PLANT 42 MAY BE NAMED FOR KNIGHT.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich wants to honor late state Sen. W.J. ``Pete'' Knight by having Air Force Plant 42 named after him. Antonovich has sent letters to President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Air Force Secretary James Roche, and Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, suggesting the name change. ``Senator Knight excelled as an astronaut, a war hero, a community leader and a state legislator,'' Antonovich said. ``He leaves a legacy of patriotism, public service and defense of families. Renaming Plant 42 in his name is a worthy tribute to an American patriot who served his nation and dedicated his life to serving our Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley community.'' Knight died May 7, three weeks after he was diagnosed with leukemia. His funeral service funeral service n → misa de cuerpo presente funeral service n → service m funèbre funeral service funeral n drew hundreds of admirers, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, moon walker Buzz Aldrin, and Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier. Air Force officials said they could not immediately comment on the proposal. Renaming Plant 42 would have to be approved by the installation's parent command, Air Force Materiel Command  Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command of the United States Air Force. , and by the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. Air Force naming criteria starts with national military heroes, defined as those whose gallantry and heroism was above and beyond the call of duty, such as Medal of Honor recipients Knight has been honored once before with Antelope Valley Union High School District The Antelope Valley Union High School District (A.V.U.H.S.D.) is located in the Antelope Valley area of California, in northern Los Angeles County. The district includes eight public high schools, one trade school, and two continuation high schools in the cities of Palmdale naming its new east Palmdale high school div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 2em; width: 20em; text-align: right; font-size: 0.86em; font-family: lucida grande, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> '''Palmdale High School after him. Knight had a distinguished 32-year Air Force career as both a test pilot and as a fighter pilot. Knight logged more than 6,000 hours of flying time in more than 100 types of aircraft. He earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses in Vietnam. At Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. in 1967, Knight set a speed record of 4,520 mph in an X-15 rocket plane. Knight was one of eight X-15 pilots to earn astronaut wings by flying the aircraft higher than 280,000 feet, considered the edge of space. Following his military career, Knight entered politics, serving as Palmdale's mayor in the late 1980s and later representing the Antelope Valley in the legislature, first as an assemblyman and then later as a senator. Knight was in the final year of his last term as senator when he died. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color -- in AV edition only; ran in AV and SAC edition only) KNIGHT |
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