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Peter W. Merlin is an aerospace historian who has been researching the history of Area 51 since 1984 and has written several articles on the subject. He has also appeared on such television programs as Inside Area 51, UFOs: Down To Earth, Return to Area 51, Mystery Hunters, and Atomic Journeys. As a freelance writer Merlin has published numerous articles in a variety of periodicals, covering subjects from aerospace history to nuclear weapons accidents. He is the author of Mach 3+: NASA/USAF YF-12 Flight Research, 1969-1979 (NASA SP-2001-4525) and co-author of Donald L. Mallick's autobiography The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey (NASA SP-2003-4108).
As a founding member of the X-Hunters Aerospace Archeology Team, he also specializes in recovering historic aircraft artifacts from crash sites in the southwestern United States, especially from the areas surrounding Edwards Air Force Base, California, and Groom Lake, Nevada. He has visited over 100 aircraft wrecks including: X-1A, X-2, X-15, XP-80A, XB-51, XB-70, N-9M, YB-49, U-2, A-12, YF-12A, and SR-71.
Merlin was born in Hollywood, California. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Merlin is a member of the Flight Test Historical Foundation, Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, and the National Atomic Museum Foundation. He spends much of his time exploring the southwestern United States in search of ghost towns, mines, caves, prehistoric ruins and rock art, nuclear test sites, abandoned missile silos, fossils, and interesting natural features. He has also journeyed to the mountains of Baja California, Mexico, and the Tassili N'Ajjer plateau region of the central Sahara Desert in Algeria to photograph prehistoric cave paintings. Merlin occasionally lectures on aerospace history and prehistoric archeology.
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.
Fans of the Lockheed Blackbirds will not want to miss Chapter 9, a 32-page inside look at YF-12A and SR-71 flight operations from the pilot's seat.
Hardbound w/dust jacket, 252 pages, 70 B&W photos
Mach 3+ describes the first major NASA project involving the Blackbirds. Conducted with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) as a partner, the NASA-USAF YF-12 research program lasted 10 years, and produced a wealth of data on materials, structures, loads, heating, aerodynamics, and performance for high-speed aircraft.
More than two decades after the program ended, no comprehensive history of the joint program had been written. This monograph is an attempt to rectify that deficiency. Until recently, security restrictions prevented the release of some information relative to the YF-12. Since then, numerous documents have been declassified, and program participants are free to speak about previously restricted aspects of the project.
Unfortunately, some who contributed to the NASA/USAF YF-12 investigations have not outlived the blanket of security that covered their work. Those who have must reach back more than 20 years to retrieve anecdotes and historical details. In a sense, the oral history interviews in this monograph amount to a sort of salvage archeology into the fading memories of the remaining YF-12 participants.
Over the years, numerous books and articles have been written about the Blackbirds, but few give more than a brief description of the YF-12 and its role as a research aircraft. In this monograph, Merlin briefly describes the origins of the Blackbird family of aircraft and how NASA became involved with them. Each of the following chapters then describes a facet of the NASA/USAF YF-12 research program in detail.
This monograph would not have been possible without access to numerous technical reports (some recently declassified), briefings, and other source material from the NASA Dryden Historical Reference Collection, as well as the oral interviews that fleshed out the story and provided an insider's view of the project. The book is the 25th publication of the NASA Monographs in Aerospace History series. It is available from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.