The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey [Paperback]

Donald L. Mallick (Author), Peter W. Merlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2005

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: University Press of the Pacific (January 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410219054
• ISBN-13: 978-1410219053
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, June 11, 2005

By 

Lloyd F. Kautz (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey (Hardcover)

I was disappointed in the book. I expected it to be an exciting documentation of the things that go right and things that go wrong during flight testing, along with detailed "ride in the right seat" descriptions of how he came through the tense moments. Instead it seemed like it was mostly a litany of people he worked with and the designations of plane that they had experience flying. Even the tense moments that were documented failed to evoke emotion in me. They were mostly fairly sterile descriptions of what happened - which is certainly best for the scientific test flight reports, but adds nothing to the desire of the reader to "be there." It is probably this trait that made Mr. Mallick an exceptional test pilot, but, unfortunately, not an exciting author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aircraft of the Odyssey flown., October 5, 2009

By 

AVBookCollector "Just an Aviation Book Collector" (Rochester, MN USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot's Odyssey (Paperback)

Donald Mallick has some very good assessments and descriptions of aircraft he flew during his time in the early 1950's Navy, and then with NACA/NASA, first at Langley, and then at Edwards. Some of those types that he gives more than a passing mention are: Navy SNJ Texan, F6F Hellcat, TO-1(navy's version of the f-80), F2H Banshee, F9F-6 Cougar, JRF Goose, F8U-3 Super Crusader, XB-70 Valkyrie, YF-12/SR-71 Blackbird, and the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle(LLRV).

Here are some excellent descriptive experiences of what it was like to fly some very famous, and not so famous, rare experimental aircraft that there are few descriptions else where. And what it was like to work with many other test pilot personalities and programs, like Joe Walker, Fitz Fulton, and the X-15 program.