Biography.guide
Home › People › Astronaut › Scott Poteet
Portrait of Scott Poteet

Scott Poteet

b. 1973

American retired Air Force fighter pilot, former vice president at Shift4, and future private astronaut

Astronaut Fighter pilot
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Scott Poteet

Born 1973. Scott Poteet is an American astronaut and fighter pilot.

Scott "Kidd" Poteet (born December 7, 1973) is an American retired pilot from the United States Air Force. He was the pilot of the Polaris Dawn mission in 2024, a privately funded human spaceflight operated by SpaceX for Jared Isaacman. Poteet lives in Stratham, NH.

Early life He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Outdoor education at the University of New Hampshire, and later attended the Air Command and Staff College, and earned a Master's degree in counseling and leadership from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in a program jointly operated with the Air Force Academy.

Career

Poteet is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel who served for 18 years in a variety of roles, including commanding officer of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, pilot in the USAF Thunderbirds (Position 4), test and evaluation pilot, and commercial pilot. Poteet has over 3,200 flight hours on the F-16, A-4, T-38, T-37, T-3 and Alpha Jet. He logged over 400 combat hours during Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Joint Guardian, Freedom's Sentinel, and Resolute Support.

In 2022, Poteet was selected to serve as the spacecraft pilot of the Polaris Dawn mission, which flew in September 2024. During the flight, Poteet was the backup to Isaacman, the mission commander, who successfully completed the first commercial spacewalk.

Personal life

Poteet and his wife Kristen have two daughters and one son. He is a runner and triathlete, competing in 15 Ironman triathlons since 2000, including four Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Media coverage He appears as a mission director in the 2021 docuseries Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Oyster River High School, University of New Hampshire, Air Force Weapons School, Air Command and Staff College
Employers
United States Air Force, Draken International, Shift4 Payments, Inspiration4
Also known as
Kidd Poteet

People in Scott Poteet's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Scott Poteet's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Scott Poteet?

American retired Air Force fighter pilot, former vice president at Shift4, and future private astronaut

When was Scott Poteet born?

Scott Poteet was born on 7 December 1973 in Crawford.

What is Scott Poteet's occupation?

Scott Poteet is an astronaut and fighter pilot.

What nationality is Scott Poteet?

Scott Poteet is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Scott Poteet

· Wikidata: Q110916469

· DBpedia: Scott Poteet

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Scott Poteet. https://biography.guide/scott-poteet/

MLA: "Scott Poteet." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/scott-poteet/.

Chicago: "Scott Poteet." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/scott-poteet/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-26 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:14 UTC