NASA X-59 Pilot Receives Top Test Pilot Award
NASA test pilot Nils Larson recently received a top honor from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for making the first flight of NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft and helping to make its first flight in 2025. Larson received the society’s Iven C. Kincheloe Award for leading the X‑59 through its first flight and safely expanding the flight envelope to […] The post NASA X-59 Pilot Receives…
NASA test pilot Nils Larson has been awarded the prestigious Iven C. Kincheloe Award by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. This honor comes from his pivotal role in the first flight of NASA's quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft, which took place in 2025. Larson's significant contributions also extend to helping shape the research and simulations that informed the X-59's development.
The Society's award is particularly noteworthy, as it marks the first time a NASA test flight project has received this recognition in 44 years. Larson's expertise has been integral to the ongoing NASA efforts to test the X-59 at various altitudes, speeds, and conditions. He has alternated piloting duties with Jim "Clue" Less, advancing NASA's objective of enabling commercial quiet supersonic flight over land.
Larson received the award on September 26. For more information about the Quesst mission, visit NASA's official site.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
