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

264 Pages·2004·3.91 MB·English

by  Donald Mallick

The Smell
Kerosene
of
A Test Pilot’s Odyssey
NASA SP 4108 By Donald L. Mallick
with Peter W. Merlin
The Smell of Kerosene
A Test Pilot’s Odyssey
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.
Wings of Gold
The Smell
Kerosene:
of
A Test Pilot’s Odyssey
i
Wings of Gold
NASA SP 4108
The Smell
Kerosene:
of
A Test Pilot’s Odyssey
By Donald L. Mallick
with Peter W. Merlin
The NASA History Series
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA History Office
Washington, D.C. 20546 2003
iii
Smell of Kerosene
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mallick, Donald L., 1930-
The smell of kerosene: a test pilot’s odyssey/by Donald L. Mallick with Peter W.
Merlin.
p. cm. — (The NASA history series) (NASA-SP 2003-4108)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Mallick, Donald L., 1930- 2. Test pilots—United States—Biography. I. Merlin,
Peter W., 1964- II. Title. III. Series. IV. NASA SP 4108
TL540.M333A3 2003
629.134’53’092—dc22
[B] 2003060745
iv
Wings of Gold
Dedication
For my brother, Robert “Bob” Mallick, who taught me how to swim and whose
Army Air Corps Service in World War II inspired my career in aeronautics.
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Wings of Gold
Contents
Prologue: Mach 3+........................................................................................ix

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................xi

Chapter 1: Wings of Gold ..............................................................................2

Chapter 2: Naval Air Operations..................................................................20
Chapter 3: NACA and NASA – Langley, Virginia ......................................43

Chapter 4: Jet Research at Langley..............................................................58
Chapter 5: Super Crusader ...........................................................................79

Chapter 6: High Desert Flight Research - Edwards, California ..................97

Chapter 7: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times...................................122
Chapter 8: Flying the Heavies....................................................................146
Chapter 9: Triple-sonic Blackbird..............................................................168
Chapter 10: A Time of Transition...............................................................200
Chapter 11: Shifting Gears.........................................................................221

Epilogue......................................................................................................232
Glossary......................................................................................................233
Appendix A: U.S. Navy Aircraft Flown (1950-1963)................................238
Appendix B: Flight Research Programs At Langley (1957-1963) ............239

Appendix C: Aircraft Flown While At DFRC (1963-1987) ......................240

Appendix D: Published Technical Papers..................................................242

Index...........................................................................................................244

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Wings of Gold
Prologue
Mach 3+
Outside the cockpit, the hush of the morning is shattered. It sounds like a
cross between a chainsaw and someone battering a manhole-cover with a
jackhammer. I’m glad that I’m inside the cockpit, like a titanium cocoon with
quartz glass windows. My pressure suit helmet muffles the clatter of the “start
cart” and allows me to hear the gentle hiss of oxygen.
I continue to run through the pre-start checklist with my backseater. The
crew chief signals that the starting unit is connected. As I ignite the left engine,
observers behind the aircraft see a bright green flash illuminate the exhaust
duct. The engine roars to life. I repeat the procedure for the right engine. The
roar outside must be deafening. I can see that the ground crew is wearing ear
protectors, but a few are also holding their hands tightly to the sides of their
heads.
I finish my checklist and verify that the flight controls are functioning
properly. We have been in the cockpit now for nearly three-quarters of an
hour. I release the brakes and ease the throttle forward. The sleek jet rolls onto
the taxiway, its black skin soaking up the sunlight. I imagine that it looks like
a sinister shadow slipping toward the runway.
I line up for takeoff squarely on runway centerline, with nearly three miles
of concrete in front of me. As I push the throttles forward, the afterburners
ignite almost simultaneously. I advance the throttles to maximum and the
engines pour blue fire out through the exhaust ejectors. The Blackbird eats
up runway as I let the speed build. At 210 knots indicated airspeed, I pull
back gently on the stick and separate the Blackbird and myself from Mother
Earth.
Climbing through 10,000 feet, I accelerate to about 400 knots. The pale
blue sky rapidly darkens as I climb through 20,000 feet at nearly the speed of
sound. At about 34,000 feet, I push the nose over gently, controlling my angle
of attack during transition through a critical, high-drag region of the flight
envelope. Having established a constant velocity of 450 knots (about Mach
1.2 at this altitude), I begin a climb to cruise altitude.
Racing toward 70,000 feet, I notice the curvature of the Earth, rimmed in
azure. My part of the sky is so dark now that it is almost black. Desert and
mountains stretch out below. I can see the city of Las Vegas, the Colorado
River, and myriad dry lakebeds dotting the landscape. Soon, having reached
cruise altitude I watch my airspeed indicator pass Mach 3.0 (more than 2,000
miles per hour).
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Smell of Kerosene
The air outside is freezing cold, but its friction heats the surface of my
airplane to more than 400˚F. Insulation and the air conditioning system keep
the cockpit a comfortable 60˚F, and I am further protected by my bulky pressure
suit.
There is no more time for sightseeing. I turn north, toward the Canadian
border. In a few minutes, I will begin to work my test points and gather data.
Glancing once more out the window, I feel a sense of wonder. How does a
small town Pennsylvania boy like me now find myself flying near the edge of
space?
x
Wings of Gold
Acknowledgements
My deepest thanks to Michael Gorn, chief historian at NASA Dryden Flight
Research Center, for his support and encouragement. Dryden X-Press editor
Jay Levine outdid himself in designing the page layout of this book. Thanks to
the Dryden Photo Office for providing some of the outstanding pictures used
to illustrate the story. Special thanks to Brian Nicklas of the National Air and
Space Museum archives for supplying hard to find historic images of NACA
airplanes at Langley Research Center. Christian Gelzer, Betty Love, Sarah
Merlin, and Curtis Peebles were kind enough to proofread the text. Steve
Lighthill helped shepherd the book through the publishing process.
xi