventually was the chief test pilot for the Air Force. He was head of the B-58 Hustler and XB-70 test programs, and was flying in the ill-fated formation flight that resulted in [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie#Mid-air collision|the loss of XB-70 A/V2 on June 8, 1966]].<ref name="C6" /> He retired from the Air Force in 1968 having been involved in aeronautical research for 22 of his 26 years.
-<ref name="PMLAA">{{cite web|title=Joe Cotton|url=http://www.pmlaa.org/newsletters/2003-03.pdf|website=Pine  Mountain Lake Aviation Associatio}}</ref>
+<ref name="PMLAA">{{cite web|title=Joe Cotton|url=http://www.pmlaa.org/newsletters/2003-03.pdf|website=Pine Mountain Lake Aviation Association}}</ref>
-==Awards and Decorations==
+==Awards and decorations==
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 80: / Line 81: @@
 ===Other achievements===
 {{Plainlist |
-* 1966 - "Pilot of the Year"<ref name=obit>{{cite web|last1=Gulker|first1=Linda|url=http://inmenlo.com/2016/05/14/aviation-pioneer-col-joe-f-cotton-takes-his-last-flight-at-age-94/|publisher=InMenlo|date=14 May 2016|title=Aviation pioneer Col. Joe F. Cotton “takes his last flight” at age 94|accessdate=14 July 2017}}</ref>
+* 1966 - "Pilot of the Year"<ref name=obit>{{cite web|last1=Gulker|first1=Linda|url=http://inmenlo.com/2016/05/14/aviation-pioneer-col-joe-f-cotton-takes-his-last-flight-at-age-94/|publisher=InMenlo|date=14 May 2016|title=Aviation pioneer Col. Joe F. Cotton "takes his last flight" at age 94|accessdate=14 July 2017}}</ref>
 * 1997 - Enshired on the [[Aerospace Walk of Honor]] in [[Lancaster, California]]
 * 2016 - A bridge near his hometown is named in his honor,<ref>{{cite web|title=House Resolution 3|url=http://iga.in.gov/static-documents/6/1/2/f/612f9b6c/HC0033.02.COMH.pdf|website=Indiana General Assembly|accessdate=11 May 2016}}</ref> and was dedicated on July 4th, 2017.<ref name="Bridge" />
 }}
-==Post-military Career==
+==Post-military career==
-Cotton was hired as a engineering flight test pilot for United after his military retirement. In total, he flew more than 16,000 flight hours in 80 different military bombers, fighters, transports, and civilian aircraft.<ref name="PMLAA"/>
+Cotton was hired as an engineering flight test pilot for United after his military retirement. In total, he flew more than 16,000 flight hours in 80 different military bombers, fighters, transports, and civilian aircraft.<ref name="PMLAA"/>
-Cotton passed away on May 5, 2016, survived by his wife Rema, and three children.<ref name=obit/>
+Cotton died on May 5, 2016, survived by his wife Rema, and three children.<ref name=obit/>
 ==References==
@@ Line 98: / Line 99: @@
 [[Category:2016 deaths]]
 [[Category:People from Rushville, Indiana]]
-[[Category:People from Indiana in World War II]]
+[[Category:United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II]]
-[[Category:United States Army Air Forces pilots]]
 [[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
 [[Category:American test pilots]]
@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 [[Category:American aviation record holders]]
 [[Category:Cultural historians]]
-[[Category:Flight training]]
-[[Category:Flight instructors]]
 [[Category:Flight speed record holders]]
+[[Category:American flight instructors]]