Major Edwin Merkel ( 1928-2012)Ed Merkel was raised on LI, NY and spent time at all the aircraft factories there during WWII. Ed enlisted as soon as he could at 17 in early 1945 and was stationed along the Italian Austrian Border in 1945-46 with the occupation troops. Ed went to college under the GI Bill when discharged and received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY.
Ed was a structural Engineer for aircraft companies, but his love of flying resulted in him going into aviation cadet just before he was 27. Ed’s first assignment was into the F-100A school in that new aircraft; he was in the third class to go through F-100 school at Nellis AFB, NV. Ed flew the F-100 at Myrtle Beach AFB, SC and later he was stationed in Italy and Libya.
After discharge from active duty Ed moved to Wichita, Kansas where he was an aircraft designer in all five of the aircraft factories there at one time or another for forty years. While working as an aircraft designer Ed also flew F-100’s and F-105’s in the Kansas ANG for 14 years at McConnell AFB, Ks. While flying out of McConnell Ed had to Eject from an F-100C in 1967 that had lost it’s upward elevator control. Ed ejected at night just south of Augusta, Ks. About 1972 Ed ejected from an F-105D during a takeoff to the south of McConnell AFB with Dusty West a TWA pilot on his wing. The Aircraft caught fire and had fire trailing 2-300 feet behind the aircraft. Ed stayed with the aircraft until it was south of Derby to avoid that town. The aircraft crashed just NW of Wellington, Ks and Ed parachuted to the ground on the North side of I35. While Ed watched the crashed aircraft burn with the 20MM ammunition cooking off in the fire; the Kansas Senate Majority Leader stopped and asked Ed if the pilot got out and Ed said Yes. When he asked who it was Ed said, “Me!” That man had been the Kansas ANG squadron Commander at McConnell AFB in the F-100 for about 7 years.
Ed was Chief of structural loads and certification of the then new Lear jet, Also the Cessna Citation. He was also Chief design engineer for Great Lakes trainer Company in Eastman Georgia for 2-3 years. In 1968-69 Ed left the civilian world and returned to active duty when the USS Pueblo was attacked and captured by the North Koreans. Ed deployed with the 127th TFS to Korea in June 1968 and returned in June 1969. While in Korea the unit received many very bad J-57’s engines for their aircraft after 8 months 15 aircraft had no engines and 5 had crashed in a 6 week period. Ed developed a way to determine which aircraft engines were going to fail. The Wing staff didn’t believe Ed at first and he was fired as Maintenance control Chief FCF pilot. When one of the engines that Ed had turned down failed on takeoff and killed the pilot, Ed was reinstated and his method of prediction failures used. Ed saved several lives with this ability.
Ed worked as an aircraft designer in classified projects for several years after after his return from Korea. One of those projects recently declassified was flight control surfaces for cruise missiles used in B-52’s. During Ed’s life he won the EAA all metal award for the best acrobatic design in 1974 and again a year or two later. Ed did acrobatic performances throughout Kansas for many years at county fairs and airshows. He did acrobatics well into his seventies.
In 2011 Ed Merkel received the FAA Master Pilot Award for over 50 years of flying as a pilot and all his contributions to Aviation. Ed had one son and two daughters. His son was a Marine LTC in both Iraq and Afghanistan in attack helicopters. Ed’s combat time was flying CAP, Combat Air Patrol, sorties guarding USAF Elint Aircraft against attack from the North Koreans after the capture of the USS Pueblo.
Ed passed away in early 2012 and is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
This narrative was prepared by LTC Allen E. Strasser who flew with Ed for 5 years in the F-100 and was his close friend until he passed away. Tel. 903 986-4020 to have any corrections made.