On This Day in History / October 24, 2024 1968: William Dana flew X-15 No.1 from Edwards AFB and reached 255,000 feet and 3,682 MPH (Mach 5.38) in the program’s 199th and final flight.William Harvey Dana (November 3, 1930 – May 6, 2014) was an American aeronautical engineer, US Air Force pilot, NASA test pilot, and astronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. He was also selected for participation in the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.