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Returning to Boston, Merrill began flying Burgess-Wright planes at their flying field near Atlantic, Massachusetts. While continuing his practice there he had a bad smashup on August 5th when he stalled, then rolled and dove in from 85 feet, wrecking the plane completely, but he was not injured even though he narrowly escaped being killed.

As a result of this crash Merrill [[strikethrough]] was convinced [[/strikethrough]] believed that the conventional control system was wrong and vowed he would never again fly in such a plane. He [[strikethrough]] resolved [[/strikethrough]] became convinced that the usual elevator control on planes was the cause of most accidents because it permitted the pilot to place the plane in such an attitude, that is: a stall, wherein all control [[strikethrough]] was [[/strikethrough]] may be lost. He became so [[strikethrough]] convinced [[/strikethrough]] positive of this theory that he devoted many years trying to prove it by building several experimental planes incorporating his ideas. The first of these was built for him by the Burgess Company at Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1914. [[strikethrough]] in 1914. It was [[/strikethrough]] It was a tractor biplane with a pronounced stagger,[[strikethrough]] tailless tractor biplane using a 50 H.P. [[/strikethrough]] (upper wing ahead of the lower wing),  had no tail, and was powered with a 50 hp., Gnome rotary engine. Flying and mechanical work on this plane was done by H. Roy Waite and Chauncey Redding. The plane was flown both as a land plane and on floats to a considerable extent and it was claimed that it would climb or [[strikethrough]] glide down [[/strikethrough]] descend by merely speeding up or throttling back the engine. During this period Merrill gave lecture courses at [[strikethrough]] M.I.T. [[/strikethrough]] the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to engineers of the senior class, the first aeronautical lecture series to be given there.

In 1916 Merrill moved to California where, in 1918, he became a member of the faculty of Caltech as an instructor in accounting and aeronautics. There he supervised the design and construction of a small wind tunnel on the campus, the first one on the west coast. Later he headed the Caltech Aeronautical Department for some time. In 1923 he designed a glider which was built by Caltech students Gerald Vaultee and Louis Kiesling. It was a high wing monoplane with conventional fuselage and landing gear, and was flown to some extent by A. W. Claverie by being towed into the air.

Merrill left Caltech in 1930 to engage in a private experimental aircraft research project. This was a further investigation of his personal ideas of a[[strikethrough]]n ultra-safe [[/strikethrough]] fool-proof airplane to take-off, fly, and land itself and [[strikethrough]] give [[/strikethrough]] provide the ultimate in safety and simplicity of operation. During this program both gliders