I was scanning an aviation newsgroup and ran across some really nice posts about that guy. He was really well-liked by so many people... one comment was from a parent whose child attended an elementary school that was, as best I remember, named after Crossfield, and apparently he was quite involved with the school and the kids. Others knew him casually from fly-ins and stuff, and he was apparently one hell of a nice guy. That generation of aviators were like a whole separate breed, and we lose a lot every time one of them leaves us behind.
Of course, USAF General Chuck Yeager had to use the opportunity to get in a few posthumous jabs at the civilian Crossfield:
If you've not read Yeager's autobiography, check it out, it's a pleasant read. Some crazy stories, some quite funny. While some of his ideas don't match my own, I have real respect for the aviators of that era. I learned a few things from some of them myself.
Haven't read that one yet, but it's on my list. Just finished Armstrong's biography, and started "Riding Rockets" by Mike Mullane...
The NTSB has just released the preliminary accident report: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=CHI06MA115&rpt=p
