Sr-71 Info

[SPIT]

Hi
I have heard a rumour that an SR-71 will be flying in a display in France. I was led to believe that the USAF did not now have any that will fly so WHERE THE HELL DID THIS ONE COME FROM??? I know that NASA still fly one but it would cost a bomb to fly it to Europe.
Has anyone else heard of this.:confused: :confused:

[VP8]

None left flying last NASA one went into museum not so long since sorry :{

VEEPS

[willbav8r]

I think there are the two NASA examples kept in "ready" status - but most likely their flying days are over. I believe it cost $100,000 per hour in 1980's money to operate.....

Any fan really MUST read (look) at Sled Driver by Brian Shul.

[John Farley]

In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes:
"I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed."

"90 knots" Center replied.

Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same.

"120 knots," Center answered.

We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.'

There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty."

Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?"

There was a longer than normal pause .... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots".

No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 60 (60,000ft).

The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?"

The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up it, we plan to go down to it."

He was cleared.

[DubTrub]

[Memory is a little doddery now, so forgive any technical errors in the following report, but the jist is there.]

There was a certain airshow at a small GA field in the UK Midlands a few decades ago that involved the participation of a GE Lightning.

The RAF pilot had (probably through normal RAF channels) arranged with Heath Row (or similar) and Mil channels for clearance through the airways immediately above the field, from 5000 to 50,000 (or whatever).

As ever, the last run involved going UP after the run, and we listened in to the radio:

"Heath Row, Lightning One out of ABCD, request airway clearance"

"Roger, report entering"

"Just leaving now"

[Genghis the Engineer]

T'was reported to me by a "reliable source" that a crewroom of an SR71 operating unit had on the wall..

"Though I fly through the valley of the shadow of death I shall not fear evil...

for I am at FL800 and climbing."


I also recall an SR71 pilot mentioning at a lecture I attended that he enjoyed fact that if he was at M=3 and needed to extend his range, he accelerated to M=3.2. Whilst if you've ever studied high speed aerodynamics, this makes perfect sense, there is something endearing about an aircraft whose Vne (well Mne) is determined by the melting point of the airframe structure.

G

[Bre901]

Genghis the Engineer... to extend his range, he accelerated to M=3.2. Whilst if you've ever studied high speed aerodynamics, this makes perfect sense,
As I have not (usually "cruising" slighty above M0.10 ;) ), would you be so kind to elaborate on that or indicate some references

TIA

[18-Wheeler]

The engine inlet becomes more efficient the faster the plane goes. It's designed to be optimal at M 3.20, so that's (in most cases) the best speed for it.
The flight manual states that the plane can be run to "M 3.3 at Commanders discretion, in required cases".
I guess to outrun MiG-25's & so on.

[Bre901]

18-Wheeler

Quite clear now, thanks :ok:

[Genghis the Engineer]

Graphs at higher Mach numbers are less readily obtainable, but if you look at this graph for wave drag (zero lift drag) of supersonic vehicle shapes:-



http://adg.stanford.edu/aa241/drag/images/image489.gif

You'll see that although drag ramps up hugely as you approach M=1, above that (well about about 1.4 anyway) although it doesn't get back to low-subsonic levels the drag coefficient does drop off.

It's clearly not quite that straightforward, since drag is a function of dynamic pressure (Q) multiplied by Cd, but at high altitude / high Mach No, dynamic pressure (½-Rho-V²) is actually fairly low. Add in that best range is dictated by fuel burn x speed, not just drag (otherwise best range would be stationary!), and adding in 18-wheeler's point about the efficiency of the intake also being a function of Mach number, and....

You end up with an aeroplane with better range the faster it's going, so long as that's reasonably well above the speed of sound.

G

[Bre901]

Thanks Genghis, very kind of you :ok:

[Jhieminga]

Can't quite seem to find the right page now, but for those of you who want to figure out how this works on the SR-71, the entire Flight Manual is online here. (http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/index.htm)

[williamp]

Sorry to re-surface this post, but I heard this at Fairford last weekend and I wondered what your thoughts were:

I was talking to the KC-135 tanker crews about their fuel load. They said that they could use their "cargo" of fuel themselves as well as their normal fuel tanks, to give them a huge range.

He then said that there is only one fuel they carry which they cannot use- fuel which is only used by one aircraft.

"Oh really, which one is that?" I asked
"The SR-71"
" I didnt think they were any left flying
"Oh sure, they are about 3 still flying"
"Where are they based?"
"Not sure . Probably Edwards"

Now, I'm not saying he was telling the truth- but that is what he said. He also looked and sounded quite sincere when he told me- not like he was windign me up. especially when I didnt dpecifically ask him about the SR-71.

What is your take on this? Was he pulling my leg, or is there some element of truth in it?

[con-pilot]

Dang it all now williamp, now we is goin to have to kill ya!;)

[willbav8r]

Anything else in the inventory gulp JP7?

Or is it LOX or methane they are dispensing..........

:E

[Paracab]

Gents,

Does anyone know how to get hold of a copy of 'sled driver' ?

Just checked on a certain, rather famous auction site, and the bidding for the one and only copy listed on there is currently at £122 with three days to go !

[VP8]

Paracab

Unfortunately that is around the going price :( occasionally you can get it cheaper on said site...

Borrowed a copy from a friend and was an excellent read!! looking for my own copy now

VEEPS

[pilot-lite]

"Sled Driver" is back in print in limited run of 3500 copies. Its signed by the author and three other SR-71 pilots, and comes in a presentation case with some other goodies.

Not cheap though....


pilot-lite

[redsnail]

Thanks for that link. I've just bought a copy for my fiance's birthday. :D

[CamelPilot]

pilot-lite


While this is a subject that may well get people wanting to get a copy of the book, I am afraid it is advertising and I have had to remove the link to the sales site.

However, I am happy to encourage those interested to PM pilot-lite who, I am sure, will be happy to point you in the right direction.

CP

[pilot-lite]

Ooops, sorry Camel Pilot :O

I will of course be happy to pass on the relevant details.

pilot-lite

[Magoodotcom]

Willamp - I have a feeling he was either having you on or perhaps wasn't up to date with the SR-71 program's status. I suspect the USAF is happy to allow the 'SR-71 still being in service' myth to survive, perhaps in an attempt to divert attention from a more advanced platform? :hmm:

After the USAF fleet was canned in 1990, NASA retained two A models and the sole remaining B model in flying condition, plus a couple of flyable storage. Two single seaters were re-generated in late 94 for the USAF to fill a need, but were retired again on 1997. NASA hasn't flown its SRs since about 1999 when the now cancelled X-33 engine test program ended.

The last remaining unaccounted for jet to have been kept in flyable storage at NASA was the two seater, -956, and I believe this was cut up and transported by road to a museum earlier this year. :{

The only jet that used the JP7 was the SR, but all the remaining dedicated KC-135Q tankers have been retired to the boneyard or converted over to -135R/T standard via the BAE Pacer Crag programme, and I believe only the NASA NKC-135s retain the capability to offload that fuel now. The SR could use normal JP4 in an emergency, but had performance (M2.0) and altitude (50K) limits imposed when doing so.

Brian Shul's 'Sled Driver' book is indeed a 'special' and I was fortunate to have been given a signed copy a few years ago by an ex USAF buddy of mine. :ok:

I regret that I shall never see an SR fly :( , but I'll be paying a visit (making a pilgrimage?) to the Blackbird Airpark at Palmdale later this year to pay my respects to Kelly Johnson, Ben Rich, and all Roadrunners and Sled drivers out there.

Magoo

[BEagle]

If you can't get hold of 'Sled Driver', try looking for 'SR71 Revealed - The Inside Story' which gives a good insight into life in the Habu community. Plus a considerable amount of technical information about the jet.

www.habu.org says of the Col's book:

"SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story" (Richard H. Graham)

Buy this book. Written by a retired blackbird pilot who went on to head the entire Program, this is THE book to get if you want to learn about the blackbird. If you had a son who was accepted into the Program, wrote you every week and told you everything that was going on, you would have something like this book (assuming that your boy didn't land in the stockade for treason, of course). It's all here... technical info, war stories, anecdotes, everything you were looking for. Col. Graham donates all proceeds from his book to the J.T. Vida Memorial fund. You can get it from your local bookstore, but you can order an autographed copy directly from the author.
ISBN: 0760301220"

There's a link on the site to tell you how to order from the author. Incidentally, all royalties go to a fund dedicated to the high time Habu, J T Vida, who passed away after a long battle with cancer.

[Paracab]

Cheers BEags,

Will try and get hold of this instead,

Thanks very much :ok:

[redsnail]

Sheesh,
I see that just after my copy of Sled Driver turned up in the post..
:D

[PaperTiger]

956 (NASA 831) is now at the Kalamazoo museum. Cut up may be a bit harsh, although I understand the sentiment :(

It's back in one piece and there is a montage of the movement here (http://www.sr-71.org/photogallery/blackbird/17956/museum/index.htm)

[willbav8r]

Fortunate enough to meet the man himself (Brian Shul) last year. Amazing guy who spent a year in hospital before being cleared back to flying status, and eventually flying the sled.

Wish I had bought a copy of the new edition. If the old one goes for $400.............. it must surely justify the new one? Mebbe the girlfriend will see it that way? Mebbe not.

[whiz]

Just out of interest I visited a 'famous internet book site' which sounds remarkably like a South American River :rolleyes: They have new copies of Sled Driver, dispatched between 1-2 days for a mere £394.95 :eek:

I saw a copy of Sled Driver in Waterstones in Cardiff a few years ago and baulked at the cover price then, wishing Id bought it now :mad:

[redsnail]

G'day Whiz,
I went to the site in the US and bought Sled Driver directly from the author. I got the visa card bill and it's around the 290 quid mark. :D (inc postage) :D

It's a brilliant book. :ok:

[Like This - Do That]

Bought my copy several years ago, about A$80 (?) new then. Super stuff. Brian Shul sure has a knack with the Nikon. Does the new limited release version contain much more?

Not sure that I could justify it though .... things like mortgage and dependants and electricity bills get in the way.