The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey (NASA SP)

The Smell of Kerosene tells the dramatic story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 types of aircraft. Donald Mallick gives the reader fascinating first- hand descriptions of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA and its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Mallick joined the NACA as a research pilot at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory at Hampton, Virginia, where he flew modified helicopters and jets, and witnessed the NACA’s evolution into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After transferring to the NASA Flight Research Center (now NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards, California, he became involved with projects that further pushed the boundaries of aerospace technology. These included the giant delta-winged XB-70 supersonic research airplane, the wingless M2-F1 lifting body vehicle, and the triple-sonic YF-12 Blackbird. Mallick also test flew the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) and helped develop techniques used in training astronauts to land on the Moon. This book puts the reader in the pilot’s seat for a "day at the office" unlike any other. Donald L. Mallick joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics as a research pilot in 1957. He retired in 1987 as Deputy Chief of the Aircraft Operations Division at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. During his distinguished career, Mallick logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 different types of aircraft. He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Peter W. Merlin has worked as an archivist in the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center History Office since June 1997. He has published Mach 3+: NASA/USAF YF-12 Flight Research, 1969-1979 (NASA SP-2001-4525) as well as many articles on aerospace history. A Test Pilot's Odyssey The Smell of Kerosene Front Cover 1 Inside Front Cover 2 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 7 Prologue 8 Acknowledgements 10 Chapter 1: Wings of Gold 12 Roots - Western Pennsylvania 12 Penn State 14 Joining the Navy 15 Pensacola - Navy Basic Training 16 Naval Flight Training 18 Solo 20 Stage CQ, Carrier Qualification 21 Advanced Flight Training 23 Advanced Carrier Qualification 26 Instrument Training 26 Chapter 2: Naval Air Operations 30 Fleet Operations 30 Navy Jacksonville, VF-172 30 Flying the Banshee 31 First North Atlantic Cruise (September 1952 33 Night Carrier Qualification 38 World Cruise (September 1952 - April 1954 39 Close Call 42 Combat Practice 43 Back to the Med 44 Southeast Asia 46 Heading Home, April 1954 48 Florida on the G.I. Bill 48 Naval Reserve 49 Flying the Cougar 50 Looking for Work 51 Chapter 3: NACA and NASA - Langley, Virginia 53 Research and Support Flying 53 Helicopters and VSTOL 62 Chapter 4: Jet Research at Langley 68 NASA Langley Jet Operations 68 Simulation 69 Other Interesting Jet Programs at Langley 75 Langley Joins the Space Race 80 Langley Support and Test Flying 82 Chapter 5: Super Crusader 89 New Opportunities 89 Flying Qualities of the F8U-3 91 Langley Flight Research Gains New Focus 101 Flying the Skyhawk 104 Chapter 6: High Desert Flight Research - Edwards, California 107 Origins of the NASA Flight Research Center 107 NASA Edwards Flight Operations 109 Moving West 112 Variable Stability F-100 Super Sabre 115 F-104 Starflighter 118 Probing the Edge of Space 119 Lifting Body, Paresev, and Test Pilot School 124 General Aviation Research 129 Chapter 7: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times 132 Introducing the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle 132 Flying with the Boss 136 XB-70 Midair Collision, June 1966 142 XB-70 Accident Investigation 146 Aftermath 153 Chapter 8: Flying the Heavies 156 Safety First 156 Learning New Skills 156 Flying the XB-70 160 On Fire!!! 166 End of the Program 168 Other Test Programs (1965-1970) 169 Chasing the Northern Lights in a Convair 990 172 Chapter 9: Triple-Sonic Blackbird 178 High Speed Flight Research 178 Blackbird Design 182 Checkout 184 YF-12 Flight Operations 185 Unstarts 192 Aerial Refueling 194 Loss of a Blackbird 196 Research Programs 198 Propulsion Test in the YF-12C 199 Blackbird Coldwall Experiment 203 A Few Add-on Tests Along the Way 207 Other Areas of Investigation 208 Chapter 10: A Time of Transition 210 The End of an Era 210 Paying the Toll 211 Northrop YF-17 212 B-52 Mothership 214 B-57 Atmospheric Studies 218 Lockheed JetStar 221 Other NASA Pilots 226 Chapter 11: Shifting Gears 231 Another High Flyer 231 Changes 232 Controlled Impact Demonstration 237 Challenger 239 Final Thoughts 239 A Final Whiff of Kerosene 240 Epilogue 242 Glossary 243 Appendices 247 Appendix A 248 Appendix B 249 Appendix C 250 Appendix D 252 Index 254 About the Authors 263 Back Cover 264 Test Pilot,Mallick,NASA,NACA,research pilot,XB-70,M2-F1,YF-12,Blackbird,supersonic,wingless,delta-winged,LLRV,Lunar Landing Research Vehicle Tells the story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more then 125 types of aircraft. Gives the reader fascinating first-hand descriptions of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA and its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).