Scott Poteet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scott Poteet
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Poteet in 2010
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| Born | December 7, 1973 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education |
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| Military career | |
| Nickname(s) | "Kidd" |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1998–2016 |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Combat operations |
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| Space career | |
| Commercial astronaut | |
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Time in space
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4 days, 22 hours, 13 minutes |
| Missions | Polaris Dawn |
Scott "Kidd" Poteet (born December 7, 1973) is an American pilot who used to fly for the United States Air Force. He is well-known for being the pilot of the Polaris Dawn space mission in 2024. This mission was a private space trip organized by SpaceX for Jared Isaacman.
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Early Life and Education
Scott Poteet was born on December 7, 1973. He studied Outdoor education at the University of New Hampshire, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. Later, he went to the Air Command and Staff College. He also earned a master's degree in counseling and leadership. This degree was from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The program was run with the Air Force Academy.
Military and Aviation Career
Scott Poteet served in the United States Air Force for 18 years. He became a lieutenant colonel before he retired. During his time in the Air Force, he had many important jobs.
Flying for the Air Force
Poteet was a pilot in the famous USAF Thunderbirds team. He also led the 64th Aggressor Squadron. This squadron helps train other pilots by acting as enemy planes. He worked as a test pilot, trying out new aircraft. He also became a commercial pilot.
Poteet has flown many different types of planes. He has over 3,200 hours flying aircraft like the F-16 and the A-4. He also flew the T-38, T-37, T-3, and Alpha Jet. He spent over 400 hours flying in combat missions. These missions included Northern Watch and Southern Watch. He also flew in Joint Guardian, Freedom's Sentinel, and Resolute Support.
Working in Space Missions
After leaving the Air Force, Poteet worked in business. From 2016 to 2020, he was a director at Draken International. Then, from 2020 to 2022, he was a vice president at Shift4. The CEO of Shift4 was Jared Isaacman.
While at Shift4, Poteet helped with the Inspiration4 mission. This was the first space mission where all the crew members were civilians. He trained and then became the mission director for this historic flight.
In 2022, Scott Poteet was chosen for the Polaris Dawn mission. He was the spacecraft pilot for this flight, which happened in September 2024. During the mission, he was the backup pilot for Jared Isaacman. Isaacman successfully completed the first commercial spacewalk on this mission.
Personal Life and Hobbies
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Scott Poteet is married to Kristen, and they have two daughters and one son. He enjoys running and is a dedicated triathlete. A triathlete competes in three sports: swimming, cycling, and running.
He has completed 15 Ironman triathlon races since 2000. These races are very challenging. He has also competed in four Ironman World Championships. These championships take place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Media Appearances
Scott Poteet appeared in a docuseries in 2021. The show was called Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space. In the series, he was shown as a mission director.
See also
- Polaris program
