If you grew up in the 70s, you probably know Colonel Steve Austin. He was an astronaut and test pilot who became the world’s first bionic man after a horrific plane crash. Steve Austin was fictional, but that plane crash was real…and so was the pilot–his name was Bruce Peterson.
Bruce Peterson was a renowned test pilot who made significant contributions to the aviation and aerospace industry. One of his notable achievements was his involvement in developing and testing the M2-F2 lifting body aircraft.
The N2-F2 aircraft was a prototype design for a space shuttle developed in the 1960s. It was a hybrid aircraft that combined features of both airplanes and rockets. The M2-F2 aircraft was designed to fly back to Earth after a space mission, re-enter the atmosphere, and land like a conventional airplane.
Peterson was one of the test pilots who flew the M2-F2 aircraft during its development and testing phase. In May 1967, Peterson experienced a serious crash in the M2-F2 that nearly cost him his life. During a test flight, the aircraft encountered turbulence, which caused it to roll over and dive into the ground.
Peterson’s crash inspired author Martin Caiden to write the book, “Cyborg,” about a test pilot, Colonel Steve Austin, who lost both his legs, an arm, and an eye in a plane crash. The book was made into a TV movie and subsequent series, “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
NOTES:
The Beginning of The Real “Six Million Dollar Man”: The M2-F2 Crash.
Cyborg by Martin Caiden
The Six Million Dollar Man at IMDB
Great episode! I can’t believe you went through the whole thing without mentioning the name Lee Majors.
I wanted to apologize to you guys because my daughter is one of those obnoxious Prius drivers you talked about. I tried to raise her right but what can I say? Just give her the finger right back when she passes you on the road and that’ll give her something to stew about for a couple of hours. Great episode as usual and keep em coming.
Thanks for this one guys! Sure brings back a lot of memories of slow motion fights with my friends and saving the world with my six million dollar man action figures.