“anxious moments but no engagements” Kaps journal, Oct. 29, 1951.
“keeps the planes from toppling over” Kaps journal, entry for Nov. 26, 1951.
“jettison armaments prior to returning” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 12.
“can’t remember ever having come back with any ordnance” WAM to author, p. 14.
On December 14. As Captain Austin E. Wheelock brought the Essex into the docks at Yokosuka after its third tour in the Sea of Japan, he ordered Operation Pinwheel, whereby, on signal from the bridge, all pilots of the ship’s propeller-driven Corsairs and Skyraiders (tied down on the port side of the flight deck, propellers facing outward) were to turn their engines to full power. The resulting pinwheel effect would help the harbor tugboats pivot the carrier into its berthing position. Most of the pilots resentfully called the order “Operation Pinhead.” Commander Paul N. Gray of VF-54 told his AD pilots to run the engines at no more than half power. To quell the anger of Captain Wheelock, CAG Marshall Beebe restricted VF-54 to the ship for four days while the other squadrons took liberty. Three days later, carrier division commander, Rear Admiral “Black Jack” Perry intervened on the pilots’ behalf, though too late to forestall damage to pilot morale or pilot regard for the CAG. Michener would memorialize the incident in his 1953 novel The Bridges at Toko-Ri. See also Paul N. Gray’s “The Bridges at Toko-Ri: The Real Story,” in Shipmate (July–Aug. 1997).
“sang Christmas carols” NAA: e-mail to author, Dec. 18, 2003.
“I couldn’t be home” Rickelton diary, Dec. 26, 1951.
“Who’s in a hurry?” Kaps journal, Dec. 27, 1951.
“HAPPY DAY!” Ibid., Jan. 4, 1952.
“good news tonight!!” Rickelton diary, Jan. 4, 1952.
“Rick shot down” Kaps journal, Jan. 6, 1952.
“our fighter pilot” J. Glenn Rickelton: e-mail to author, Dec. 1, 2003.
“come back one more time” WAM to author, p. 19.
“questioned everything” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 14.
“more intensity to combat” NAA to author, Aug. 13, 2002, p. 44.
“reality that you live with” Ibid., p. 40.
“stopped worrying about it” HAG: e-mail to author, Oct. 23, 2002.
“didn’t cut off the supplies” NAA to author, Aug. 13, 2002, p. 40.
“cleared out of those gun emplacements” HG to author, June 20, 2003, p. 19.
“didn’t ask questions much” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 13.
“excellent representation of the kinds of flying we were doing” Ibid.
“equally difficult places” NAA to author, Aug. 13, 2002, p. 39.
“If everybody from New Mexico was like those two boys” WAM to author, p. 17.
“Chet was a very thoughtful person” NAA: e-mail to author, Nov. 29, 2003.
“like a bunch of little kids” Tape-recorded letter, HCS to author, p. 6.
“Wam, I’m hit” KCK: letter to author, “Comments on ‘The Forgotten Heroes of Korea,’ [by] James A. Michener—5/10/52 Sat[urday] Eve[ning] Post,” Sept. 10, 2003, p. 4. Michener reported that Cheshire said, “Wham, I’m hit!” not understanding the reference to division leader William A. Mackey’s nickname “Wam,” after his initials.
“get up there fast” Ibid., p. 5.
“already dead at this point” Ibid.
“clear he was going to ditch” NAA: e-mail to author, Dec. 8, 2003.
“Heaven help this world of ours” Kaps journal, Jan. 26, 1952.
“God bless you all, men” Quoted in Michener, “The Forgotten Heroes of Korea,” p. 124.
“glad to have that one over” Kaps journal, Feb. 1, 1952.
“ought to go fly” NAA to author, Aug. 13, 2002, p. 40.
“trying to get out on more missions” Tape-recorded letter, HCS to author, p. 9.
“land of dreams” Kaps journal, Mar. 11, 1952.
“none will have to go through it again” Ibid., Mar. 25, 1952.
“like gold stars at Sunday school” NAA quoted in FOM, p. 19.
“For distinguishing himself by meritorious service” Certificate awarded by the Commander of the Seventh Fleet, “The Air Medal to Ensign Neil A. Armstrong, United States Navy,” June 21, 1952, copy in Armstrong’s military files.
“enormous respect” for the Skipper NAA to author, Aug. 13, 2002, p. 35.
“it’s how you perform” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 13.
“we did as teams” Ibid., 12.
“click together very well” Tape-recorded letter, HCS to author, p. 3.
“fight the wrong war in the wrong place” Michener, Bridges at Toko-Ri.
Part Four: The Real Right Stuff
E Captain William S. Farren, British Royal Aircraft Factory, quoted in Henry T. Tizard, “Methods of Measuring Aircraft Performances,” Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, Aeronautical Journal, no. 82 (Apr.–June 1917), in James R. Hansen, ed., The Wind and Beyond: A Documentary Journey into the History of Aerodynamics in America; Vol. 1: The Ascent of the Airplane (Washington, DC: NASA SP-2003-4409), p. 357.
E Captain Henry T. Tizard, pilot in the Testing Squadron of the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I, and later the chair of the Royal Air Force’s Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defense, Ibid., p. 340. Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, Aeronautical Journal, no. 82 (Apr.–June 1917).
Chapter 11: The Research Pilot
“prophetic statement” KCK: e-mail to author, Oct. 23, 2003, and Jan. 4, 2004.
“doubt that I made the statement” NAA: e-mail to author, Oct. 24, 2003.
“extend my time in the service or swim home” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 13.
“presents a fine military bearing” Officer’s Fitness Report signed by Cdr. C. B. Cottingham, Air Transport Squadron 32, NAS San Diego, CA, Aug. 8, 1952, copy in Armstrong’s military records file.
“trick knee” Chief of Naval Personnel, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Department of the Navy, to Commandant, Ninth Naval District, “Subj: LTJG Neil A. Armstrong, USN-R,” Feb. 24, 1954, copy in Armstrong’s military records file.
“high degree of interest and initiative” Report on the Fitness of Naval Reserve Officers on Inactive Duty, “Armstrong, Neil Alden,” signed by LCDR Leonard R. Kozlowski, Commanding Officer, VF-724, NAS Glenview, June 5, 1954, copy in Armstrong’s military records file.
“outstandingly proficient Naval Aviator” Reports on the Fitness of Naval Reserve Officers on Inactive Duty, “Armstrong, Neil Alden,” signed by LCDR Kozlowski, June 30, 1955, and May 20, 1956, copies in Armstrong’s military records file.
“forced him to terminate his activities with this unit” Report on the Fitness of Naval Reserve Officers on Inactive Duty, “Armstrong, Neil Alden,” signed by LCDR A. A. Johnston, Commanding Officer, NRA VF-773, NAS Los Alamitos, Aug. 3, 1956, copy in Armstrong’s military records file.
“asked if he could come down” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 1.
post at Lewis laboratory While working in Cleveland, Armstrong lived sixteen miles southeast of downtown at 424 Fair Street, Berea, Ohio.
“Piloting of aircraft” Annual Qualifications Questionnaire, Inactive Reserve, USN-R, “Armstrong, Neil Alden,” June 30, 1954, copy in Armstrong’s military records file.
“with a view to their practical solutions” Public Law 271, 63d Congress, approved Mar. 3, 1915. The complete text of the NACA’s charter appears as Appendix A in Hansen, Engineer in Charge, p. 399.
“Son, have you ever flown an airplane?” Comment made by Melvin N. Gough, quoted in Laurence K. Loftin Jr., “A Research Pilot’s World As Seen from the Cockpit of an NASA Engineer-Pilot,” unpublished ms., July 1986, chap. 3, p. 5.
“flew successfully an instrumented vehicle to greater than Mach 5” This phrase is from the following NASA memorandum: John H. Disher, Deputy Director, Apollo Applications Program, NASA Headquarters, to Joseph E. Robbins, Administrative Officer, NASA Wallops Station, Wallops Island, VA, Aug. 1, 1969, copy provided to auth
or by G. Merritt Preston, a former NACA Lewis engineer, copy in author’s Preston file. Disher’s memo informed former Wallops Island director Joseph A. Shortal’s A New Dimension: Wallops Flight TestRange, The First Fifteen Years (Washington DC: NASA RP-1028, 1978). A shorter but more comprehensive survey is provided in Wallace, Wallops Station and the Creation of an American Space Program (Washington, DC: NASA SP-4311, 1997).
“lot of analyzing data” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 15.
“it was the right one” Ibid.
“The only product of the NACA was research reports” Ibid.
“system was so precise, so demanding” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 2.
“like to transfer out there” Ibid., p. 1.
“San Diego to Chicago” Tape-recorded letter, HCS to author, p. 11.
“use a black marker” KCK: e-mail to author, July 3, 2003.
Chapter 12: Above the High Desert
“a superb flying place” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 3.
“used to get up there” DJH interview with JSA, El Lago, TX, n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 3. Copy in TLA.
“never learned to fly a plane” JSA essay for DJH, “People Are Always Asking Me,” n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 3.
“She was all the right things” EC to author, Feb. 10, 2003, pp. 2–3.
“isn’t one to rush into anything” JSA essay for DJH, “People Are Always Asking Me,” n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 2.
“Janet is as strong as horseradish” DAA to author, p. 24.
“opposites attract” Ibid., p. 24.
“see her being attracted to class” EC to author, p. 3.
“years to get to know him” JSA to author, Sept. 10, 2004 (morning), p. 22.
“six cents a mile for the trip” JSA to DJH, quoted in FOM, p. 116.
“It was very lovely” VEAP: “Richley Blest,” p. 2.
“for one semester” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 43.
“a shower was a hose hung out over the tree limb” Ibid.
“loved it” DJH interview with JSA, El Lago, TX, n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 2. Copy in TLA.
“total relaxation away from everything” DJH interview with JSA, El Lago, TX, n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 17. Copy in TLA.
“only one stop sign away” DJH interview with JSA, El Lago, TX, n.d. (ca. June 1969), p. 1. Copy in TLA.
“wasn’t very reliable” BL to Christian Gelzer, Edwards, CA, Jan. 30, 2003, p. 7.
“start rolling down the hill” Milton O. Thompson, At the Edge of Space, p. 15.
“had a ’47 Dodge” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 44.
“would drive that way!” BL to Gelzer, Jan. 30, 2003, p. 11.
“ran the truck into a ditch” Ibid.
“kids wanted to ride with Neil” Ibid., p. 12.
“wonderful runway for those big machines” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 3.
“gung-ho individual” Clyde Bailey to Michael Gorn, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, Mar. 30, 1999. Interview transcript published in “Clyde Bailey, Richard Cox, Don Borchers, and Ralph Sparks,” The SpokenWord, ed. Peebles, p. 25.
“crappiest winter weather” MOT, ATEOS, p. 4.
flew a B-29 Superfortress At Edwards, the NACA flew two B-29s. One was a P2B-1S, a navy version of the B-29A (serial number 45-21787) designated as NACA 137; the other was a JTB-29A (serial number 45-21800), with no NACA number. The P2B-1S, flown from 1951 to 1959, served primarily as the D-558-2 mother ship, and the JTB-29A, flown from 1955 to 1958, as the mother ship for the X-1 series. The NACA’s B-47A (serial number 49-1900), designated as NACA 150, flew from 1953 to 1957. The NACA also flew a B-50 as a launch aircraft.
“‘kid is not even out of high school yet!’” SPB to author, Dec. 15, 2002, Lancaster, CA, p. 8. Butchart thought so highly of Neil Armstrong that he insisted on participating in this interview even though the funeral for his wife of fifty-seven years, Miriam, had been only five days earlier.
“in a learning mode” NAA to SA&DB, in Quest, p. 15.
(with an F-51 designation) The precise designation of this aircraft was ETF-51D (E=Experimental, T=Test, F=Fighter, D=Model). NAA to SA&DB in Quest, p. 16. The NACA transferred this particular Mustang to Edwards from Langley in 1950. The P-51/F-51 was the first aircraft to employ the NACA’s so-called laminar flow airfoil and could dive to around Mach 0.8. At Edwards, it was used as both a proficiency aircraft and as a chase and support plane. It was retired in 1959 after a taxiing mishap.
“became more confident in my abilities” Ibid.
“flew in both positions” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 5.
“thought we’d hit another airplane” SPB to author, p. 7.
“good introduction to how the game went” Ibid.
“Butch, number four quit” SPB to author, p. 12.
“wasn’t too concerned” SPB to Curt Asher, Lancaster, CA, Sept. 15, 1997, p. 26. Copy in the Historical Archives, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA.
“scratching my head” SPB to author, pp. 12–13.
“a windmilling propeller” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 30.
“get rid of the rocket plane underneath” Ibid., p. 31.
“I’ve got to drop you!” Ibid., p. 13.
“Neil, you got control?” Ibid., p. 14.
“‘Get your gear down!’” Ibid.
“could have turned ugly” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 31.
“don’t think I could ever get it supersonic” Ibid., p. 8.
“if you turned, it would really slow down” Ibid., p. 9.
“a lot of landing work” Ibid.
“probable best technique?” Ibid., p. 31.
900-plus flights This is a complete list of the aircraft that Armstrong flew during his seven-year career at Edwards. In parenthesis following the aircraft type are the numbers that the NACA/NASA assigned to the specific airplane. The first number in the designation is typically the year that the NACA received the aircraft.
Research Aircraft (jet)
Bell X-5 (50-1838)
Research Aircraft (rocket)
Bell X-1B (48-1385)
North American Aviation X-15 (56-6670)
North American Aviation X-15 (56-6672)
Research Aircraft (other)
Paraglider Research Vehicle (N9765C)
Lockheed NT-33A Shooting Star (51-4120) Cornell Laboratories
Convair NC-131B Samaritan (53-7793) Cornell Laboratories
Fighters (jet)
North American Aviation YF-86D Sabre (50-777/NACA 149)
North American Aviation F-86E Sabre (50-606/NACA 157)
North American Aviation F-100A Super Sabre (52-5778)
North American Aviation JF-100C Super Sabre (53-1709)
North American Aviation JF-100C Super Sabre (53-1712)
North American Aviation JF-100C Super Sabre (53-1717)
McDonnell YF4H-1 Phantom II (142259)
McDonnell F-101A Voodoo (53-2422) Minneapolis Honeywell
McDonnell F-101A Voodoo (53-2434)
Convair YF-102 Delta Dagger (53-1785)
Convair JF-102A Delta Dagger (54-1374)
Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger (56-2345)
Lockheed YF-104A Starfighter (55-2961)
Lockheed F-104A Starfighter (56-0734)
Lockheed JF-104A Starfighter (56-0745)
Lockheed JF-104A Starfighter (56-0749)
Lockheed F-104B Starfighter (57-1303)
Lockheed F-104D Starfighter (57-1315)
Lockheed F-104D Starfighter (57-1316)
Republic F-105 Thunderchief (54-0102)
Republic YRF-84F
Convair F-106B Delta Dart (57-2547)
Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer (139208/NACA 212)
Douglas F5D-1 Skylancer (142350/NACA 213)
Fighters (propeller driven)
North American ETF-51D Mustang (44-84958/NACA 148)
Bombers (jet)
Boeing JB-47A Stratojet (49-1900)
Bombers (propeller
driven)
Boeing P2B-1S Superfortress (84029/NACA 137)
Boeing JTB-29A Superfortress (45-21800) Trainers (jet)
Cessna T-37A (54-2737)
Cessna T-37B (56-3480)
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (49-0939)
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (51-6692)
Transports (jet)
KC-135A Stratotanker (55-3124)
Lockheed L-1329 JetStar (N9288R)
Transports (propeller driven)
Douglas R4D-5 Skytrain (17136)
Douglas JC-47D Skytrain (43-48273)
Douglas DC-3 Skytrain (N41447)
Beechcraft C-45H Expediter (51-11806/N717R)
General Aviation
Cessna L-19A Bird Dog (50-1675)
Piper PA-23 Apache (N…35P)
Beechcraft (N2085D)
Rotary wing (helicopter)
Hiller H-23C Raven (56-2288)
Piasecki H-21B Workhorse (53-4380)
“not do a lot of flying” NAA to SA&DB in Quest, p. 18.
“most intelligent of all the X-15 pilots” MOT, ATEOS, pp. 2, 16.
“wanting to understand everything” BAP to author, p. 12.
“set him apart from mere mortals” WHD to author, Dec. 9, 2002, p. 7.
“turned out Neil was right” WHD to author, Ibid., pp. 6–7.
“circles around many test pilots, engineering-wise” GJM to author, p. 21.
“did not have that bias” Ibid., p. 7.
“more mechanical than it is flying” WJK to author, p. 9.
“prejudiced for the fact that this guy’s been a NACA” CCK to author, p. 7.
“evaluating a man from a test-pilot-performance capability” Ibid.
Chapter 13: At the Edge of Space
“first techniques for maneuvering in outer space” This claim is made, for example, in the caption to a photograph showing Yeager in the F-104 available at http://mach1collectibles.com. The same caption also states that “NASA eventually took over the U.S. quest for space,” a ridiculous assertion that the U.S. Air Force actually began the American space program.
“inadvertently touched down at 170 KIAS” NAA, Aeronautical Research Engineer and Pilot, memorandum for record, “Pilot Familiarization; X-1B #385; Flight No. 14,” Aug. 15, 1957, History Archives, NASA Dryden.
“didn’t really fail…I broke it” NAA to author, Nov. 26, 2002, p. 13.
“dropped too close to Edwards Dry Lake” NAA: e-mail to author, Jan. 22, 2004.
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