 On June 8, 1966, Alvin White, chief test pilot for North American Aviation and a 1935 graduate of Placer High School, survived a catastrophic mid-air collision that claimed the lives of two fellow pilots. White was at the controls of the XB-70 Valkyrie, a supersonic experimental bomber, flying in formation with four other aircraft during a photo shoot over the Mojave Desert. Among them was an F-104 Starfighter piloted by famed test pilot Joseph Walker.
According to Time Magazine’s June 17, 1966, article, “Aviation: The Fall of the Valkyrie”:
“For half an hour the formation held tight for the clicking of shutters. Then, in an unobserved second, Walker’s Starfighter evidently plowed into the right side of the Valkyrie’s delta wing, rolled leftward across its top, damaging the B-70’s tall, right vertical stabilizer and snapping off the left one.”
The collision caused the Valkyrie to spin uncontrollably. White, battling intense g forces, managed to eject in his escape capsule. His co-pilot, Carl Cross – a Vietnam veteran on his first Valkyrie flight – was unable to escape and died when the craft crashed into the desert. Walker also perished when his F-104 exploded following the impact.
White’s survival marked just one chapter in a distinguished aviation career. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and flew bomber escort missions in a P-51 Mustang over Europe. After the war, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and began a test pilot career with the U.S. Air Force and North American Aviation. Over the years, he piloted the F-86 Sabre, the F-100 Super Sabre and the X-15 before being selected as the XB-70’s chief test pilot in 1961.
White passed away in 2006 in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 87.
Photo: Alvin White, c. 1958
 Whether it’s representing your community or sharing your expertise on topics like agriculture or parks, there are always opportunities for you to help advise county leaders on the issues that matter to you most. Recruitment is open now to fill seats on the following committees or commissions, among others. Learn more and apply
Current recruitments include:
 Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...
Roseville: Food Truck Mania, Johnson Pool Grand Reopening
Lincoln: 4th Annual Rock N Roll Extravaganza, FOLL Big Book Sale, Grammar Club, Family Storytime
Loomis: Preschool Storytime, Genealogy Study Group, Camp Read S'More: Summer Reading Kickoff Party, Preschool Sensory Stations, Loomis Basin Historical Society
Auburn: Downtown Auburn Co-Op, Dogface Butterfly Tour, Swim Nights & Free Movies, Cruise Nite, Living History at Marshall Gold Discovery SHP, Celebrating 110 years, Concert in the Park - Beaucoup Chapeaux, June After Hours Mixer, Summer Co-Op - Downtown Auburn
Colfax: Colfax Farmers Market, Food Train Event
North Lake Tahoe: Concerts at Commons Beach: Broken Compass Bluegrass, Tahoe City Art by the Lake 2025, A Day of Healing Arts Festival at Tahoe Flow Arts & Fitness, Concerts at Commons Beach, Tahoe City, Washoe Cultural Talk
...and many Placer County Library and Placer County Museum events.
Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!
Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail
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