SR-71, The Blackbird

[rjemery]

Can anyone recommend a book that describes the design and engineering of the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance a/c?

I've examined the U-2 and the Concorde wrt operational details at FL 700, and I would like to include the SR-71 in my study. Thanks.

[Rhys S. Negative]

I don't think you'll be disappointed with

Lockheed SR-71 - The Secret Missions Exposed
Paul F. Crickmore
Osprey Publishing
ISBN 1-85532-681-7.

RSN.

[mutt]

Or the SR71 Pilots Manual ISBN 0-87938-658-4




Mutt

[rjemery]

In "The Black Watch: The Men Who Fly America's Secret Spy Planes", Ernest Gann writes (p 18):

Away with the old sextant and chronometer; the same stars that once guided the ancients now tell the Reconnaissance Systems Operators [SR-71 backseaters] to put the rock in his other hand. North is that way."

What is meant by "put the rock in his other hand"?

[maxburner]

Keep banging the rocks together, guys. I think its a reference to the evolutionary process.

[ABX]

Hello All,

I recieved the following via email and I found it fascinating, certainly very entertaining reading.

I have not been able to verify it and it has not been edited by myself, save for the removal of those blurry >>> 'forwarding' symbols.

My idea is to share it with my fellow PPRuNers for enjoyment and comment, perhaps people might like to contribute further Blackbird stories or experiences.

If the story breaches any copyright, please PM me the details and if Col. Wilson is a fellow PPRuNer I'd welcome his comments.

Here is the body of the email for your enjoyment:

Subject: Previously Top Secret Story; Blackbird Mission Over Israel's Live Battle Fields!

Egypt and Syria opened an offensive against Israel, in late '73, by launching a coordinated series of air, armoured and artillery attacks into the Sinai and Golan Heights.

The pre-emptive strike came as a result of a diplomatic failure to resolve territorial disputes. Egypt's Sadat was convinced he had to initiate a war with limited objectives.

Along the Suez Canal, 80 000 well-equipped Egyptian soldiers crossed the Suez and attacked fewer than 500 Israeli defenders. In the Golan Heights, fewer than 200 Israeli tanks were attacked by 1 400 Syrian tanks. Initial Israeli military losses were significant. And their response included urgent requests for assistance from the USA.

At that time, our military reconnaissance space satellites didn't have the capability to provide the intelligence needed to sufficiently assess the situation. So, we were alerted to prepare to fly SR-71 missions over the area of conflict, then recover in England.

The mission was within the design capabilities of the Blackbird, although such a long and logistically-difficult mission had never previously been accomplished.

Within the first few days of the conflict, the supporting Arab nations began an oil embargo, making oil a weapon of war. This contributed to a decision by the British to deny any Blackbird mission recovery in Great Britain.

A Plan B was rapidly drawn up to fly the SR-71 out of upstate New York, and return to recover at Seymour-Johnson, North Carolina.

These newly planned 12 000 mile missions would require (5) five air to air refuellings from (16) sixteen KC-135 tankers based in Spain.

In the utmost secrecy, we mobilized and deployed. A few days later, our first photo/electronic reconnaissance mission was over Israel was
successful.

I was a fairly young pilot in the squadron, with only 120 hours of SR-71 time under my belt. I was assigned to fly a backup SR-71 and to stay on alert at Griffiss AFB, New York, and to be prepared to fly follow-on missions.

Then, I served as back-up alert on two more successful missions.

Then it was my turn.

The excitement level was high. And I certainly wanted to be part of another success. Takeoff was at 2 o'clock on a dark but clear night with about fifteen inches of snow on the ground. It was peacefully calm.

Until I lit both of the 34 000 lb. thrust afterburners for take-off, B-O-O-M! B-O-O-M!

The first 450 miles had to be flown subsonic at .9 Mach, since we had to clear the commercial airliner tracks off the East Coast before I could safely re-fuel.

Most pilots don't know the true meaning of DARK.

You might compare it to refuelling inside an inkwell. With absolute radio silence, in the inkwell darkness of the North Atlantic night, I entered an electronic rendezvous with three tankers, taking on 3 500 gallons of fuel from each.

After completing post-refuelling checks, I lit the afterburners and started my acceleration to a leisurely Mach 3 cruise across the Atlantic. The airplane performed flawlessly, thanks to the extra special effort by the maintenance guys.

About 2 000 miles across the Atlantic, I watched with excitement as the sun came up right in front of my eyes giving an incredible view all around.

The next refuelling was a couple hundred miles north of the Azores, where I took on another 5 000 gallons each from two refuellers.

I started my second acceleration and headed for Gibraltar. At 80 000 feet, cruising through the centre of the narrow straits with hundreds of miles of visibility on both sides it was more than spectacular.

Then I proceeded down the middle of the Mediterranean toward Israel where the weather was becoming significantly worse than the forecast.

Although done in unexpectedly tough weather conditions, the third air refuelling south of Crete, went along as scheduled.

Now packing in a full load of 80 000 lbs of JP-7 fuel, I lit the afterburners and started the acceleration toward the target area. When reaching MAX fuel flow in FULL afterburner, a RED engine oil quantity low light came on steady red.

In almost unbelief I stared at it momentarily then quickly scanned the attendant oil pressure RPM exhaust gas temperature and nozzle position. There were no confirming indications of trouble. But I could not just ignore the red light and fly into a live combat zone while facing possible engine failure.

There were no viable emergency airfields that could handle the SR-71. And I certainly did not want to be a no-notice, no-flight plan single engine emergency arrival at Tel Aviv's David Ben Gurion airport. Especially since the Israeli government had not been informed of our mission. On the other hand, they needed to focus their entire attention on their survival.

So I took the engines out of afterburner to access the situation to consider the best course of action. Then I had a pleasant surprise. After coming out of afterburner the red warning light blinked out! I became [fairly-well] convinced that it had been a false indication. On the other hand, the red light threat had subtracted 400 gallons of critically needed fuel.

My tankers were now 80 miles behind me. Moving further away each second.
Rejoining them to in order to top off fuel, would present a whole new set of problems [I won't get into.] So I re-lit the afterburners.

And pressed on.

I had another long five (5) second illumination of the red light during the acceleration.

Then it went out.

Stayed out.

My flight track went down the Suez Canal past Cairo, where I made a Mach 3.15 left turn to cross the combat lines in the Sinai. With the Blackbird's panoramic and specific point cameras capturing key details of hundreds of targets, I flew across the Dead Sea and Golan Heights.

Approaching Lebanon, I made a sweeping right turn out over Syria then turned back for a run over the Sinai on a parallel path to gain maximum coverage. The airplane was running well. I pushed it up a bit to Mach 3.2 before exiting Egypt near Port Said.

Once out over the Mediterranean, I started a descent to 25 000 feet to hit my fourth set of tankers. But as fate would have it, not only was I low on fuel due to the red light, but a thunderstorm had thrust itself up into the location of our refuelling area. Intent on carrying out their indispensable mission, the tankers flew into the brewing storm.

Now in the scud ourselves, trusting our internal electronic azimuth and distance measuring equipment, my backseater got us to less than a mile behind a tanker. At this point, the visibility was so poor that the tanker was not visible.

In turbulence and thick cloud, very low on fuel, I eased up on the unseen KC-135 tanker. My backseater called out, "One-half mile" "Now it's a thousand feet."

Across a momentary valley in the clouds, I saw the tanker straight ahead. With less than 15 minutes of fuel remaining we hooked up. Whew! [might have been able to finesse it in. Or dead stick it? - NOT! In any case, the SR-71 definitely was not a good airplane in that scenario]

100 miles away, the island of Crete had the closest emergency runway.

Needless to say, I was very thankful to my tanker buddies, backseater, and good equipment for that rendezvous.

What a relief!

It gave me an entirely new meaning for 'finding a gas station' when I really needed one. We completed a fifth 10 000 gallon air refuelling near the Azores before we truly enjoyed the leisurely Mach 3 flight back across the Atlantic to our recovery at Seymour Johnson.

Within 20 minutes, our excellent people had the photo and electronic intelligence information down-loaded, then placed safely onboard a dedicated Air Force courier aircraft to a Photo Interpretation Centre in D.C.

Including 6 hours 41 minutes of supersonic speed, the round-trip flight covered a bit more than 12 000 miles in 10 hours 49 minutes. After landing at Seymour Johnson, I remember wondering what Lindbergh would have thought about the amazing advancements in aviation technology.

These missions were not declassified until the early 1990's when the SR-71 program was closed at the end of the Cold War. Most of the remaining birds are now in various museums.

The one I flew is the centrepiece at SAC's Air and Space museum near Omaha.

Jim Wilson

Colonel USAF (Ret.)

[FFP]

but a thunderstorm had thrust itself up into the location of our refuelling area. Intent on carrying out their indispensable mission, the tankers flew into the brewing storm

If that's anything to go by, then he knows his stuff ;)

[goudie]

What a great read ABX, thanks for sharing.

[charliegolf]

Most pilots don't know the true meaning of DARK

Most haven't been to Belize!

CG

[ABX]

FFP,

That was the section that had me thinking. I thought a KC-135 (or any tanker) would keep well away from a brewing T-cell.

I imagine that a loaded tanker would normally stay well clear of storms, brewing or not?

Any thoughts from those who have been and seen would be appreciated.

Feel free to post SR-71 stories here, they make for fascinating reading.:ok:

Cheers,

[FFP]

ABX,

You are spot on in your thoughts.

However, it has been known, for the odd tanker in the heat of the moment, to not want to change levels / tracks / routing for fear of complicating the rendezous or because it's just too much hassle or they lack the confidence to make such bold decisions in the vinegar strokes, despite it ultimately being a more sucessful AR because of it. My opinion of sucess is a safe join, an efficient offload and smooth breakup. Being on the planned route, no matter the costs / weather is not important.

US tankers much more so than UK one's I hasten to add. "Black-line-itis" can be a compelling infliction......

(Not all tanker pilots sit in the weather. But some have, some do and some always will..;) )

[Sexual Chocolate]

SR-71 Disintegrates Around Pilot During Flight Test

From Aviation Week & Space Technology

By Bill Weaver

Among professional aviators, there's a well-worn saying: Flying is
simply hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. And
yet, I don't recall too many periods of boredom during my 30-year
career with Lockheed, most of which was spent as a test pilot.

By far, the most memorable flight occurred on Jan. 25, 1966. Jim
Zwayer, a Lockheed flight test reconnaissance and navigation systems
specialist, and I were evaluating those systems on an SR-71 Blackbird
test from Edwards AFB, Calif. We also were investigating procedures
designed to reduce trim drag and improve high-Mach cruise
performance. The latter involved flying with the center-of-gravity
(CG) located further aft than normal, which reduced the Blackbird's
longitudinal stability.

We took off from Edwards at 11:20 a.m. and completed the mission's
first leg without incident. After refueling from a KC-135 tanker, we
turned eastbound, accelerated to a Mach 3.2-cruise speed and climbed
to 78,000 ft., our initial cruise-climb altitude.

Several minutes into cruise, the right engine inlet's automatic
control system malfunctioned, requiring a switch to manual control.
The SR-71's inlet configuration was automatically adjusted during
supersonic flight to decelerate air flow in the duct, slowing it to
subsonic speed before reaching the engine's face. This was
accomplished by the inlet's center-body spike translating aft, and by
modulating the inlet's forward bypass doors. Normally, these actions
were scheduled automatically as a function of Mach number,
positioning the normal shock wave (where air flow becomes subsonic)
inside the inlet to ensure optimum engine performance.

Without proper scheduling, disturbances inside the inlet could result
in the shock wave being expelled forward--a phenomenon known as an
"inlet unstart." That causes an instantaneous loss of engine thrust,
explosive banging noises and violent yawing of the aircraft--like
being in a train wreck. Unstarts were not uncommon at that time in
the SR-71's development, but a properly functioning system would
recapture the shock wave and restore normal operation.


On the planned test profile, we entered a programmed 35-deg. bank
turn to the right. An immediate unstart occurred on the right engine,
forcing the aircraft to roll further right and start to pitch up. I
jammed the control stick as far left and forward as it would go. No
response. I instantly knew we were in for a wild ride.

I attempted to tell Jim what was happening and to stay with the
airplane until we reached a lower speed and altitude. I didn't think
the chances of surviving an ejection at Mach 3.18 and 78,800 ft. were
very good. However, g-forces built up so rapidly that my words came
out garbled and unintelligible, as confirmed later by the cockpit
voice recorder.

The cumulative effects of system malfunctions, reduced longitudinal
stability, increased angle-of-attack in the turn, supersonic speed,
high altitude and other factors imposed forces on the airframe that
exceeded flight control authority and the Stability Augmentation
System's ability to restore control.

Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. I learned later the time
from event onset to catastrophic departure from controlled flight was
only 2-3 sec. Still trying to communicate with Jim, I blacked out,
succumbing to extremely high g-forces. The SR-71 then literally
disintegrated around us.

From that point, I was just along for the ride.

My next recollection was a hazy thought that I was having a bad
dream. Maybe I'll wake up and get out of this mess, I mused.
Gradually regaining consciousness, I realized this was no dream; it
had really happened. That also was disturbing, because I could not
have survived what had just happened. Therefore, I must be dead.
Since I didn't feel bad--just a detached sense of euphoria--I decided
being dead wasn't so bad after all.

AS FULL AWARENESS took hold, I realized I was not dead, but had
somehow separated from the airplane. I had no idea how this could
have happened; I hadn't initiated an ejection. The sound of rushing
air and what sounded like straps flapping in the wind confirmed I was
falling, but I couldn't see anything. My pressure suit's face plate
had frozen over and I was staring at a layer of ice.

The pressure suit was inflated, so I knew an emergency oxygen
cylinder in the seat kit attached to my parachute harness was
functioning. It not only supplied breathing oxygen, but also
pressurized the suit, preventing my blood from boiling at extremely
high altitudes. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but the suit's
pressurization had also provided physical protection from intense
buffeting and g-forces. That inflated suit had become my own escape
capsule.

My next concern was about stability and tumbling. Air density at high
altitude is insufficient to resist a body's tumbling motions, and
centrifugal forces high enough to cause physical injury could develop
quickly. For that reason, the SR-71's parachute system was designed
to automatically deploy a small-diameter stabilizing chute shortly
after ejection and seat separation. Since I had not intentionally
activated the ejection system--and assuming all automatic functions
depended on a proper ejection sequence--it occurred to me the
stabilizing chute may not have deployed.

However, I quickly determined I was falling vertically and not
tumbling. The little chute must have deployed and was doing its job.
Next concern: the main parachute, which was designed to open
automatically at 15,000 ft. Again, I had no assurance the
automatic-opening function would work.

I couldn't ascertain my altitude because I still couldn't see through
the iced-up face plate. There was no way to know how long I had been
blacked-out, or how far I had fallen. I felt for the
manual-activation D-ring on my chute harness, but with the suit
inflated and my hands numbed by cold, I couldn't locate it. I decided
I'd better open the face plate, try to estimate my height above the
ground, then locate that "D" ring. Just as I reached for the face
plate, I felt the reassuring sudden deceleration of main-chute
deployment.

I raised the frozen face plate and discovered its uplatch was broken.
Using one hand to hold that plate up, I saw I was descending through
a clear, winter sky with unlimited visibility. I was greatly relieved
to see Jim's parachute coming down about a quarter of a mile away. I
didn't think either of us could have survived the aircraft's breakup,
so seeing Jim had also escaped lifted my spirits incredibly.

I could also see burning wreckage on the ground a few miles from
where we would land. The terrain didn't look at all inviting--a
desolate, high plateau dotted with patches of snow and no signs of
habitation.

I tried to rotate the parachute and look in other directions. But
with one hand devoted to keeping the face plate up and both hands
numb from high-altitude, subfreezing temperatures, I couldn't
manipulate the risers enough to turn. Before the breakup, we'd
started a turn in the New Mexico-Colorado-Oklahoma-Texas border
region. The SR-71 had a turning radius of about 100 mi. at that speed
and altitude, so I wasn't even sure what state we were going to land
in. But, because it was about 3:00 p.m., I was certain we would be
spending the night out here.

At about 300 ft. above the ground, I yanked the seat kit's release
handle and made sure it was still tied to me by a long lanyard.
Releasing the hea vy kit ensured I wouldn't land with it attached to
my derriere, which could break a leg or cause other injuries. I then
tried to recall what survival items were in that kit, as well as
techniques I had been taught in survival training.

Looking down, I was startled to see a fairly large animal--perhaps an
antelope--directly under me. Evidently, it was just as startled as I
was because it literally took off in a cloud of dust.

My first-ever parachute landing was pretty smooth. I landed on fairly
soft ground, managing to avoid rocks, cacti and antelopes. My chute
was still billowing in the wind, though. I struggled to collapse it
with one hand, holding the still-frozen face plate up with the other.

"Can I help you?" a voice said.

Was I hearing things? I must be hallucinating. Then I looked up and
saw a guy walking toward me, wearing a cowboy hat. A helicopter was
idling a short distance behind him. If I had been at Edwards and told
the search-and-rescue unit that I was going to bail out over the
Rogers Dry Lake at a particular time of day, a crew couldn't have
gotten to me as fast as that cowboy-pilot had.

The gentleman was Albert Mitchell, Jr., owner of a huge cattle ranch
in northeastern New Mexico. I had landed about 1.5 mi. from his ranch
house--and from a hangar for his two-place Hughes helicopter. Amazed
to see him, I replied I was having a little trouble with my chute. He
walked over and collapsed the canopy, anchoring it with several
rocks. He had seen Jim and me floating down and had radioed the New
Mexico Highway Patrol, the Air Force and the nearest hospital.

Extracting myself from the parachute harness, I discovered the source
of those flapping-strap noises heard on the way down. My seat belt
and shoulder harness were still draped around me, attached and
latched. The lap belt had been shredded on each side of my hips,
where the straps had fed through knurled adjustment rollers. The
shoulder harness had shredded in a similar manner across my back. The
ejection seat had never left the airplane; I had been ripped out of
it by the extreme forces, seat belt and shoulder harness still
fastened.

I also noted that one of the two lines that supplied oxygen to my
pressure suit had come loose, and the other was barely hanging on. If
that second line had become detached at high altitude, the deflated
pressure suit wouldn't have provided any protection. I knew an oxygen
supply was critical for breathing and suit-pressurization, but didn't
appreciate how much physical protection an inflated pressure suit
could provide. That the suit could withstand forces sufficient to
disintegrate an airplane and shred heavy nylon seat belts, yet leave
me with only a few bruises and minor whiplash was impressive. I truly
appreciated having my own little escape capsule.

After helping me with the chute, Mitchell said he'd check on Jim. He
climbed into his helicopter, flew a short distance away and returned
about 10 min. later with devastating news: Jim was dead. Apparently,
he had suffered a broken neck during the aircraft's disintegration
and was killed instantly. Mitchell said his ranch foreman would soon
arrive to watch over Jim's body until the authorities arrived.

I asked to see Jim and, after verifying there was nothing more that
could be done, agreed to let Mitchell fly me to the Tucumcari
hospital, about 60 mi. to the south.

I have vivid memories of that helicopter flight, as well. I didn't
know much about rotorcraft, but I knew a lot about "red lines," and
Mitchell kept the airspeed at or above red line all the way. The
little helicopter vibrated and shook a lot more than I thought it
should have. I tried to reassure the cowboy-pilot I was feeling OK;
there was no need to rush. But since he'd notified the hospital staff
that we were inbound, he insisted we get there as soon as possible. I
couldn't help but think how ironic it would be to have survived one
disaster only to be done in by the helicopter that had come to my
rescue.

However, we made it to the hospital safely--and quickly. Soon, I was
able to contact Lockheed's flight test office at Edwards. The test
team there had been notified initially about the loss of radio and
radar contact, then told the aircraft had been lost. They also knew
what our flight conditions had been at the time, and assumed no one
could have survived. I briefly explained what had happened,
describing in fairly accurate detail the flight conditions prior to
breakup.

The next day, our flight profile was duplicated on the SR-71 flight
simulator at Beale AFB, Calif. The outcome was identical. Steps were
immediately taken to prevent a recurrence of our accident. Testing at
a CG aft of normal limits was discontinued, and trim-drag issues were
subsequently resolved via aerodynamic means. The inlet control system
was continuously improved and, with subsequent development of the
Digital Automatic Flight and Inlet Control System, inlet unstarts
became rare.

Investigation of our accident revealed that the nose section of the
aircraft had broken off aft of the rear cockpit and crashed about 10
mi. from the main wreckage. Parts were scattered over an area
approximately 15 mi. long and 10 mi. wide. Extremely high air loads
and g-forces, both positive and negative, had literally ripped Jim
and me from the airplane. Unbelievably good luck is the only
explanation for my escaping relatively unscathed from that
disintegrating aircraft

Two weeks after the accident, I was back in an SR-71, flying the
first sortie on a brand-new bird at Lockheed's Palmdale, Calif.,
assembly and test facility. It was my first flight since the
accident, so a flight test engineer in the back seat was probably a
little apprehensive about my state of mind and confidence. As we
roared down the runway and lifted off, I heard an anxious voice over
the intercom.

"Bill! Bill! Are you there?"

"Yeah, George. What's the matter?"

"Thank God! I thought you might have left." The rear cockpit of the
SR-71 has no forward visibility--only a small window on each
side--and George couldn't see me. A big red light on the
master-warning panel in the rear cockpit had illuminated just as we
rotated, stating, "Pilot Ejected." Fortunately, the cause was a
misadjusted microswitch, not my departure.

Bill Weaver flight tested all models of the Mach-2 F-104 Starfighter
and the entire family of Mach 3+ Blackbirds--the A-12, YF-12 and
SR-71. He subsequently was assigned to Lockheed's L-1011 project as
an engineering test pilot, became the company's chief pilot and
retired as Division Manager of Commercial Flying Operations. He still
flies Orbital Sciences Corp.'s L-1011, which has been modified to
carry a Pegasus satellite-launch vehicle (AW&ST Aug. 25, 2003, p.
56). An FAA Designated Engineering Representative Flight Test Pilot,
he's also involved in various aircraft-modification projects,
conducting certification flight tests.

[ABX]

Sexual Chocolate, that is a great story, Bill was incredibly lucky to have survived.

Thanks.:ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

If you look at a map you will see that the Crete-Libyia gap is less than 200 miles wide. At 250 the tankers would have been vulnerable had they flown south of the FIR boundary and probably upset the Greeks if they flew to the north.

I would guess the black line was the FIR boundary.

Although the airspace between the territorial limit and the FIR boundary was 'open FIR' and not under national control the Greeks did not see it that way - much as we police NATO airspace around UK the Greeks policed their FIR.

Unless we had formal diplomatic clearance we often had to transit on the FIR boundary.

[Al R]

At the IAT (it wasn't Royal then) at Greenham in 83, the peace sla'aaaags threw paint over one of them. When it finally left, having been wiped over with turps, it did a low pass over the camp and did away with some of their 'benders'.

Wouldn't happen now I imagine.. :=

[Focks 2]

I'm not a military pilot but have flown with lots of them, my question is how did all that JP-7 get to Spain ? Do other types of aircraft fly on JP-7 ?
Tankers were transferred from Mildenhall / Incirlik to Zaragoza. A certain Mr Heath didn't want to upset the Arabs.

ABX, if you're interested, a load of A-12 / Blackshield stuff was declassified earlier this year. Some interesting reading: A-12 Docs (http://www.foia.cia.gov/a12oxcart.asp)

Imagine seeing SA-2's flying alongside you. :uhoh: Analysis of SAM engagements (http://www.foia.cia.gov/search.asp?pageNumber=6&freqReqRecord=a12%2Etxt&refinedText=undefined&freqSearchText=undefined&txtSearch=undefined&exactPhrase=undefined&allWords=undefined&anyWords=undefined&withoutWords=undefined&documentNumber=undefined&startCreatedMonth=&startCreatedDay=&startCreatedYear=&endCreatedMonth=&endCreatedDay=&endCreatedYear=0&startReleasedMonth=&startReleasedDay=&startReleasedYear=&endReleasedMonth=&endReleasedDay=&endReleasedYear=0&sortOrder=DESC)

[Max Shutterspeed]

If anyone wants to tell Santa, here's what I'd like:

https://galleryonepublishing.com/sleddriver/index.html

MS

[Brian Abraham]

Great book Max. He is a photo nut and has some wonderful snaps. You're not getting mine tho.

[Been Accounting]

1968 CIA photo of Airfield in NK
http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001472000/0001472000_0001.gif


2007 Google map
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=%2B38%C2%B0+38'+00.00%22,+%2B125%C2%B0+47'+00.00%22&ie=UTF8&ll=38.653745,125.794144&spn=0.044306,0.079823&t=h&z=14&om=1

[Beagle-eye]

Max Shutterspeed - and anybody else who is interested ...

I have a copy of Brian Shul's Sled Driver on eBay at this time. Just go to ebay.co.uk and type in Sled Driver.

Mods .... if you feel that this breaches the site advertising rules then please feel free to remove.

B-E

[gareth herts]

Great book Max. He is a photo nut and has some wonderful snaps. You're not getting mine tho.

Nor mine - undoubtedly one the best books about flying I've ever read.

[ABX]

Hi bigbluecar,

You're right, that site is very good, I spent about an hour on this morning and I'll spend some more time on it as soon as I can.

Thanks for the link.:ok:

[TEEEJ]

Mach 3.2 with the gear down in a Blackbird. General Sullivan recounts the flight of one A-12 Blackbird.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ghj6oG0jcwk

[muppetofthenorth]

Is this story just folklore, or did it actually happen?
http://www.jumbojoke.com/the_king_of_speed_969.html

[BeechNut]

Sexual Chocolate, that is a great story, Bill was incredibly lucky to have survived.

There's another thread somewhere about the AF crash of an A340 at YYZ in 2005, where everyone walked away. Yet some are suing for $1.4 million a piece, no doubt "traumatized" by their accident, and "suffering" from post-traumatic stress disorder from having their Louis Vuitton luggage barbecued.

Yet this guy hurtles down from 78,000 ft from an experimental airplane that disintegrated at M3, with his dead crewman hurtling down next to him. And what does he do two weeks later?

He gets right back into another one and flies it. You'd think he just had a minor fender bender in the supermarket parking lot...


Balls of steel!

[Max Shutterspeed]

Quote:
Great book Max. He is a photo nut and has some wonderful snaps. You're not getting mine tho.
Nor mine - undoubtedly one the best books about flying I've ever read.

Rotten lot...

Looks like I'll have to drop hints with Mrs Shutterspeed....

[TEEEJ]

Nice find, Focks 2. Thanks for posting. I've heard the story before, but this is first official confirmation that I've seen of the retrieval of a piece of SAM debris from that particular A-12 Blackbird.

[Flying Serpent]

Muppet,
Thanks for the link. That one'll keep me smiling for days.


serpent

:):):):)

[Vatican69]

Sled Driver is going for about £150 - £200 on the net...I may have to treat my self after krimbo

[wileydog3]

I spent a little over 4yrs as a 'tanker toad' and I never dragged anyone into or near a thunderstorm. I did meet some guys in some nasty wx in Thailand, in and around the Laotian and Cambodian boarders and in one case deep into northern Laos where we were on a SAR mission to refuel some F-4s covering a downed F-4. We had to drive around a lot of bumpers and no, we didn't do a standard pattern but all 4 F-4s got a full bag of gas before we had to leave and head back to U-Tapao.

During my time in tankers, we plugged -105s, -106s, B-52s, RC/EC-135 and were tagged by F-100s, RB-66s when we were draggin' the basket but again, it did no one any good driving into cells.

But yes, some did so focused on doing what they thought was the assigned task and screwed things up.. but it didn't happen often.

[Paracab]

Balls of steel indeed Mr BeechNut, but to compare the test pilot of a machine that is fairly extreme at the best of times with a bunch of SLF who paid to arrive somewhere with non-barbecued luggage but didn't is not really a fair comparison.

Not taking anything away from the TP at all.

[Brian Abraham]

I imagine that a loaded tanker would normally stay well clear of storms, brewing or not

I think the clue may be the pilots “very low on fuel” and “with less than 15 minutes of fuel remaining we hooked up” comments. Not something the tanker crew would have done lightly.

“A special bond developed between our tanker and SR-71 crews that didn’t exist throughout the Air Force. They took considerable pride in their work because of the exclusive SR-71 refuelling. They knew, and so did we, that the SR-71 mission success was directly related to our ability to get refuelled in the air. They were always somewhere in the murk and dark of night with a load of fuel waiting for us. It was a comforting feeling to have tanker crews, who you knew well, doing your refuelings.

It was important for the tankers to be in the air refuelling track 30 minutes before prior to the SR-71’s arrival to check on weather conditions. The SR had no weather radar and crews relied heavily on the tanker’s weather recommendations. Frequently, the tankers had to move the ARCP because of bad weather, necessitating a different arrival route from the SR-71.

Complicating any tanker rendezvous was the decel of the 71 was a manoeuvre which left little room for error. Pilots didn’t have the latitude to change throttle settings at random or add and subtract drag devices to modify their rate of descent. Once the throttles were brought out of AB at 78,000 feet (200 miles to run), the bottom out point was basically set. The engines and inlets had to be managed in a precise configuration to preclude unstarts, compressor stalling and flameouts (a few crews got to log glider time). Once 1.3 Mach (25 miles to run) had been reached throttles could then be used to adjust the descent profile.” Richard Graham, Pilot SR-71

“……..charging off the runway in this jet was always exciting. I’d usually scare myself once in every five takeoffs. Well, maybe twice in five….” Anon Sled Pilot

Brian Shul “Sled Driver” – The cockpit was my office. It was a place where I experienced many emotions and learned many lessons. It was a place of work, but also a keeper of dreams. It was a place of deadly serious encounters, yet there I discovered much about life. I learned about joy and sorrow, pride and humility, and fear, and overcoming fear. I saw much from that office that most people would never see. At times it terrified me, yet I would always feel at home there. It was my place, at that time in space, and the jet was mine for those moments. Though it was a place where I could quickly die, the cockpit was a place where I truly lived.

All aviators, if not having experienced the full gamut of that quote themselves, will I think understand where Brian comes from.

[Gainesy]

Muppet, I believe it's true.:)
There is also the one along the lines of an SR-71 asking "For Flight Level 58" and a rather smug ATCer answering, "Its your's if you can get it" to which the 71 replied "Roger, descending through 65".

Don't know if that one is true though.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

Must be true because I had a car like that. It was a VW Passat that burned oil at a slow rate. I never had to check though because on the way home, there was a cloverleaf and if I took it at about 40 mph, when the oil was low, the pick up would cavitate and the oil warning light would illuminate.

I also used to happily drive that car into thunderstorms.

[Paracab]

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 inquired the same. "120 knots," Center answered.
We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day...almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Uh, 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.

:D

[West Coast]

Makes for a nice story, but I think a little license was taken by the author about that one.

[Brian Abraham]

Mach 3.2 with the gear down in a Blackbird

Record has to be the X-15. On one flight the nose gear extended at 4.2M, and on another, one main gear leg (skid) extended at 4.3M. Landings accomplished OK.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Excellent thread. I've enjoyed all the references; thanks to the contributors. One thing I appreciate - not only were these operators technically proficient, but some were also capable of describing what they did in a remarkably articulate fashion. Amazing to read what was going on while I was still a schoolboy. :ok:

[ABX]

Great videos here (http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/srvid~1.htm), I particularly enjoyed number 2 - Take off, touch & go, landing.

[dagenham]

In the late 80s I was working not a million miles away from the DET in a secret suffolk airbase, within a much more well known suffolk airbase and was talking to crew chief in the nearby local ( three horse shoes higham top pie and chips)

He was asking if I knew anywhere they could get 99.99% pure Nitrogen as the cockpit of the HABU was pressurised with the stuff. BOC could only supply 99.96 or sum such and I asked him why 0.001 was so important. He told me that it was because they flew so fast and the cockpits were getting so hot they had a few spontanous ingnitions. I asked him how fast they where flying as I heard Mach 3 and change, he replied Yeah that's how fast " they" ( other side ) had gone and each time they fly faster we just put the hammer down a little more and we have plenty left.... Ramjets doncha know, inlet generates 99% of the thrust and the more we open them, the faster we go.

On the fuel side he also told me you had to light the fuel with a blow torch, apparently one of the tanker guys tried to light a BBQ with it and it just put everything out, it has to be ingnited by paladium catalysts or some such in the J79.

Might just be bar talk...be interested to know if it wasn't

[Brian Abraham]

Bar talk I fear dagenham. From the flight manual.

The cockpit is normally pressurised to either 10,000 or 26,000 feet with air bled from the engines ninth stage compressor. 26,000 is preferred as it allows greater airflow through the cockpit and enhances cooling. Cockpit temperature can be controlled by rheostat between 40 and 100°F. A duct high temperature limit sensor operates with AUTO TEMP selected to limit cockpit air to a maximum of 126°F. A high limit switch is also provided which limits cockpit air to 155°F in auto or manual control.

The aircraft has 600 cc (enough for 16 injections) of Triethylborane (TEB) carried in a tank on each engine. TEB will burn spontaneously with exposure to air above –5°C and is injected into the combustion chamber to light the JP-7 fuel on engine start and also whenever afterburner is selected. Catalytic igniters attached to the afterburner flame holders tend to maintain afterburner operation after initial ignition.

At sea level static conditions, military thrust is approximately 70% of maximum thrust. At high altitude military thrust is approximately 28% of the maximum thrust available.

Minimum afterburner thrust is approximately 85% of maximum afterburner thrust at sea level and approximately 55% at high altitude.

Aircraft carries 262 liters of liquid nitrogen for fuel tank pressurisation and inerting (to prevent autogenous ignition). Each hydraulic reservoir (4 off) is pressurised by separate gaseous nitrogen bottles.

[Magoodotcom]

Great videos here, I particularly enjoyed number 2 - Take off, touch & go, landing.

Love the 'Black is Black' music - very apt! And what about the acceleration of the SR compared to the camera ship on the go around! :ooh: Truly one of the greatest aircraft ever designed!


I can relate a story second hand from a colleague who was a former SR pilot...

He was flying missions over a foreign land after an 'event' in the 1980s. On one such mission after departing the target area and heading back out towards a refuel, he became partially hypoxic and consequently started his decel late, leaving him in danger of overshooting the tanker.

On a tanker join up, as with most 'tanker tracks', the KC-135Qs would fly a racetrack pattern with an extended final base leg to the intended tanker track before turning onto the final heading ahead of the SR which would catch up and plug in.

In this case, the RSO radioed ahead to the tankers to ask them to make their turn off base early and extend as much as they could, otherwise the SR was going to fly right by them. By this time, the pilot was back 'with us' and began a series of long S-turns to try to bleed off speed and altitude.

Unfortunately the early turn put the tankers on a direct course for a storm. When the aircraft plugged in and the tanker boomer was able to talk to the SR crew, he had a squeaky voice. It turns out the tanker had blown a windscreen in the storm and the whole crew was on oxygen, but they'd stayed and tanked the SR as requested.

Apparently that tanker crew couldn't buy a drink back at the Det for a week!

Cheers

Magoo

[Dan Winterland]

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb73/dbchippy/A2A020.jpg

The tankers were KC135Q models - dedicated to the SR71 because they had to have separate tanks for the JP7 which the 135 couldn't burn. The RVs with the tanker were usually radio silent, but the two aircraft could communicate via the intercom in the boom system once the SR71 was plugged in.

On the trip I took this photo, the 'in contact' chat was a discussion as to whether chicken pox was a sexually transmitted disease, as one complete KC135Q crew on TDY to Mildenhall had all come down with it. It transpired they had all been seeing the same girl in Cambridge!

[ABX]

Great photo, that aeroplane has to be a nomination for the best looking aircraft of all time award!:ok:

Chicken pox? I guess under some circumstances it could be a STD!:}

[Launchpad McQuack]

I found a book on special in the local bookshop about SR-71s...I forget the title but it was a great read.

I remember one story about a recon sortie to/near Murmansk...various Russian aircraft launched to intercept the Blackbird, with the usual result...however having made the turn back to the UK, the SR-71 flew passed a missile trail...:eek:

...The crew promptly **** themselves, until they realised they'd just crossed their inbound track and that it was a contrail they'd left behind...which puzzled them as they didn't believe contrails were possible at that altitude (FL800+).

Slightly off-tack...are there any SR-71s on display at any of the London Museums?

[Focks 2]

Slightly off-tack...are there any SR-71s on display at any of the London Museums?
Yep, 962 is at the American Air Museum, Duxford. Some shots (http://www.habu.org/sr-71/17962a.html) of her shortly after delivery.

Another good book on SR-71 development and testing
here (http://www.sagemesa.com/blackbird.php). If you email Donn Byrnes (co-author), I'm sure he'd be more than happy to sign your copy.

[Shutup_and_drive]

on the subject of tanker crews going above and beyond,....

During Desert Smort, I was plugged in to a Victor Tanker on several occasions and the fact that we crossed the FLOT whilst doing so was of no apparent interest to the Tanker crew. Much needed gas taken whilst sausage-side, and they were there when we RTBd, southbound, an hour later. :ok:

[ABX]

For the uninitiated (me) could someone define FLOT please?

[BEagle]

Forward Line of Own Troops
or Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre....

I suspect the former, in this particular case.

[ABX]

BEagle, thank you sir, I suspect that you are right. The former sounds a little more like a military term.:)

[Beeayeate]

BEagle, thank you sir, I suspect that you are right. The former sounds a little more like a military term.

Mmm . . . you obviously don't know of the combat capabilities of the Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre.

:cool:

[luffers79]

> *The Incredible SR-71 - a Pilot Remembers
> *
>
> Here is a very interesting account of remembrances of a former pilot about
> the SR-71 and it's capabilities. The pilot's name, the author of this
> account, is unknown.
>
> In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco,
> President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist camps
> in Libya. My duty was to fly over Libya and take photos recording the
> damage our F-111s had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a "line of
> death," a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra, swearing to shoot
> down any intruder that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I
> rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.
>
> I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world's fastest jet, accompanied
> by Maj. Walter Watson, the aircraft's reconnaissance systems officer
> (RSO). We had crossed into Libya and were approaching our final turn over
> the bleak desert landscape when Walter informed me that he was receiving
> missile launch signals. I quickly increased our speed, calculating the
> time it would take for the weapons-most likely SA-2 and SA-4
> surface-to-air missiles capable of Mach 5 - to reach our altitude. I
> estimated that we could beat the rocket-powered missiles to the turn and
> stayed our course, betting our lives on the plane's performance.
>
> After several agonizingly long seconds, we made the turn and blasted
> toward the Mediterranean. "You might want to pull it back," Walter
> suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full
> forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our
> Mach 3.2 limit. It was the fastest we would ever fly. I pulled the
> throttles to idle just south of Sicily, but we still overran the refueling
> tanker awaiting us over Gibraltar.
>
> Scores of significant aircraft have been produced in the 100 years of
> flight, following the achievements of the Wright brothers, which we
> celebrate in December. Aircraft such as the Boeing 707, the F-86 Sabre
> Jet, and the P-51 Mustang are among the important machines that have flown
> our skies. But the SR-71, also known as the Blackbird, stands alone as a
> significant contributor to Cold War victory and as the fastest plane
> ever-and only 93 Air Force pilots ever steered the "sled," as we called
> our aircraft.
>
> As inconceivable as it may sound, I once discarded the plane. Literally.
> My first encounter with the SR-71 came when I was 10 years old in the form
> of molded black plastic in a Revell kit. Cementing together the long
> fuselage parts proved tricky, and my finished product looked less than
> menacing. Glue,oozing from the seams, discolored the black plastic. It
> seemed ungainly alongside the fighter planes in my collection, and I threw
> it away.
>
> Twenty-nine years later, I stood awe-struck in a Beale Air Force Base
> hangar, staring at the very real SR-71 before me. I had applied to fly the
> world's fastest jet and was receiving my first walk-around of our nation's
> most prestigious aircraft. In my previous 13 years as an Air Force fighter
> pilot, I had never seen an aircraft with such presence. At 107 feet long,
> it appeared big, but far from ungainly.
>
> Ironically, the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model I had
> assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down
> on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches
> because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of
> the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been
> built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams,
> but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints.
>
> The SR-71 was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson, the famed Lockheed designer
> who created the P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2. After the
> Soviets shot down Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960, Johnson began to develop an
> aircraft that would fly three miles higher and five times faster than the
> spy plane-and still be capable of photographing your license plate.
> However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat on the aircraft's
> skin. Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy to construct more than 90
> percent of the SR-71, creating special tools and manufacturing procedures
> to hand-build each of the 40 planes. Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and
> hydraulic fluids that would function at 85,000 feet and higher also had to
> be developed.
>
> In 1962, the first Blackbird successfully flew, and in 1966, the same year
> I graduated from high school, the Air Force began flying operational SR-71
> missions. I came to the program in 1983 with a sterling record and a
> recommendation from my commander, completing the week long interview and
> meeting Walter, my partner for the next four years. He would ride four
> feet behind me, working all the cameras, radios, and electronic jamming
> equipment. I joked that if we were ever captured, he was the spy and I was
> just the driver. He told me to keep the pointy end forward.
>
> We trained for a year, flying out of Beale AFB in California, Kadena
> Airbase in Okinawa, and RAF Mildenhall in England. On a typical training
> mission, we would take off near Sacramento, refuel over Nevada, accelerate
> into Montana, obtain high Mach over Colorado, turn right over New Mexico,
> speed across the Los Angeles Basin, run up the West Coast, turn right at
> Seattle, then return to Beale. Total flight time: two hours and 40
> minutes.
>
> One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all
> the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic
> controllers to check his ground speed. "Ninety knots," ATC replied. A twin
> Bonanza soon made the same request. "One-twenty on the ground," was the
> reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground
> speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground
> speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers
> in the valley know what real speed was. "Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on
> the ground," ATC responded.
>
> The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in
> the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller
> by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above
> controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller
> replied, "Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground." We did not
> hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
>
> The Blackbird always showed us something new, each aircraft possessing its
> own unique personality. In time, we realized we were flying a national
> treasure. When we taxied out of our revetments for takeoff, people took
> notice. Traffic congregated near the airfield fences, because everyone
> wanted to see and hear the mighty SR-71. You could not be a part of this
> program and not come to love the airplane. Slowly, she revealed her
> secrets to us as we earned her trust.
>
> One moonless night, while flying a routine training mission over the
> Pacific, I wondered what the sky would look like from 84,000 feet if the
> cockpit lighting were dark. While heading home on a straight course, I
> slowly turned down all of the lighting, reducing the glare and revealing
> the night sky. Within seconds, I turned the lights back up, fearful that
> the jet would know and somehow punish me. But my desire to see the sky
> overruled my caution, I dimmed the lighting again.
>
> To my amazement, I saw a bright light outside my window. As my eyes
> adjusted to the view, I realized that the brilliance was the broad expanse
> of the Milky Way, now a gleaming stripe across the sky.Where dark spaces
> in the sky had usually existed, there were now dense clusters of sparkling
> stars. Shooting stars flashed across the canvas every few seconds. It was
> like a fireworks display with no sound.
>
> I knew I had to get my eyes back on the instruments, and reluctantly I
> brought my attention back inside. To my surprise, with the cockpit
> lighting still off, I could see every gauge, lit by starlight. In the
> plane's mirrors, I could see the eerie shine of my gold spacesuit
> incandescently illuminated in a celestial glow. I stole one last glance
> out the window. Despite our speed, we seemed still before the heavens,
> humbled in the radiance of a much greater power. For those few moments, I
> felt a part of something far more significant than anything we were doing
> in the plane. The sharp sound of Walt's voice on the radio brought me back
> to the tasks at hand as I prepared for our descent.
>
> The SR-71 was an expensive aircraft to operate. The most significant cost
> was tanker support, and in 1990, confronted with budget cutbacks, the Air
> Force retired the SR-71. The Blackbird had outrun nearly 4,000 missiles,
> not once taking a scratch from enemy fire. On her final flight, the
> Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum,
> sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and
> setting four speed records.
>
> The SR-71 served six presidents, protecting America for a quarter of a
> century. Unbeknown to most of the country, the plane flew over North
> Vietnam, Red China, North Korea, the Middle East, South Africa, Cuba,
> Nicaragua, Iran, Libya, and the Falkland Islands. On a weekly basis, the
> SR-71 kept watch over every Soviet nuclear submarine and mobile missile
> site, and all of their troop movements. It was a key factor in winning the
> Cold War.
>
> I am proud to say I flew about 500 hours in this aircraft. I knew her
> well. She gave way to no plane, proudly dragging her sonic boom through
> enemy backyards with great impunity. She defeated every missile, outran
> every MiG, and always brought us home. In the first 100 years of manned
> flight, no aircraft was more remarkable.
>
> With the Libyan coast fast approaching now, Walt asks me for the third
> time, if I think the jet will get to the speed and altitude we want in
> time. I tell him yes. I know he is concerned. He is dealing with the data;
> that's what engineers do, and I am glad he is. But I have my hands on the
> stick and throttles and can feel the heart of a thoroughbred, running now
> with the power and perfection she was designed to possess. I also talk to
> her. Like the combat veteran she is, the jet senses the target area and
> seems to prepare herself.
>
> For the first time in two days, the inlet door closes flush and all
> vibration is gone. We've become so used to the constant buzzing that the
> jet sounds quiet now in comparison. The Mach correspondingly increases
> slightly and the jet is flying in that confidently smooth and steady style
> we have so often seen at these speeds. We reach our target altitude and
> speed, with five miles to spare. Entering the target area, in response to
> the jet's new-found vitality, Walt says, "That's amazing" and with my left
> hand pushing two throttles farther forward, I think to myself that there
> is much they don't teach in engineering school.
>
> Out my left window, Libya looks like one huge sandbox. A featureless brown
> terrain stretches all the way to the horizon. There is no sign of any
> activity. Then Walt tells me that he is getting lots of electronic
> signals, and they are not the friendly kind. The jet is performing
> perfectly now, flying better than she has in weeks. She seems to know
> where she is. She likes the high Mach, as we penetrate deeper into Libyan
> airspace. Leaving the footprint of our sonic boom across Benghazi, I sit
> motionless, with stilled hands on throttles and the pitch control, my eyes
> glued to the gauges.
>
> Only the Mach indicator is moving, steadily increasing in hundredths, in a
> rhythmic consistency similar to the long distance runner who has caught
> his second wind and picked up the pace. The jet was made for this kind of
> performance and she wasn't about to let an errant inlet door make her miss
> the show. With the power of forty locomotives, we puncture the quiet
> African sky and continue farther south across a bleak landscape.
>
> Walt continues to update me with numerous reactions he sees on the DEF
> panel. He is receiving missile tracking signals. With each mile we
> traverse, every two seconds, I become more uncomfortable driving deeper
> into this barren and hostile land. I am glad the DEF panel is not in the
> front seat. It would be a big distraction now, seeing the lights flashing.
> In contrast, my cockpit is "quiet" as the jet purrs and relishes her
> new-found strength, continuing to slowly accelerate.
>
> The spikes are full aft now, tucked twenty-six inches deep into the
> nacelles. With all inlet doors tightly shut, at 3.24 Mach, the J-58s are
> more like ramjets now, gulping 100,000 cubic feet of air per second. We
> are a roaring express now, and as we roll through the enemy's backyard, I
> hope our speed continues to defeat the missile radars below. We are
> approaching a turn, and this is good. It will only make it more difficult
> for any launched missile to solve the solution for hitting our aircraft.
>
> I push the speed up at Walt's request. The jet does not skip a beat,
> nothing fluctuates, and the cameras have a rock steady platform. Walt
> received missile launch signals. Before he can say anything else, my left
> hand instinctively moves the throttles yet farther forward. My eyes are
> glued to temperature gauges now, as I know the jet will willingly go to
> speeds that can harm her. The temps are relatively cool and from all the
> warm temps we've encountered thus far, this surprises me but then, it
> really doesn't surprise me. Mach 3.31 and Walt is quiet for the moment.
>
> I move my gloved finder across the small silver wheel on the autopilot
> panel which controls the aircraft's pitch. With the deft feel known to
> Swiss watchmakers, surgeons, and "dinosaurs" (old-time pilots who not only
> fly an airplane but "feel it"), I rotate the pitch wheel somewhere between
> one-sixteenth and one-eighth inch location, a position which yields the
> 500-foot-per-minute climb I desire. The jet raises her nose one-sixth of a
> degree and knows, I'll push her higher as she goes faster. The Mach
> continues to rise, but during this segment of our route, I am in no mood
> to pull throttles back.
>
> Walt's voice pierces the quiet of my cockpit with the news of more missile
> launch signals. The gravity of Walter's voice tells me that he believes
> the signals to be a more valid threat than the others. Within seconds he
> tells me to "push it up" and I firmly press both throttles against their
> stops. For the next few seconds, I will let the jet go as fast as she
> wants. A final turn is coming up and we both know that if we can hit that
> turn at this speed, we most likely will defeat any missiles. We are not
> there yet, though, and I'm wondering if Walt will call for a defensive
> turn off our course.
>
> With no words spoken, I sense Walter is thinking in concert with me about
> maintaining our programmed course. To keep from worrying, I glance
> outside, wondering if I'll be able to visually pick up a missile aimed at
> us. Odd are the thoughts that wander through one's mind in times like
> these. I found myself recalling the words of former SR-71 pilots who were
> fired upon while flying missions over North Vietnam. They said the few
> errant missile detonations they were able to observe from the cockpit
> looked like implosions rather than explosions. This was due to the great
> speed at which the jet was hurling away from the exploding missile.
>
> I see nothing outside except the endless expanse of a steel blue sky and
> the broad patch of tan earth far below. I have only had my eyes out of the
> cockpit for seconds, but it seems like many minutes since I have last
> checked the gauges inside. Returning my attention inward, I glance first
> at the miles counter telling me how many more to go, until we can start
> our turn. Then I note the Mach, and passing beyond 3.45, I realize that
> Walter and I have attained new personal records. The Mach continues to
> increase. The ride is incredibly smooth.
>
> There seems to be a confirmed trust now, between me and the jet; she will
> not hesitate to deliver whatever speed we need, and I can count on no
> problems with the inlets. Walt and I are ultimately depending on the jet
> now - more so than normal - and she seems to know it. The cooler outside
> temperatures have awakened the spirit born into her years ago, when men
> dedicated to excellence took the time and care to build her well. With
> spikes and doors as tight as they can get, we are racing against the time
> it could take a missile to reach our altitude.
>
> It is a race this jet will not let us lose. The Mach eases to 3.5 as we
> crest 80,000 feet. We are a bullet now - except faster. We hit the turn,
> and I feel some relief as our nose swings away from a country we have seen
> quite enough of. Screaming past Tripoli, our phenomenal speed continues to
> rise, and the screaming Sled pummels the enemy one more time, laying down
> a parting sonic boom. In seconds, we can see nothing but the expansive
> blue of the Mediterranean. I realize that I still have my left hand
> full-forward and we're continuing to rocket along in maximum afterburner.
>
> The TDI now shows us Mach numbers, not only new to our experience but flat
> out scary. Walt says the DEF panel is now quiet, and I know it is time to
> reduce our incredible speed. I pull the throttles to the min 'burner range
> and the jet still doesn't want to slow down. Normally the Mach would be
> affected immediately, when making such a large throttle movement. But for
> just a few moments old 960 just sat out there at the high Mach, she seemed
> to love and like the proud Sled she was, only began to slow when we were
> well out of danger. I loved that jet.
>
> Submitted by Col PSC

[gareth herts]

That account is from Brian Shul who wrote "Sled Driver".

Cheers

Gareth

[mike1964]

Okay, so he built his Revell kit when he was 10. 29 years later (age 39? Perhaps consistent with his 13 years in the Air Force at that stage) he joins the SR71 programme, apparently in 1983. So that means he built his Revell kit in 1954. A tad unlikely? The whole narrative has a wet-dreamish air about it.

[Fugazi1000]

luffers,

I am inclined to believe that the article is an amalgamation of lots of SR71 anecdotes put together as one man's tale. I have heard variants of sections of the text attributed to very different (and credible) people.

Take the Interweb with a pinch of salt. :uhoh:

[struggle]

For what it's worth, there is a book called the Skunk Works by Ben Rich.

He became the Head of Special projects for the FBI and one of the designers of the sled amongst other things. A cracking read and contains quite a few pilot anecdotes.

[MR. PROACH]

Whilst Brian Shul may have taken a tad of literary licence, it may be to attempt company with such a machine. The photographs are also his, and I believe the stories are all, very, true.

He was unfortunate enough to be shot down over Vietnam, suffering considerably to survive. His A7 might not have treated him as fairly as the Sled would years later, but perhaps such things are necessary in order to give us mortals a glance at a time and place we might all wish were ours.

I was fortunate to meet the man at Reno some years back. I treasure my copy of Sled Driver. I lament that such machines, men, and stories are few, and our 21st century promises little in the way of such story telling.

[Launchpad McQuack]

With regards to my earlier post which mentioned a book I bought a few years back and thoroughly enjoyed...I now know it was one of Paul Crickmore's.

As a point of interest, if anybody is after his latest book 'Lockheed Blackbird - Beyond The Secret Missions' (pub 2004, 400 pages HDCV) then have a hunt on eBay or PM me and I'll give you the direct link...

...It's worth reasonable coin these days but I found a couple of new cheap copies (15 pounds, bought one myself) being sold by a UK eBay seller. It's regarded as one of the ultimate SR-71 publications, check Amazon to get an idea of what it's worth second-hand :eek:

LP

[EyesFront]

'Lockheed Blackbird - Beyond The Secret Missions'


I happen to be reading it at the moment. To be more accurate, it's been next to my bed for several weeks, and I dip in to read a few pages when I have time.... Didn't know it was appreciating though....

I was particularly interested in the early chapters about the A12, as this version is largely forgotten these days. I hadn't realised they'd built quite so many, or that they did quite so much work.

[anotherthing]

Mmm . . . you obviously don't know of the combat capabilities of the Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre.



Is that the dancing troupe?

I'll get me coat

[Launchpad McQuack]

I happen to be reading it at the moment.


I haven't received mine yet but looking forward to it, especially after your words.


Didn't know it was appreciating though


Apparently it is! Nothing on par with 'Sled Driver' however, which is well out of my reach for the time being :{

[EyesFront]

> Here is a very interesting account of remembrances of a former pilot about
> the SR-71 and it's capabilities. The pilot's name, the author of this
> account, is unknown.
>
> In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco,
> President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist camps
> in Libya. My duty was to fly over Libya and take photos recording the
> damage our F-111s had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a "line of
> death," a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra, swearing to shoot
> down any intruder that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I
> rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.
>
> I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world's fastest jet, accompanied
> by Maj. Walter Watson, the aircraft's reconnaissance systems officer
> (RSO).


After reading this fascinating story yesterday - and I agree it seems to be an amalgam of several crews' experiences - I looked up Brian Shul and Walter Watson in the index of 'Beyond the secret missions'. According to this book, they were launched as backup SR71 for several of the BDA missions over Libya but I'm not sure they ever had to complete the primary mission themselves. Assuming no problems with the primary aircraft, they had a point at which they would turn away before overflying the target area. I wonder if this is the turn mentioned in the story, whose rather florid prose style suggests that the ghost writer was suitably impressed!

Not that it matters ... they were all incredible men in an amazing aircraft.

[Focks 2]

According to this book, they were launched as backup SR71 for several of the BDA missions over Libya but I'm not sure they ever had to complete the primary mission themselves.

Yep, Brian and Walt were the back-up for the first Libyan job but were not needed. The second mission had Brian and Walt as primary but they had a sensor failure near the target area. The back-up never received the call, so that called for a third mission for which Brian and Walt were back-up, and again not needed. So they probably made it to Libya.:)

[phil gollin]

Fascinating - but no items about the negative political consequences of such overt (even for a semi-stealth aircraft) breaking of international law.

The technology seems to blind people to the problems such operations raised with other countries.

And some of the wilder claims are, to say the least, open to interpretation.

.

[Pontius Navigator]

Phil,

The Blackbird was not the only aircraft to violate foreign territorial airspace.

On at least one occasions a Foxbat violated Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and West German airspace and that was just in a turn :)

[gareth herts]

Yep, Brian and Walt were the back-up for the first Libyan job but were not needed. The second mission had Brian and Walt as primary but they had a sensor failure near the target area. The back-up never received the call, so that called for a third mission for which Brian and Walt were back-up, and again not needed. So they probably made it to Libya.

Just to add that it actually says in Sled Driver that Brian and Walt flew in on the night of the raid and passed the F-111s (rocking their wings) as they flew out. Both the Mildenhall jets flew that night so I presume they were primary crew for one of these missions.

Anyway, it's a wonderful book and one that conveys brilliantly what it was like to be involved with the jet. I don't blame him for being dreamy at all!

Gareth

[EyesFront]

To be exact - and at the risk of being rather sad and spotterish - the primary SR71 for the initial BDA flight was flown by Jerry Glasser and Ron Tabor, with messrs Shul and Watson flying the spare. Both aircraft performed faultlessly, but there was cloud over the target, so they got no usable imagery. The crews swapped roles the following day but the primary had a malfunction of the optical bar camera, and the targets were obscured by sand storms. For the third mission, the primary was flown by Bernie Smith and Denny Whalen, with Shul and Watson as spare. This time the targets were clear and they got their pictures. According to my book, the recce team were frustrated because they could have got the BDA info from the first sortie if they'd been allowed to use their radar sensors.

Apparently the missions were timed so that the primary aircraft would be coming off target as the spare was turning into the Mediterranean refuelling track. If the primary had a problem, the spare would continue to the target. Otherwise it would turn back to England.

For (much) more detail, see pages 290 to 301 of 'Beyond the secret missions'. It mentions Shul heading out to refuel off Cornwall, and seeing the returning F111s several thousand feet below, and that they acknowledged each other by rocking wings

[BombayDuck]

On at least one occasions a Foxbat violated Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and West German airspace and that was just in a turn

And on one occasion, Islamabad! :ok:

[gareth herts]

Thanks for the clarification.

While Shul states in 'Sled Driver' that both jets were up that night he doesn't make it clear whether they were heading in first or second!

[Focks 2]

Do you ever get the feeling you're typing in Ewok?? :hmm:


To be exact

Oh EyesFront, you're slacking there. To be even more exact it was Lt-Col Jerry Glasser and Maj Ron Tabor. :} If you can get they're wives dates of birth, you'll be ahead again. :p

[EyesFront]

Only if you have a 'need to know' :-)

The info was all extracted from the book but I'll be b**gered if I was going to type it all out... the book has a habit ot outlining the bare events, then going though them in more detail, then throwing any personal accounts into a third iteration. It's very thorough, but I did find at least one inconsistency: the first time it mentions the third BDA mission it names Glasser and Tabor as the spare crew instead of Shul and Watson, who are duly named in the detailed account

I'd ask for a refund, only I can't remember where or when I bought the book...

[EyesFront]

The book describes a lot of aircraft losses in detail, but here's a summary of the one that really caught my imagination:

"On 25th January 1966, Lockheed test pilots Bill Weaver and Jim Zwayer took off on a test flight. With the aircraft in a 30 degree bank at 80,000 feet at a speed of mach 3.2, the aircraft went out of control and broke up - the entire forebody became detached from the main body. The cockpit canopies were blown off and the two men were blown clear - the pilot's ejector seat was later found still in the cockpit section. Bill Weaver regained consciousness and found that his suit had inflated and was doing its job as his personal survival capsule. His parachute was activated by the barometric sensor and he landed safely. When his visor cleared he was reassured to see his RSO's parachute coming down nearby, but unfortunately Jim Zwayer didn't survive."

[mustpost]

Er.. see post 7 ON THIS THREAD? :suspect:

[Flight Detent]

What an awesome machine it is....
I was in Palmdale in June 1986 as part of a RAAF flight crew getting ready to flight test a brand new Lockheed P3C right out of the factory there, and then fly it back to Australia. Anyway, late one Saturday afternoon I had to visit the factory to pick up something or other and saw to my amazement they had both a U-2 and an SR-71 parked together on the apron, all with nobody about, apparently preparing for a factory families showday that was to be held the following day!
Anyway, I pulled up, climbed the stand beside the SR-71 cockpit and looked in. I must have been there for a couple of minutes before a security guard drove up and 'insisted' I move on, and for some reason made a big deal about checking my ID and factory access pass (which I still have!).
I will never forget those few short minutes eagerly looking inside the cockpit of such a potent machine!
As the years pass by I realize the pure luck I experienced that day, and, of course, also lucky not to be thrown in jail as a security concern!

A really great memory,
Cheers...FD :ok:

[blue monday]

During my time in the RAF i remember hearing stories that after the loss of a U2 in Russia and the captue of the USAF Pilot from that point on when the SR71 or U2 flew over Russia it was crewed by RAF pilots, or was that just the U2 or maybe just NAAFI bull****!? The more i think about it the more ridiculous the story seems TBH:suspect:

[Pontius Navigator]

blue monday, the stories were undoubtedly true, just wrong :)

The origin os the stories predated the U2 shoot down by a number of years. I believe you will find stories both here and on the internet and I think the aircraft involved were B45s and in Eisenhower's time. It was potentially less politically embarassing if USAF or CIA personnel were not involved.

You will also find stories of the RB47 penetrations deep into Soviet airspace.

IMHO the Soviets were quite rightly paranoid about western attack, after all every man and his dog had attacked them in 1917-1921, then Germany, an erstwhile ally attacked them, then Patton and others made it equally clear what they would like to do, then the atom spies showed how the west was planning a pre-emptive strike. Mmm

[brickhistory]

PN is dead on about the Soviet paranoia of being invaded. It's part of their mental make-up. History goes back even farther if you include Imperial Russia.

That other short corporal, the French one, did a number on the Russians as well as the examples given previously.

So, why in the hell is NATO going right up to the Russian border? The US putting its ABM sites in Poland? Yes, I know the physics won't support that site negating Russian ICBMs, but the thought of a US and/or NATO base that close to the border? C'mon...........

It gives Putin considerable pause for thought and I can't really blame him.


Regarding the returning F-111s and the SR-71 meeting, I did a story on the raid and the crews commented specifically about the overflight and wingrock.

[West Coast]

Any chance of posting it here?????

Is the other book anywhere near publication?

[brickhistory]

Hunting for an agent and/or publisher for the Weasel book.

Here's the text from the F-111 story (mods, let me know if it's should be deleted).

TIMING IS EVERYTHING:
The Longest Fighter Mission

“I saw a bright flash and fireball just ahead to my left. I knew it probably marked the spot where somebody was going down, but I didn’t know who.”

This is one of the vivid memories that “JP-4” Pearson carries to this day. He was the last of eighteen strike aircraft hitting targets in Tripoli, Libya on the night of April 14/15, 1986. In addition to be being the prototype of today’s precision-guided strikes against terrorist targets, Operation EL DORADO CANYON included the longest fighter mission in history.

THE PLAN

Throughout 1985 and into 1986, Libyan-sponsored terrorists had struck repeatedly at American targets. Tensions rose until the final straw on April 5, 1986, an explosion at a Berlin nightclub heavily frequented by US servicemen killed two GIs and wounded another 79.

The Reagan Administration decided it was time to show American resolve. Contingency plans developed by the Department of Defense were built should ‘go’ be ordered.

One of those units most likely to ‘go’ was the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. “The Liberty Wing” flew the ‘F’ model of General Dynamics’ F-111 strike aircraft. Using its advanced avionics, especially its Pave Tack laser targeting pod, the ‘Aardvark’ delivered precision guided weapons on the deck at night or bad weather.

Since the 1985 Christmas season, a small group of 48th planners had devised and revised a plan to send a surgical strike package of six jets into the heart of the formidable Libyan air defense system to take out one or two of Qaddafi’s high value assets.

Finally, President Reagan ordered the military to respond. Instead of the small strike against closely placed targets in Tripoli, however, Reagan swung for the fence and insisted that a wide range of targets be hit. Due to the scope and geographically dispersed positions of the additional targets, both the US Navy, using two carriers then in the Mediterranean and UK-based aircraft would be needed.
The Navy would strike the easternmost targets around Benghazi and provide SAM suppression and fighter cover for the ‘Varks’ area.

The 48th drew three targets; the Azziziyah Barracks, a terrorist command and control center as well as being the dictator’s headquarters compound; the Murrat Sidi Bilal base, a terrorist training facility, and, well to the south, military transport aircraft at the Tripoli airport.

Unfortunately for the 48th, this decision to enlarge the mission occurred only 40 hours before the fragged TOT (time over target). All the carefully laid plans were scrapped. Instead of six jets, 18 were needed to hit all the targets. The F-111 could be temperamental with all its advanced systems, so to ensure the minimum number of strikers, an additional six jets would take off as air spares. To ensure that at least 24 good jets left the ground, another six jets were prepped. In addition to the bomb droppers from Lakenheath, four EF-111s (plus one spare) would launch from nearby RAF Upper Heyford to supply radar jamming or suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD).

Complicating the picture was the refusal of France and Spain to let US warplanes overfly their territories. This meant that the F-111s needed 29 air refueling tankers to strike.

In all, 57 USAF aircraft would launch to put 18 on target, on time. Crews for all of these aircraft had to be briefed and primed for the arduous mission, not an easy task to accomplish in the time remaining.

THE MISSION

In the new plan, nine F-111Fs would hit Azziziyah, six the airfield, and three to Sidi Bilal. By taking the Barracks out, the US hoped to deal a knock out blow to both terrorism and the Libyan military’s leadership.

Unfortunately, the new plan required all nine aircraft to attack along the same route. Even though the crews expressed reservations about this tactic, knowing it would leave the last strikers extremely vulnerable to alerted anti-aircraft artillery (triple A) and surface to air missiles (SAMs). However, due to the much larger joint USN-USAF packages, there wasn’t time to deconflict routes with the Navy. USAF aircraft needed to stay clear of the USN and vice-versa to avoid ‘blue on blue’ incidents. A crew would be just as dead if shot down by a friendly.

Of equal importance to target destruction was the need to negate collateral damage. As vital as the military aspects of the mission were, the political ones were even more important. A strong signal to terrorists that Uncle Sam wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore would be wasted if civilians were killed and the propaganda broadcast to the world.

“Big Al” Wickman, piloting Jewel 62, remembers the mass briefing for the mission. “It wasn’t everyday that you had the Chief of Staff of the Air Force in your briefing.” The presence of such horsepower brought home to many of the crews that they were really going.

After the briefings, the crews stepped to the waiting jets. “Yama” Hoyes, a weapons system operator (WSO, pronounced “whizzo”) recalls, “Even though the –111s were already ‘cocked,’ that is, all steps done up to start engines, each crew carefully checked the many systems to ensure full capability. The ROE (Rules of Engagement) for this strike were extremely tight and an operating Pave Tack system and good INS (inertial navigation system) were just a couple of the ‘go-no go’ items included. Nobody wanted to be left behind for this one, hence the extra careful cockpit checks.”

At 1713 GMT, using comm. out procedures, the tankers took off followed by the fighters. Immediately, the plan turned to delta sierra. The forecasted winds were not, and forced the tankers to take off opposite direction from what was planned. For the fighters, this meant instead of a gently curving join up that allowed time to sort out which was the appropriate tanker, the ‘Varks found themselves raising the landing gear and bunching up behind a face full of tankers.

Eventually, sorted out and in what Hoyes calls an “armada” and Pearson remembers thinking was just like a scene from “12 o’clock High,” they headed southwest to begin the long flight down the coast of Spain, turning east through the Straits of Gibraltar, and across the Mediterranean.

With a long wait until combat, the crews settled in, continuously topping off from the tankers. After an hour, the spares returned to base, frustrated that they couldn’t continue on the mission.

Encountering headwinds when tailwinds were forecasted, it wasn’t too long into this droning that the fighters realized they were going to be late. Everything about the raid was based on timing – the SEAD and SAM suppression strikes, the US Navy attacks further east, and most importantly, the attack runs of each F-111F. Since the ROE specified that each target be positively identified before dropping, the planners built in a 30 second delay between aircraft. This delay would, it was hoped, allow the smoke and debris from the preceding F-111’s bombs to settle before the following striker released.

Finally, the mission leader broke radio silence, “We’re late!” At that point, everyone realized the critical timing was jeopardized and all the jets bent their throttles forward to make up the difference.

Even during refueling, the speed stayed up. Wickman says even though they were doing 330kts or better hanging on the boom, the F-111 “rides like a ’72 Cadillac. It really is a smooth flying machine, very stable throughout its envelope.”

With an all up weight of more 100,000 pounds, even this stable ride needed occasional taps on the afterburners as they wallowed heavily behind the tanker.

In the dark skies, the tension in the cockpits rose as the 0200 TOT drew near. Dropping at the designated times, each flight followed the planned routes. Each continued inbound nearly due south, then reaching the Libyan coast, turning east, descending to 200 feet. The tracks for Azziziyah and Sidi Balil were roughly parallel. The airfield strikers actually penetrated far inland and came from the south to attack.

Hoyes, in Remit 33, had one of the more exciting tales of the strike. Descending from 24 thousand to 1,000 feet in the pitch black night, he recalls, “If you listen to the (cockpit) tapes after the mission, you could hear a whole lot of oxygen being used while we did TFR (terrain following radar).
“The winds continued to go against what we expected. The headwinds slowed us down, so we had to keep stroking the burners to maintain the timing plan.

“Now it is really dark out, and I’m headdown in the ‘feedbag’ (rubber visor that covered the ground mapping radar), checking equipment when we lose one of our TF channels. A fault like this triggers an automatic 4g pull up. This ‘niggly’ fault kept occurring; resetting, then going offline again, each time initiating the 4g pull-up, followed by the pilot pushing it back down, really a sickening roller coaster ride.

“I told my pilot that I wasn’t going to be able to take much more of that. He switched to manual and did a superb job.

“Remember, it is absolutely black outside and the only reference we have for terrain avoidance is what’s left of the TFR, called the ‘ride line.’ This was a line on the scope set at what the computer was programmed with as the altitudes for the current INS-based position. In those days, the INS drifted, so there was a lot of room for error.

“So at 1000 feet, going 600 knots, we’re using TLAR (that look’s about right) to keep us from hitting anything.”

“As we passed over Lampedusa Island, our last ‘fix’ for updating our targeting systems, we also used it to check our attitude. There is a 1,000 foot antenna there and if we passed below it, we were aborting because that would show our TFR was totally fried.

“We passed by the antenna, co-altitude, but noticed another problem. The coordinates given to us for the island did not match where we were, so if a crew used the bad coordinates, their bombs would be off. Since we were radio silent, we couldn’t pass that on and had to hope the others caught the error as well.

“Back on our run, we were one minute behind the first drop and all was dark until lead’s bombs hit. Then all hell broke loose. Solid streams of tracer hosed into the sky along with lots of magnesium flares that added a lot of light to the show.

“There was sh** to the left, right, in front and behind us and the Navy’s HARM shooters were firing to take out the SAM tracking and guidance radars. It was just a huge mess out there.”

Remit 32, thirty seconds ahead, aborted due to their target being obscured by smoke from 31’s bombs and instead of turning back into the flak filled skies to the north, lit afterburners to scream as quickly as possible south over downtown Tripoli where the fire wasn’t as intense.

Continues ‘Yama,’ “At our pull, which is really a climb to loft the bombs, followed by a 120 degree banking left turn to exit the area as the weapons continue flying gravity-powered formation to the aim point, our Pave Tack died. So only a couple of seconds from pickling, we had what the ROE dictated was an abort. Since the radar was still good and had a recent good update, I felt confident that we could still drop accurately, so we did.

“Post-strike we found out we’d hit a little short, but with 2,000 pounders, we still did significant damage to the area with no collateral damage.

“Once we dropped, we scooted north to overfly the ‘delouse’ boat, a Navy frigate who watched us approaching on his radar at the designated height. If we were not at that height, the orbiting fighter CAP would intercept to clean off any Libyan fighters that might be trying to catch us.

“As we crossed the coast, we radioed ‘Feet wet’ and ‘Tranquil Tiger.’ That meant we were over the water and had hit our target. ‘Frosty Freezer’ was the unsuccessful call.”

The WSO of Elton 43, “Boots” Martin recalls that just before leaving the tanker, each F-111 took a final top off.
“41 got his gas quickly, and disconnected. 42 took longer than expected so when we finally disconnected, we were two minutes late.”

Dropping from 25 thousand to 1,000 feet, ‘Boots’ says, “We were doin’ Mach stink and it was totally, completely, absolutely dark outside.” To make up lost time they went supersonic, trusting in the TFR to keep them from smacking into the water.

Then the Master Caution light illuminated. Checking further, they found the “wheel well hot” warning light glaring. The ROE called for an abort, but the crew decided to press. The light reset but only momentarily because the light reappeared, then went out again along with everything else in the cockpit.

With total electrical failure, 43’s pilot immediately pulled the nose up to gain altitude while they sorted out the problems. They could see fireworks in the distance as triple ‘A’ and SAMs arced through the sky, intermittently punctuated by explosions as the leading F-111Fs dropped their weapons.

With many expletives, Elton 43 was forced to abort and worry about surviving. Says ‘Boots’, “My pilot asked ‘What heading?’ Well, I didn’t know exactly, so I said ‘Try north.’ I held a flashlight in my mouth pointing at the whiskey compass so he could point the nose in the right direction while we ran the emergency checklists.”

They managed to get one of their generators on-line, but to find the tankers, they had to radio for an F –111 already at the rendezvous to ‘torch.’ For that, the ‘Vark dumps fuel from the nozzle located just aft of the engine exhausts, lights the afterburners, and sends out a 40 foot stream of flame. Using this beacon in the dark sky, Elton 43 rejoined quickly.

Wickman’s Jewel 62 was targeted against the training camp. Ingressing, he bumped the jet down to 200 feet, however, he kept getting search radar tickles on his radar warning gear, so he kept easing the jet lower until the tickles stopped. Finally, at 80 feet, Jewel 62 was in the clear, although doing 600 knots, at night, using TFR.

On his bomb run, he climbed to 200 feet to acquire the target and could see the afterburners of the other jets. He says, “You could see the shock rings very clearly and the flak was so heavy that if I had tried to break from one stream, I could have just as easily turned into another. All I wanted to do was to wind the seat down so I couldn’t see it anymore.

“As we continued, I saw a brighter flash off to my left, but had no idea, at the time, that it was one of ours and stayed focused on the drop.
“At the pull, as I turned and was looking back, I could see 63’s burners while my WSO stayed with the bombs, turning on the laser to guide them during their last seconds of flight.

“After that, my main concern during egress was to make the delousing point and not make an over-eager Navy fighter pilot an ace.”

The last jet in, Pearson’s Karma 53, was one of those added to the Azziziyah target despite the tactic of so many jets using the same headings over the same run-in, thus allowing the Libyan gunners an easier firing solution.
Passing Lampedusa, his left generator failed, taking with it their Pave Tack. He continued on, hoping to bring the system back on-line.

Turning inbound, he spied a vivid flash and explosion, probably Karma 52, piloted by Capt. Fernando Ribas-Dominicci and WSO Capt. Paul Lorence. Believing that a SAM got them but unable to do anything about it, ‘JP-4’ continued.

It was so bright outside with the triple ‘A’ and flares that his WSO visually picked up a SAM launched at them. Pearson broke to avoid the SAM and it detonated behind them. The fact that the SAM operators were ready makes him believe that Karma 52 took a hit.

‘JP-4’ pressed until TOT when he aborted due to no Pave Tack. The ROE was strict, so with much cussing, the crew held their fire. They safed their bombs and dumped them into the sea.

Even twenty years later, he is still ticked about not being able to drop.
Now, after 17 strikers rejoined with the tankers, it was time for home. One tanker with the remainder of Karma flight orbited for nearly another hour, hoping that 52 would somehow make it out, but eventually had to leave as well.

SURREAL HOMECOMING

Sobered by the loss of Karma 52, the crews settled down for the long flight home.

With the overheat light still glaring and unsure if their jet was going to blow up, Elton 43 diverted into Rota, Spain. Even if the Spanish government didn’t support the action, the US Navy base commander recognized a brave deed and opened up the officers’ club at 0600 for a well-deserved post mission beer and debrief.

The rest of the armada continued when one of the tankers called for everyone to retune to US Armed Forces Radio to listen to a live broadcast of a White House press conference about the raid.

The men interviewed for this story relate how when the broadcast ended with “Anchors Aweigh” and the “Air Force Song,” they choked up.

A final, more professional tribute greeted them after turning clearing the Straits of Gibraltar. As the first lighter blue tendrils of daybreak appeared, they saw an SR-71 ‘Blackbird,’ inbound to do post-strike photo assessments, bank sideways in a knife-edge salute as it overflew the formation. Finally, with sore butts from logging more than 12 hours, the crews landed at Lakenheath where the taxiways were lined by the cheering ground staff.

Popping canopies, each crewman handed his helmet bag over the side. Normally, a crew chief grabbed the equipment. ‘Big Al’ was surprised when the Air Force Chief of Staff took his gear.

Most recalled being tired, unsure what, if anything, they had started and uncertain if Karma 52’s fate.

Within a few days, the worst was confirmed. A TV crew captured images of Ribas’ body and Lorence’s helmet washed up on the shore.

The flash seen by Wickman and Pearson indicates that they were probably shot down. The flash was likely either the jet exploding or the unique capsule escape system of the ‘Vark rocketing away from the fuselage. In a very poignant footnote, Ribas was the godparent of Wickman’s then-infant son.

As a lesson for today’s struggle against terrorism, twenty years ago, 18 F-111F crews flew a very long demonstration flight.



F-111F SIDEBAR

MISSION: Multi-purpose tactical bomber
CREW: Two; pilot, WSO
LENGTH: 73 ft, 6 in.
WINGSPAN: 63 ft, fully forward
31 ft, 11.5 in. swept
HEIGHT: 17 ft. 1.5 in
WEIGHT 47,481 lbs (empty)
100,000 (max take-off)
ENGINES: 2 x Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-100 turbofans
25,100 lbs thrust each
SPEED: Mach 1.2 at sea level
Mach 2.5 at 60,000 ft


RAID SUMMARY SIDEBAR

CALLSIGN TARGET ASSESSEMENT
Remit 31 Azziziyah Barracks Hit
Remit 32 Azziziyah Barracks Off dry
Remit 33 Azziziyah Barracks Hit
Elton 41 Azziziyah Barracks Abort due to inop Pave Tack
Elton 42 Azziziyah Barracks Tanker turned too soon, crew still refueling,
out of position to meet timing, abort
Elton 43 Azziziyah Barracks Abort due to wheel well hot indication
Karma 51 Azziziyah Barracks Miss due to radar mis-identification
Karma 52 Azziziyah Barracks KIA
Karma 53 Azziziyah Barracks Abort due to loss of electrical systems
Puffy 11 Tripoli Airfield Hit
Puffy 12 Tripoli Airfield Abort due to TFR failure
Puffy 13 Tripoli Airfield Miss due to radar mis-identification
Lujac 22 Tripoli Airfield Hit
Lujac 23 Tripoli Airfield Hit
Lujac 24 Tripoli Airfield Miss due to computer malfunction
Jewel 61 Sidi Bilal Miss due to radar mis-identification
Jewel 62 Sidi Bilal Miss due to radar mis-identification
Jewel 63 Sidi Bilal Hit

[kmagyoyo]

http://www.f-111.net/patches/patches-48thtfw-Libya_files/48thTFWvari_libya_c.jpg

[West Coast]

Finally, at 80 feet, Jewel 62 was in the clear, although doing 600 knots, at night, using TFR.



Remind me again why we retired them. Thanks Brick, good stuff.

[kmagyoyo]

Finally, at 80 feet, Jewel 62 was in the clear, although doing 600 knots, at night, using TFR.

F-me thats big balls seeing how the TFR could only get you down to 200' he must have 'paddled off' and eyeballed/zenned it. Which, lets face it, is an imprecise science and therefore worthy of beers and medals.

(Either that or the author is exaggerating for effect)

[Al R]

Thanks Brick.


Continues ‘Yama,’ “At our pull.. our Pave Tack died. So only a couple of seconds from pickling, we had what the ROE dictated was an abort. Since the radar was still good and had a recent good update, I felt confident that we could still drop accurately, so we did. Post-strike we found out we’d hit a little short, but with 2,000 pounders, we still did significant damage to the area with no collateral damage.


In today's age where collateral damage is far more integral to how we operate, would he have been more likely to have aborted in those circumstances, or would it be acceptable to press on?


One tanker with the remainder of Karma flight orbited for nearly another hour, hoping that 52 would somehow make it out, but eventually had to leave as well.

Poignant stuff.

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

I remember being woken up that night by the EF's leaving Upper Heyford.

Funny to be reminded of it !?!

[brickhistory]

(Either that or the author is exaggerating for effect)

I wasn't there so I couldn't see the altimeter, but I wasn't exaggerating for effect. As the guy was my boss at the time and didn't exaggerate on other issues, I tend to take his word at face value.



Except for the KIA crew, no medals were awarded.

[Al R]

I find that surprising - it was an epic achievement by any stretch of the imagination. What decoration was the KIA crew awarded?

[brickhistory]

It was also very politically sensitive. Besides the European uproar (BTW, thanks to Mrs. Thatcher for letting it go. Not so much to France and Spain), Washington was not sure how the American public would react so they wanted it kept low key.

The USAF went even further and practically swept it under the rug. One of the guys interviewed was the vice-wing commander of the the 48th at the time. He has written his own book, "Raid on Qaddafi," and both in that and in my conversations with him, he was p1ssed about how the Air Force treated the crews.

Also, there were/are many terrorist security concerns both for the crews and their families and for the UK. More than a few of the aircrew did not want to talk about the mission nor have their names released. The ones in the story agreed to callsigns and last names, but not full names.

The crew of Karma 62 received Purple Hearts and DFCs. They left wives and children behind. RIP, gentlemen.

But, to get the thread back on course, my posting it was to highlight the SR-71's overflight of the formation.

[El Grifo]

I was covering excercises on Otterburn at that time for RAF Strike Command.

We were politely told to stand down for a few days as schedules were changing.

We stood down a bit !!

From our slightly more "remote" location we were able to spend the next few days watching F-111's from Heyford and Lakenheath pounding the ground in a varying selection of styles.

One quickly prepared target looked for all the world like an area of Bedouin Tents.

It was only a few days later that we were told that this was the Lybian package warming up for the show. True or false I cannot say.

Suffice to say that my cameras remained well stowed for the duration of the excercise

[IDALGO]

Hello My Friend!i Read Your Small Article About The "eldorado Canyon" Operation And I Found It Very Good.
Now I Need A Favour From You Or Any Other That Maybe Know!i Want The Name Of The 2 Pilots Of F 111 70-2416 With The Callsign "puffy 12".as You Say They Had A Problem Over The Airport Of Tripoli While They Were Ready To Bomb It.thanking You In Advance!

[El Grifo]

Any Takers :suspect::eek::suspect:

[Launchpad McQuack]

i Want The Name Of The 2 Pilots Of F 111 70-2416

A strange request indeed, especially from a first-time poster. As has been previously mentioned, full names were not released...only nicknames and some last names.

I'd be interested to know if IP address for the user 'IDALGO' does in fact come from Greece...:hmm:

[Pontius Navigator]

Writes as if he was a Nigerian and wants to offer a once-only all-time good deal, just needs Puffy's bank details.

[Focks 2]

Want The Name Of The 2 Pilots Of F 111 70-2416

Ah yes, the two British chaps in that aircraft. The pilot was Tony Blair and the Nav was Gordon Brown.

That should do it.

[El Grifo]

Come on IDALGO, spill the souvlaki.

Who you and why you want to know. :suspect:

A bunch of argumentative twats we might be, but in a funny kind of way, we are still a band of brothers :ok:

[gareth herts]

The two crew names are printed in a book I have right in front of me, "F-111 - Success In Action" by Anthony Thornborough. He also says there were five aborts over the target but no further details on which jets.

As has been said - I'm sure a search could unearth these details if you really want them!

[denlopviper]

what happened to the blackbird tales :hmm:





:\

[El Grifo]

You can whistle for that mate :}

[ABX]

That JP7 fuel is pretty interesting stuff.

Click here to read a good SR71 article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird).


JP-7 is very slippery and extremely difficult to light in any conventional way. The slipperiness was a disadvantage on the ground, since the aircraft leaked fuel when not flying, but at least JP-7 was not a fire hazard.

[ABX]

Nice compilation video, click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N31eEXjNAUU).

Can anyone contribute good SR-71 video links?

[Load Toad]

Don't know if posted before - anyways...

SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual (http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/)

[Jabba_TG12]

I remember it very well, was on nights at Buchan.

Around 6 to 6.30 in the morning, just before we were about to go off shift, we saw a whole load of traffic being picked up by Portreath coming in over Lands End, which was normally filtered out of the air picture and we did wonder what the hell it was all about, as we watched them change from Pending to Allied to Interceptor...

One of the more exciteable junior SAC's on watch then came hoofing into the ops room exclaiming:

"Ronnie Reagan's just bombed the s**t out of Libya!!" :}

having seen breakfast tv announcing the raid having been carried out (which had obviously followed on from the broadcast that the OP refers to)... I still remember the look on his face to this day.

There was some Pave Tack camera footage that was added to the news broadcasts not long afterwards, from what I recall, over an airfield (I seem to remember seeing the footage of a parked AN-12 taking a 2000 pound direct hit). I also remember getting hold of one of the Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass stickers as well - I think I might still have it on a cassette case somewhere in the garage!

This is the first time I've read anything about the raid in any kind of detail.

80 feet at 600 knots in pitch dark in an F111, in combat conditions? :eek:

Bloody hell. I bet that was one hell of a rush.... :\

Thats what they join up to do though I guess..... amazing work! :D

[hoodie]

I also remember getting hold of one of the Lakenheath Is Bombing Your Ass stickers as well

The most politically incorrect zap I recall from the time was "I'd fly 3,000 miles to smoke a Camel" - with appropriate artwork.

Shocking. Truly shocking.

[Jabba_TG12]

Definately not PC. :suspect:

Bloody funny though! :E

[MATELO]

In response to the SR-71 tales, I read a conversation that went something like this. Not sure if it is true though.

SR71 to ATC "Good Morning, callsign is requesting FL600"

ATC - "callsign, if you can get high enough, you are cleared to FL600"

SR71 - "Thank you, callsign descending to FL600"



Also, a great rumour doing the rounds was that the USAF put a concrete bomb through the front door of the French Embassy inTripoli, for making them go the long way round!!

[cornish-stormrider]

they wouldn't do that would they---?
would they?
nyuk nyuk nyuk

[jonesy101]

... and think this was years before the 'cheese eating surrender monkeys' tag was coined!

Father was based at Brize when this happened, and as a fair few USAF personnel from U Heyford lived in the Family Qtrs nearby.
I vividly remember the change in attitude as this went down. They were immensely proud of pulling it off despite the constraints imposed by their European mainland allies, the feeling of loss was also very real.

Great people.

And think they use U Heyford to park cars now !

[ABX]

Taken from Brian Abraham's post #251 in the Air Diplay C*ck Ups thread http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/251704-air-display-c-ck-ups-post5451360.html#post5451360

Question asked of SR-71 pilot Brian Suhl, USAF retired, "What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?"

As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really isn’t one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual “high” speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let’s just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn’t previously seen.

So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked, “what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?” This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following.

I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.

Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat, and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically over the field—yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast.

Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us but in the overcast and haze, I couldn’t see it. The longer we continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point we weren’t really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.

Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn’t say a word for those next 14 minutes.

After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet’s hats were blown off and the sight of the plate form of the plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I both understood the concept of “breathtaking” very well that morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.

As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight suits, we just sat there-we hadn’t spoken a word since “the pass.” Finally, Walter looked at me and said, “One hundred fifty-six knots. What did you see?” Trying to find my voice, I stammered, “One hundred fifty-two.” We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, “Don’t ever do that to me again!” And I never did.

A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer’s club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, “It was probably just a routine low approach; they’re pretty impressive in that plane. Impressive indeed.

Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories. It’s ironic that people are interested in how slow the world’s fastest jet can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it’s always a good idea to keep that cross-check up…and keep your Mach up, too.

Wonder what Cirrus on another thread would make of this elementary "mistake". http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/wink2.gif

[Nigd3]

I worked with Bill a few months ago. He is still flying as a FAA DER Test Pilot.
He might not be as sprightly as he probably once was (I had to slow down a bit walking across the apron with him) but his mind is still very sharp.
A genuinely nice and unassuming bloke........plus exceptionally lucky to survice his incident.

[glhcarl]

I too worked with Bill and agree hard to find a nicer person.

I remember him telling me the ride in the Bell 47 helicopter of the rancher that picked him up after the break up really scared him. He said he didn't know alot about helicopters but he did know what red lines on instruments mean.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Well, right after falling out of an SR71 seeing a redline - a max redline of 90mph must be a bit of a culture shock. ;)

Cut the guy a little slack!

[Ian Corrigible]

An interview with Rick McCrary, who flew the Sled in the 1980s (and is now Boeing's Director of Business Development for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G). As always where the SR-71 is concerned, a great read.

Flying the world's fastest plane: Behind the stick of the SR-71 (http://www.sbnation.com/2014/3/7/5447310/sr-71-blackbird-pilot-interview)

And remember: "There's a lot of stuff in the job that isn't in the shiny brochure."

I/C

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

Ahh, the 'Dark Lord' himself!


Have worked with Rick on a number of projects over the years - great guy and very happy to understate his achievements!

[SASless]

List of S-71 Losses

SR-71 Online - Blackbird Losses (http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/losses.php)

[Fat Magpie]

I am probably stating the obvious but it was / is a technological tour de force. The engineering challenges that were over come were immense.

Some years back scientific american did a great article on some aspects on the SR71, one of the challenges the design team faced was that of find a hydraulic fluid that could stand the immense temperatures and still remain a liquid ( not boiling off) and functional.

After trawling many supplies they at last found one who catalogue said they had such a product that could remain a fluid at very high temperatures. The Lockheed team ordered it and when the packaging was removed they had a block of solid powdery material, nobody said it had to be fluid at room temperatures.

[SASless]

The descriptions of missions flown by the SR are interesting!

Sending an SR to arrive overhead when Foreign Leaders were meeting.....and to "Boom" them....interesting concept.

SR-71 Blackbird, Pilot Stories - Yahoo Search Results (http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=aaplw&p=SR-71+Blackbird,+Pilot+Stories)

[500N]

SaS

The other one i found interesting was the Israeli Egypt war where Brian was sent to over fly the positions so the US could work on a peace agreement.
He also had to over fly Israel but the US had not told them so he was also targeted by the Israeli SAM Radars (not sure if any missiles were fired).

[SASless]

Another good article with links to other Stories.....

SR-71 Blackbird Stories (http://www.barthworks.com/aviation/sr71stories.htm)

[Brian Abraham]

The hydraulic fluid used in the 71 (MIL-H-27601B) was based on a highly refined, deep dewaxed paraffinic mineral oil. Temperature range was -40°C to 288°C, and at the high upper temperature, no elastomeric seals were used in the aircraft, so none of the usual rubber swell ester was needed, not that it could be used at the upper temperature in any event. Tracing leaks was a problem because hydraulic, engine oil and fuel were all the same clear colour.

[dragartist]

I understand Rich will be at Duxford all weekend showing folks around his airplane.

[Saint Jack]

My older son give me a copy of "SR-71, The Complete Illustrated History of the Blackbird, the World's Highest, Fastest Plane" as a Christmas present. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. A fantastic collection of facts and figures, such as a pilot surviving after his aircraft disintegrated in a banked turn at Mach 3.2, tyre pressures were 400psi, hydraulic system pressure was 6,000psi, the radar system weighed slightly over 1,200 pounds (545kg) and one aircraft flew, intentionally, with a P&W JT57 engine on one side and a P&W JT58 on the other, I also learned about "sheep dipping" etc, etc.
Management of the engine intake spike was critical and had to be done manually - and frequently. Here was an exceptional aircraft but the USAF's Strategic Air Command, who operated the aircraft, had other priorities and were quick to get rid of it as it didn't fit into their "mission".
If the CIA had taken over management of the aircraft I'm sure it would be still flying today, with fully digitized systems.
The book is written by Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (Ret) and is published by Zenith Press, ISBN: 978-0-7603-5448-3.

[GordonR_Cape]

I think you will find many similar comments and threads (mentioning that book) already on the forum. A quick search pulled up this reference from 2004: https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/124377-sr-71-info-2.html#post1445853

Edit: Another mention from 2013: https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/514471-brian-shul-flying-sr71.html#post7877936

[The Nr Fairy]

Brian Shul also wrote The Untouchables - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Untouchables-Brian-Shul-1994-04-01/dp/B019NRXHG4

Sled Driver and The Untouchables are available in a limited edition set, but they're expensive...

[VIProds]

Although, now living in Texas, Rich used to fly out of Mildenhall & flew the fist successful overflight of the USSR from Mildenhall. His Daughter married a Brit & settled down in the UK, as a result Rich is a frequent visitor to these shores.
I went down to Duxford several years ago where he gave a very interesting talk on his SR-71 experiences. On YouTube he explains the Cockpit Checkout procedure, just in case you manage to get your hands on one !!

[SASless]

"...first successful over-flight of the Soviet Union"....so easy to say....and the full significance of the statement is so elusive as was the aircraft itself.

[gums]

Salute!

Can even see the Dash-1 if yu're interested in the Blackbird:
SR-71 Online - The Blackbird Archive (http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/)

Gums sends...

[CONSO]

and in the Seattle Museum of Flight the M-21 Blackbird with Drone mounted

Lockheed M-21 Blackbird The Museum of Flight (http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/lockheed-m-21-blackbird)

[Airbubba]

Brian Shul and Rich Graham famously do not get along decades later. Graham tells of an incident where Shul was less than candid about his whereabouts when reports came in of an SR doing a unauthorized buzz job in burner for a photo shoot. Months later Shul supposedly was in a deployment bar bragging about how he got away with one and word got back to Colonel Graham. Mission voice recorder tapes from the archive were pulled and Shul and backseater Walter Watson kept their wings but never flew the SR again.

A former colleague who flew the SR-71 claims that Shul is persona non grata among the Blackbird alumni after someone told the Air Force Office of Special Investigations about security risks due to illicit affairs between crewmembers and locals in Mildenhall and Kadena. With the TS/SCI clearance significant contact with foreign nationals is a mandatory report. My former colleague feels that Shul was the source of the tip that initiated the OSI investigation.

Whatever the case, Brian Shul has kissed the Blarney Stone and is a terrific speaker.

https://youtu.be/BZRP1q1PGUk

Years ago I somewhat accidentally bluffed my way into the X-plane hangar at the USAF Museum unaccompanied in between organized tour groups. A nice docent came up to chat while I was admiring the YF-12A. If I understood him correctly, he said that he had flown the A-12, YF-12A and the SR-71. His name was something like Meacham or Mecam. I haven't found a similar name on the Blackbird crew lists online or in the books I have, anybody have a lead on this? I tried sending a note to the Roadrunners Internationale web master but got no reply.

[tdracer]

Back 25 or 30 years ago, they used to have an airshow at Paine Field every year (I sometimes think Boeing may have taken steps to discourage the airshow when they figured out the hit they took on productivity when everyone went outside on the preceding Thursday/Friday to watch some of the various aircraft arrive and the Thunderbird's practice :confused:).
Anyway, one year they had an SR-71 come in for the airshow. It was only a static display during the show, but I was outside for a lunchtime jog on Friday when it arrived - the pilot put on quite a show before he landed. Watching it, I kept thinking that it didn't look real - almost like something out of a Hollywood special effects department.
Monday, the SR-71 departed just as I was headed out to my car after work - again the pilot put on quite a show, then pointed it south, with about a 45 degree up angle, lit the afterburners (reheat), and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Impressive aircraft - that they designed it over 50 years ago using slide-rules just makes it that more impressive.

[Saint Jack]

VIProds; Prior to reading the book I too thought that the SR-71 would almost have certainly flown over the USSR, Russia and China during its service (..."flew the fist successful overflight of the USSR from Mildenhall."). However the author, on Page 86, states quite categorically that "....One of the biggest myths surrounding the SR-71 reconnaissance program is that the plane has overflown the USSR and China. In truth, neither the A-12 nor the SR-71 has ever overflown the landmass of the USSR or China. after Gary Powers was shot down on 1st May 1960 over Russia, no US President would authorize direct overflights of the two superpowers...."

[India Four Two]

and in the Seattle Museum of Flight the M-21 Blackbird with Drone mounted
There is also an SR-71A cockpit that you can sit in. Surprisingly cramped, even without a space suit. Perhaps the sled-drivers were really skinny!

[tartare]

Bubba - that's very interesting to read.
Shul dines out on that groundspeed story and all sorts of other stuff.
But Col Graham?
All I can say is that my boy met Rich at a certain UK aviation museum - Rich was promoting his book.
We have a photo of the two of them together... one Blackbird driver and a small fella - who's now very inspired to fly jets.
Didn't understand how significant he was until reading this.
Rich is a good guy.

[VinRouge]

Brian Shul also wrote The Untouchables - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Untouchables-Brian-Shul-1994-04-01/dp/B019NRXHG4

Sled Driver and The Untouchables are available in a limited edition set, but they're expensive...
Sled driver is available on the internet in PDF format. It's very very good.

[Buster11]

Not sure about the SR-71 making the first USSR overflight. Certainly in the early 1950s the RAF's John Crampton and Rex Sanders flew an RB-45 Tornado, with RAF markings to avoid embarrassment for the USA, from Sculthorpe in Norfolk on a radar reconnaisance mission and reached Kiev, which was well before Blackbird time.

[VIProds]

VIProds; Prior to reading the book I too thought that the SR-71 would almost have certainly flown over the USSR, Russia and China during its service (..."flew the fist successful overflight of the USSR from Mildenhall."). However the author, on Page 86, states quite categorically that "....One of the biggest myths surrounding the SR-71 reconnaissance program is that the plane has overflown the USSR and China. In truth, neither the A-12 nor the SR-71 has ever overflown the landmass of the USSR or China. after Gary Powers was shot down on 1st May 1960 over Russia, no US President would authorize direct overflights of the two superpowers...."

Saint Jack: I read that in the book too. I clearly remember the speaker at Duxford saying he took the SR-71 out into to Barents Sea & wound it up to full power before entering Soviet airspace. It could have been "poetic licence", but it did sound genuine at the time. It's a shame that I didn't record the talk! That being the case, what is the point of having SR-71's? Rather expensive play things. Saying that, I have a list of pilots, RSO's & VIP's that flew in the SR-71 & there are quite a few US Senators mentioned.
AIRBUBBA: I have looked for the names that you mention & the only similarities are::-
Pilots
Maj Brian McCallom 5 May 67
Capt Richard McCrary 8 Apr 81
RSO's
Maj Barry MacKean 8 Sept 78
Capt Joseph McCue 24 Sept 82
Capt Ed McKim 5 Nov 80

[Airbubba]

Impressive aircraft - that they designed it over 50 years ago using slide-rules just makes it that more impressive.

A few years ago I visited the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at IAD. An SR-71 was parked next to an F-35 in the entrance hall. I remember thinking of the contrast of the design histories of these Lockheeds decades apart.

AIRBUBBA: I have looked for the names that you mention & the only similarities are::-

Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate it. :ok:

I did find a possible hit in a 2013 Dayton, Ohio newspaper article. Dayton is near the Air Force Museum.

Former SR-71 pilot Jack Mecham offers his take on why the SR-71 still captivates so many people, “Most people are really enthralled with the SR-71 because it was a different type of aircraft. The world’s fastest. It did things that no other air-breathing aircraft could do.”

...Mecham is well qualified to discuss these spy planes. Besides spending a couple hundred hours flying them, mostly out of the Lockheed plant at Palmdale, Calif., Mecham has a history of flying covert missions in support of the Central Intelligence Agency. He recounts, “In Vietnam, I flew H-3 helicopters in support of the CIA. We weren’t CIA. We were Air Force. The CIA was a customer, but the Air Force had no control over us. My point of contact was the State Department. We didn’t fly any missions in South Vietnam. It was mostly in Laos. I was the first to go north of Hanoi in February of [19]67. That same month, I was the first one to go into Cambodia, which we disavowed for many years.” Mecham flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam and will share the exploits of his “Black Mariah” helicopter, the helicopter with a bounty on it, at the presentation.

It?s a bird? It?s a plane? It?s both! Dayton City Paper (http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-both/)

And another reference to an SR-71 pilot named Jack Mecham in a Corvette forum:

"It's a myth. Flying the top secret A-12, being “civilian pilots” contracted to the CIA, marriage was a requirement. Flying the SR-71 for the USAF, marriage was not required." You could be right. My friend who flew them, Jack Mecham, indeed had to be married. He was a test pilot for the a-12 and then into the sr-71. He continued flying it while it was the sr-71. He said that he and the other pilots had to be married.


https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/off-topic/3600503-sr-71-fans-4.html#post1588872631

Was Jack Mecham a Plant 42 production test pilot perhaps? Were there missions that are still not recorded in the seemingly exhaustive published logs of Blackbird sorties?

[SASless]

Buster,

I do believe the reference to the "first over-flight" referred to the first of the Blackbird over flights.

The B-45 flights were earlier....and part of a multi-faceted over flight program that used various make,models, and types of aircraft.

Also....the anti-aircraft threat was much more sophisticated during the Blackbird's time in operation.

Also, the RAF crewed some U-2 flights as well, along with the Taiwanese.

https://fas.org/irp/nsa/maybe_you.pdf

[Airbubba]

Brian Shul and Rich Graham famously do not get along decades later. Graham tells of an incident where Shul was less than candid about his whereabouts when reports came in of an SR doing a unauthorized buzz job in burner for a photo shoot. Months later Shul supposedly was in a deployment bar bragging about how he got away with one and word got back to Colonel Graham. Mission voice recorder tapes from the archive were pulled and Shul and backseater Walter Watson kept their wings but never flew the SR again.

Colonel Graham tells the story of a crew's removal for cause from the 'program' in one of his books (see below) but doesn't give names.

Here's an anecdotal account of the incident from another forum:

I had a most interesting conversation with Col. Rich Graham, former SR-71 pilot, 1st SRS squadron commander and 9th SRW commander while I was at the Oshkosh EAA Airventure today [posted in 2013 - Airbubba]. Recently in an Air Force Association Magazine letters to the editor section there were a few letters including one from General Patrick Halloran about Brian Shul, basically saying he was the only SR-71 pilot removed for cause and that he should not be regarded as any kind of hero Blackbird pilot. Nothing was said about what actually happened.

I asked Col Graham if he could tell me what that was all about, and he was happy to do so. It seems one evening the command post at Beale received several phone calls from people living in nearby Marysville saying a plane had crashed. There were only two jets airborne from Beale at the time, a KC-135 and an SR-71 flown by Shul. Both were contacted and reported no problems. When the SR landed, Col Graham, who was Squadron CC at the time, and another high-up from the wing were there to meet him. Shul and Walter Watson, Shul's RSO, told a believable story explaining what had happened and nothing else was said.

Months later Shul was in England and one evening at the Officer's Club was bragging about lying to the command staff and getting away with it. Word got back to Beale and Col Graham had the mission tapes pulled out of storage. He said that he, the Deputy Wing Commander and Wing Commander listened to the cockpit voice recording and heard Shul and Watson in the cockpit concocting what story they were going to tell. What really happened was that Brian Shul was starting his photography business and wanted photos of an inflight SR-71 lighting off the afterburners at night. He had a friend over at his house, and Brian made several low passes over his house lighting off the burners for the friend to get the photos. The noise is what made the citizens think there was a plane crash. Col Graham said while Watson went along with the story, it was Shul who was behind it. Col. Graham and the wing deputy commander wanted Shul permanently grounded, but the Wing Commander decided to cut him a break, so while removing him from the SR-71 he allowed Shul to continue flying the T-38.

Col Graham also said Shul was breaking regulations by taking a camera into the SR-71 and later T-38 cockpits, but the command staff was unaware he'd been doing that until Shul published his books after leaving the USAF, because everyone who witnessed it figured Shul had permission and so they never reported it. Shul most assuredly did not have permission! Col Graham told me that had he been aware, Shul would have been fired from the program immediately. And they were also unaware of the other things Brian Shul later wrote about, such as flying Mach 3.5 over Libya (Col Graham doubts that number but concedes it might be possible) and nearly stalling the SR-71 while flying an unauthorized fly-by at a small airport in England. Col Graham said had any of those things been brought to his attention Shul would have been immediately fired. Because of all these things Brian Shul is persona non grata to the Blackbird community.

Col Graham stressed that the SR-71 was considered a national treasure and that they all knew any pilot hot-dogging in the airplane could bring major embarrassment to the program, the Air Force and the Nation. Evidently most all of the other Blackbird pilots consider Shul a pariah and want nothing to do with him as well.

Brian Shul and the SR-71 - General Discussion - ARC Discussion Forums (http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/267042-brian-shul-and-the-sr-71/)

Col. Graham's SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story (1996) has a similar account of the incident on pages 189-190 with word of the exploit filtering back from Kadena instead of Mildenhall. Col. Graham was 9th SRW Vice Wing Commander in the book version.

[gums]

Salute!

As with all "anti-total" stories and accounts, discretion and judgement is warranted.

I met Brian back in '77 or '78, and do not have the "class picture" handy to nail down the exact dates.
I was an instructor at USAF Air University and he was a student in my section. We had both been in the 356th TFS, and I left the Beach just before he got there. So he got to fly both the Sluf and the Hawg, as that squad was first to go operational in the Hawg. A good connection, that squad, and I got to see him in action for the next 11 weeks and one time a few years later, before his SR-71 tour. He was the premier example of leadership, guts and motivation for his classmates. I did not deal with him after that, but met him in the early 80's as he toured the F-16 community talking about fire protection and what a pilot could do to minimize injury. At Maxwell, I had seen him virtually naked as a part of our atheletic curriculum and can attest to the severity of his burns and such. A real survivor.

His burn scars and visible damage have been greatly reduced since that time. And his crash, burns and recovery are extraordinary. However, he may have received special treatment after his initial recovery, and I feel it was due. He was a sterling example of coming back from the grave and demonstrating what is possible with grit, determination, high pain tolerance and some natural physical conditioning going into the fray ( was damned near Olympic class athelete and very prominent in USAF racquet ball/tennis events. In fact, he was playing tennis the day he had his crash and was burned. You could see the line where his wool socks covered his calves and other "lines" on thighs, hands and then his face.

Brian has great presentations and has been a motivational speaker for a coupla decades, well worth the price of admission. No doubt he had and has a great ego, and it helped him survive a few dozen operations ( I have his autographed copy "26 Operations"). That being said, I would have a hard time with him using that national treasure to enhance personal gain and would not have a hard time believing there was some personal friction involved somewhere in there.

Gums remembers....

[Airbubba]

I can remember seeing the Habu's strutting around the O'Club at Mildenhall in their international orange flight suits in the late 1970's.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/303x591/a20010313000ceb_32a09a2dd6c673f2adbb03c256189338c0a2f859.jpg

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/suit-flying-type-k-2b-united-states-air-force

I was at the RAF Mildenhall Air Fete in 1977 which had the F-16 demonstrator and the YC-14 and YC-15 on display. SR-71 17958 (61-7958) was parked on the display ramp with appropriate security.

An Air Force pilot in uniform was at the nose of the plane and an apparent young airman in civvies struck up a conversation. He said he was from some photo unit back in the States and asked if the photo interpreters from Beale were deployed with the detachment. The pilot was obviously uncomfortable and annoyed at this public discussion. The airman persisted and the pilot said let me get your name and unit and I'll check and see if your friends are here. He then escorted the inquisitive spectator into the hangar for what I presume was a little debriefing with security personnel. Probably unrelated but our Navy spooks later told us that a Soviet general was escorted around the planes by an RAF air attaché.

From one of Paul Crickmore's books, when I observed this static display conversation in May of 1977 a Mobile Processing Center had just been deployed to Mildenhall under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to process the take from PARPRO missions. Maybe just an airman looking for his buddies in the business but it was a very sensitive subject in retrospect.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x683/32447184850_b2a56b0fa9_b_9a61fb661d1db76903237709bf6183680ae 92d71.jpg
Photo by Ian Cole
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian-cole/albums/72157678624036960

[megan]

international orange flight suitsStandard issue to all.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/850x566/film0027_288c5e1b3b227845f6b5cd44124383ba74b2607e.jpg

Re Jack Mecham, I think some reporter has got his wires crossed in perhaps misunderstanding what the man may have said.

http://www.rotorheadsrus.us/documents/Black%20Mariah.pdf

https://ccplohio.org/events/aviation-cadets-a-history-with-retired-usaf-pilot-instructor-jack-mecham/

[Airbubba]

I can remember seeing the Habu's strutting around the O'Club at Mildenhall in their international orange flight suits in the late 1970's.

Standard issue to all.

Not in the U.S. Air Force or Navy in the late 1970's as I recall. And I think some SAC general finally took them away from the Beale crews in 1981 according to the account of Rich Graham on page 17 of his book cited earlier, SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story (1996).

Is that a USN solo picture with a T-28 in the 1960's? I think those suits were cotton, not Nomex and were phased out when the Vietnam War got going hot and heavy.

Re Jack Mecham, I think some reporter has got his wires crossed in perhaps misunderstanding what the man may have said.

Actually, that 2003 article in the first link seems to be by the guy I spoke with at the X-plane hangar in 2006. The note about the author says he volunteers at the Air Force Museum. :ok:

[megan]

Airbubba, photo 1967, suits were cotton, but went through a flame retardant process at certain intervals. I then went to the US Army in Vietnam where a two piece nomex (trousers & shirt) was the go.

[Stu666]

Back in the day I bought a couple of Col. Rich Graham's books and found them fascinating. I ended up mailing him an SR-71 print which he graciously signed and returned.

Some time later, out of the blue, my wife answers a telephone call while I was out. "Some guy with an American accent called asking for you, something about a spy plane. It sounded like a prank call, so I put the phone down" :eek:

Now, as it happens I am hearing impaired (lip-reader) and would've been unable to take the call anyway, but I explained the significance of Col. Graham and had her call back immediately to apologise! The guy was such a good sport he offered to meet me for a pint and chat one day when he was next in England. Being a little younger, shyer and perhaps a little awe struck back then, I politely declined - something I've always regretted.

Col. Graham, if you read this and ever fancy that pint in a nice English country pub, I would be truly honoured, Sir!

[SASless]

The Cotton Flight suits were standard issue in 1967 when I began Army Flight School....ours were the gray version, there Orange flight suits seen but were usually worn by the Flat Iron detachments (think Army style SAR/Medevac crews stationed at the large training bases flying CH-34's then later UH-1D's.

The Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard wore the Orange suits more often than did the Army.

In the latter part of 1968 and early 1969 we began to see the introduction of the Nomex Two Piece flight suit for Army Crews in Vietnam.

The Army has struggled over what style....two piece or one piece...drab or camouflage....as they struggle on most commonsense issues.

The non-aviation infantry Generals have a love-hate thing with Aviators.....just as they do with Spec Ops types who do not always dress as does the straight leg orthodox infantry.

I see as being a magnum case of Penis Envy....simple example is the entire Army wearing Black Berets....when the Black Beret was earned and worn by Rangrers.

When the Special Forces guys began to wear the Green Beret in the early 1960's.....it took President Kennedy to get involved to get the Army Dinosauers to wind their necks in.

So be it head gear, boots (remember the early paratrooper and their High Top Jump Boots), or flight suits.....the peevish always object to anything different than what they must wear in the US Army.

[Airbubba]

And on the subject of Jack Mecham, he seems to give talks about his past flying and is consistently billed as a former SR-71 pilot. It doesn't seem to be a journalistic misunderstanding. I wish I had listened more carefully when I was chatting with him but I was uneasy (but thrilled ;)) about being in the X-plane hangar without an escort and was afraid that maybe he was coming to boot me out. I think that I was allowed into the hangar by mistake when someone thought that I was a straggler from a veterans group who missed the bus back across the runway to the main Museum.

I'm still puzzled that Jack doesn't seem to show up on the published lists of Blackbird flyers years later.

WACO Adult Lecture Speaker Jack Mecham on February 15

January 30, 2012


WACO Adult Lecture Speaker – Vietnam Veteran Jack Mecham will share his experiences of CIA missions flown during the war

The WACO Air Museum will host guest speaker Jack Mecham on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. He is a 20-year Air Force veteran who logged more than 12,100 flying hours on 20 different aircraft including the SR-71. During his tour of duty in Vietnam, he was solely responsible for planning and issuing frag orders for the missions flown by the 20th Helicopter Squadron. Additionally, he flew more than 100 combat missions, mostly in support of top secret CIA operations in Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Mr. Mecham will share his experiences, as well as, explain the origin of the “Black Mariah” helicopter that now resides in the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.




WACO Adult Lecture Speaker Jack Mecham on February 15 Newsome Team Realtors (http://newsometeamrealtors.com/news/waco-adult-lecture-speaker-jack-mecham-on-february-15/)

From a post on the Thailand-Laos-Cambodia Brotherhood forum about the 2017 reunion:

Jack Mecham spoke in the morning about his experiences in Thailand and Laos flying the 'Black Mariah'. Jack has experience in every thing from Piper PA-18's to the SR-71, with some rotary wing thrown in.

2017 Reunion Report (http://tlc-brotherhood.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9498.0)

From August 20, 2004 in the Dayton Daily News:

11:30 am Saturday; "Museum's Aerospace Adventure," designed for families with children featuring former SR-71 pilot and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient Jack Mecham discussing the SR-71 "Blackbird," 1:30 pm Saturday, Carney Auditorium, U.S. Air Force Museum, on Springfield Pike, one mile from the Harshman Road exit off Ohio 4.

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/410764499/

[Airbubba]

"...first successful over-flight of the Soviet Union"....so easy to say....and the full significance of the statement is so elusive as was the aircraft itself.

VIProds; Prior to reading the book I too thought that the SR-71 would almost have certainly flown over the USSR, Russia and China during its service (..."flew the fist successful overflight of the USSR from Mildenhall."). However the author, on Page 86, states quite categorically that "....One of the biggest myths surrounding the SR-71 reconnaissance program is that the plane has overflown the USSR and China. In truth, neither the A-12 nor the SR-71 has ever overflown the landmass of the USSR or China. after Gary Powers was shot down on 1st May 1960 over Russia, no US President would authorize direct overflights of the two superpowers...."

Colonel Walter Boyne writes about the early Soviet overflights in this 2001 Air Force Magazine article:

Truly vital intelligence concerning what was going on deep inside the territory of a potential adversary could be acquired only by overflying the Soviet Union and its allies. This was serious business, essentially an act of war, for during peacetime such an overflight violated Soviet national sovereignty.

Deja Vu All Over Again

The Soviet Union was especially sensitive to such overflights because it had experienced roughly similar operations just prior to Germany's invasion on June 22, 1941. Luftwaffe Col. Theo Rowehl's special reconnaissance unit had conducted almost 500 long-range overflights, pinpointing most of the major Soviet airfields. At that time, Stalin was trying desperately to avoid war with Hitler and so he failed to object or take action. Moscow would not make the same mistake again.

Such was the gravity of the Cold War overflights, however, that they could be authorized only by the President. At a recent Defense Intelligence Agency symposium on the early overflights, several speakers went to some lengths to establish the difference between a Presidentially authorized overflight and the more common PARPRO missions.

At this symposium, held at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., each speaker emphasized that USAF Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, the commander in chief of Strategic Air Command, never, under any circumstances, ordered such a flight without Presidential authorization. They were adamant on this point because some journalists have portrayed LeMay as a stubborn warmonger out to start World War III on his own. According to those who were there, LeMay was dedicated to having SAC ready for war and was prepared to take the war into the heart of enemy territory, but he was first and foremost an airman who obeyed his Commander in Chief. He knew there was a line, and he never crossed it.

National Reconnaissance Office Historian Cargill Hall offered a definition of an "overflight" that fits the facts. He stated, "In using the term 'overflight,' I mean a flight by a government aircraft that, expressly on the direction of the head of state, traverses the territory of another state in peacetime without that other state's permission."

The distinction is important because it highlights just how critical and dangerous the highly classified overflight mission was. All of the flights were conducted in great secrecy, at a level of security which was maintained until very recently, when, at last, the missions and imagery were declassified and the men who flew the missions could finally talk about them. Curiously, this secrecy was enhanced indirectly by the Soviet Union. It never blew the whistle on the flights, for it refused to admit to its people and to the world that it could not prevent US aircraft from overflying its national territory.

The military overflights employed the unsophisticated reconnaissance aircraft then available for use. These ranged from piston-engine aircraft like the RB-50 to the early jets. The latter category included RF-80As, slowed by huge tip tanks necessary for range, an F-84, RF-86s, RF-100s, and RB-45s, RB-57s, and B- and RB-47s. All of these aircraft led the way to the later specialized U-2 and SR-71 aircraft and ultimately to satellites.



Air Force Magazine (http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2001/June%202001/0601overfly.aspx)

[megan]

Airbubba, I put the Jack Mecaham/SR-71 story in the same class as the myth that the guy who designed the P-51 also worked on the Bf-109 design. Some like to massage their history, not the P-51 designer in this case, that story was put about by others, the very fact that Merchams name does not appear on the list of crew members tells all. Had the chief pilot of another company come fly with ours for a period, first time I flew with him the conversation turned to our respective backgrounds, he said he was a ex Vietnam aviator, so asked what unit, where based? Couldn't remember says he. Pull the other one.

[Airbubba]

Airbubba, I put the Jack Mecaham/SR-71 story in the same class as the myth that the guy who designed the P-51 also worked on the Bf-109 design. Some like to massage their history, not the P-51 designer in this case, that story was put about by others, the very fact that Merchams name does not appear on the list of crew members tells all.

I'm not so sure. The area around the Air Force Museum is infested with military and ex-military pilots from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who would know what an SR-71 is. Could a 'poser' really give lectures about the plane over the years with a phony claim that he had flown it? I wouldn't have even remembered meeting this guy if he hadn't claimed to have flown the A-12, YF-12A and SR-71.

Like you, over the years I've encountered folks with stories that didn't quite check out. I flew commuter planes decades ago with a guy who claimed that he was a former Army Cobra pilot. As a Navy guy I was a gullible listener. I ran into a friend who flew helos in Vietnam (Dustoff medevac Huey's) on a layover and the three of us had a meal together. Afterward, my medevac friend said that my copilot was actually a gunner on the AH-1 from the answers he gave about his training and lack of a commission or warrant.

Of course, sometimes inaccurate stories about our background are started as rumor and we get tired of correcting them. When I was in Navy flight training there was an admiral with a name very similar to mine and word got out that I was 'junior'. No actual relationship of course, but on a mischievous whim I took one of those yellow phone message notes and stuck it to my mailbox behind the BOQ front desk. On it I scribbled 'To: ENS Airbubba From: ADM Airbubba Message: Call Dad.' I left the note up for a few days and spent the next few years making weak denials of my family status as a flag officer legacy.

[megan]

He certainly didn't fly the YF-12A, have records of every flight those aircraft made and he doesn't get a mention, nor on the list of A-12 "Öxcart" crew. Going to take a hell of a lot to convince me.

[SASless]

Do the names on this list coincide with your list of Crew Members?


http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/oxcart_bshield.html

http://www.sr71.us/pg006.htm (http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/carpenter/bb_timeline_c10.pdf)


A bit about the USAF "Pony Express" Squadron and the "Black Mariah".

http://usafhpa.org/specialinterest/blackmariah/mariah.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pony_Express

The painting of the one aircraft in flat black paint was supposed to have been a trial to see if that would be of benefit for night covert operations....but night ops were cancelled due to the hazards such flight in those days presented (as reported by the first linked article).


One Man's opinion here....but the saying about the empty drum and level of noise springs to mind.

[Airbubba]

He certainly didn't fly the YF-12A, have records of every flight those aircraft made and he doesn't get a mention, nor on the list of A-12 "Öxcart" crew. Going to take a hell of a lot to convince me.

And he doesn't seem to appear anywhere on the comprehensive lists of Blackbird aircrewmen (and one woman) like the one in Appendix A of Col. Graham's The Complete Book of the SR-71 Blackbird: The Illustrated Profile of Every Aircraft, Crew, and Breakthrough of the World's Fastest Stealth Jet (2015).

Also, he gives a talk at a 2017 reunion for alumni of the secret war in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia?

Of course, even Frank Abagnale shows up at the Pan Am reunions:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/800x459/44477841_794693374206383_1757824780179865600_o_0902dc87cc12b 10bf6272f94113c7c7ad3b073f5.jpg

[SASless]

I corrected the link I posted earlier that takes you to the "Road Runner" web site that has a wealth of information about the A-12/SR-71.

It shows a total of 487 people have flown in the aircraft.....not one of them is a name that could be the one under discussion.

If you go to the linked site and look over to the far right you will see that list of names....download it and review it for yourself.

[megan]

Airbubba, your links provide irrefutable proof he's a Walt. Have sent an email to him via a source, be interesting to see if I get a reply, from him or the source.

[SASless]

I just sent an email to the Director of the Museum and told him of the lack of any listing of the guy at any source I have found.

I noted it could be some sort of mistake that his name was not listed.....but Mecham should be quite happy and able to provide some proof of his being an SR-71 Pilot and ensuring the Road Runner site amended its records to accurately reflect his service with that group.

The fellow claims to be a recipient of the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross as well as being an SR pilot.

Again....no mention of him here either....although again....there might a valid reason for that.

https://valor.defense.gov/Portals/24/Documents/ServiceCross/AirForceCross-VietnamWar.pdf

[gums]

Salute!

Awwww maaaan, you guys are bringing back some great memories. Besides personally knowing two bonafide SR-71 pilots ( Shul and Glasser, and prolly another or two I could look up), and flying with one in combat, the helo stories related to the fellow under scrutiny are personally important.

I flew helo escort and was top cover for infil/extraction in early 1968 from Pleiku. Most were covering SOG folks outta Kontum and they were using basic U.S. Army helos. UH-1 slicks and heavily armed ones. One callsign was Typhoon, and I am having trouble with the other one after 50 years. We were called Mustangs, but normal in-country and nights over the Trail was Dragon.

Every now and then we would CAP up at 20K to avoid noise and some mysterious helos would come into an area with zero fanfare. They would check in with us to ensure we were there to help, do their thing, then simply wish us well and depart the area. Very interesting, those days. And they were my favorite months flying in combat --- night interdiciton over the Trail and the Tet Offensive that February thru March.

I know several folks I flew with that embellish their combat record, but no outright lies or false stories. I wrote down two of my memorable missions in the early 90's before I got too old. My biggest regret over the years was not keeping a good diary/log book. So that's great advice for all the wannabes and newbies here that will have super careers and maybe a few adventures.

Gums sends...

[megan]

All A-12, YF-12 and SR-71 pilots and RSO's have a check ride number denoting when they were checked out on the aircraft. Numbers run from 1 to 466. Numbers 35 to 100 were not used as 000 to 100 were allocated to the CIA "Oxcart" program, some of which were not used prior to program termination. "Senior Crown" were allocated 101 onwards. All Jack has to do is tell us his check ride number, it must be >35 and <101, or >466.

[flensr]

He certainly didn't fly the YF-12A, have records of every flight those aircraft made and he doesn't get a mention, nor on the list of A-12 "Öxcart" crew. Going to take a hell of a lot to convince me.


I'm wondering, if the SR-71 (and variants) program was compartmentalized like today's UAV operations are, there was an entire second fleet (ops group?) operating that we'll NEVER find records about.

[Airbubba]

The fellow claims to be a recipient of the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross as well as being an SR pilot.

Again....no mention of him here either....although again....there might a valid reason for that.

https://valor.defense.gov/Portals/24/Documents/ServiceCross/AirForceCross-VietnamWar.pdf

The list you linked is not for the Distinguished Flying Cross, it is for the Air Force Cross, a much less common award. There seem to be some unofficial DFC lists online, is there something more official in the .gov websites perhaps?

[SASless]

My mistake....old eyes and a poor finger/brain interface tripped me up.....thinking I was looking at the DFC list.:ouch:

[Airbubba]

From the Distinguished Flying Cross Society's site:

No one knows how many DFC’s were awarded but The Distinguished Flying Cross Society has over 6,200 recipient members with possibly thousands more eligible to join our prestigious and elite Society.

The Medal ? The Distinguished Flying Cross Society (http://www.dfcsociety.net/the-medal/)

Here's a news story on a fake DFC Society applicant:

https://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20141206/NEWS03/141208996

On the SR-71 side of the story, I believe there actually were pilots who flew the A-12, YF-12A and SR-71. It appears that Lockheed test pilot Jim Eastham was one:

Jim Eastham, known in aviation circles under the Codename Dutch 52, was a legendary Lockheed test pilot known for flight-testing the world's first three Mach 3+ articles at Area 51, White Sands, NM, and Edwards AFB. He was the first pilot to fly the YF-12A (Project KEYLOCK [sic]), second pilot to fly the SR-71 (Project SENIOR CROWN), third pilot to fly the CIA's A-12 Blackbird (Project OXCART). Jim was the chief test pilot during the testing of the Convair YB-58A, and the author of the YF-12 flight manual.

Jim Eastman, Member Roadrunners Internationale (http://www.roadrunnersinternationale.com/eastham.html)

[gums]

Salute!

It is hard to quickly find someone who received an award/decoration.

I went to the national archives and could not find my DFC, but it could be the dates I entered didn't match. Ditto for my SIlver Star, and I had the dates just right as it was pinned on me by a USAF two-star on the battlefield where the action took place within two weeks of the end. The Army has a quick and dirty process in order to keep morale up and then move on, and they were the ones who put me in for the decoration. Hell, they even had a "program with pictures and a map", just like you would get at a football game. ( Look up :THE 5TH BATTALION ASSOCIATION - Battle of Y Bridge (http://5thbattalion.tripod.com/ybridge.html) ) USAF is full of paper pushers and I didn't get the DFC for over a year after my flight lead submitted the paperwork, unbeknownst to me until I had returned to the states and the boss ordered me to a ceremony.

Oh well, I have never met an out and out liar about a war, far as I clould tell. But I have heard confusing stories and embellished ones.

Gums sends...

[SASless]

Medals....BAH!

I have some I cannot talk about....far too embarrassing a story behind them.

The one I am most proud of is the "Royal Order of the Yo-Yo" Medal with Cloth Ribbon that I earned twice.

It was presented by the WOPA Chapter at the Unit to a member that had really done something far beyond stupid......and you retained custody of it until it was awarded to someone else.

It had to worn anytime you were off duty, in the Officers Club, and within sight of alcohol.

To be caught not wearing it meant you bought all the drinks that night.

[Airbubba]

USAF is full of paper pushers and I didn't get the DFC for over a year after my flight lead submitted the paperwork, unbeknownst to me until I had returned to the states and the boss ordered me to a ceremony.

This guy had to wait 68 years for his DFC:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1618x1080/dsc_1562_large__a0cd0fca39cd983c5b3ff49c763c864c4f25791f.jpg

I stumbled across this awards ceremony by accident years ago while walking back from the New Sagaya grocery store in ANC. The gentleman in the broad brimmed hat behind Lt. Gen. Hoog in the picture turned out to be Alaska's sole U.S. congressman Don Young.

More in this article:

World War II heroics not forgotten The Alaska Star (http://www.alaskastar.com/community/2013-05-08/world-war-ii-heroics-not-forgotten#.XDFKKvZFyuk)

[megan]

This guy had to wait 68 years for his DFCI thought waiting eleven years for the American Embassy to pass on my humble decoration (not DFC) was an inordinately long time. Bureaucratic wheels turn ever so slowly.

[Airbubba]

I just came across more on that 1977 SR-71 static display at Mildenhall in Paul Crickmore's Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions (Revised Edition 2016).

Colonel 'Buz' Carpenter narrates:

As a postscript, about two weeks later we were informed that our TDY at Mildenhall had been extended to support the Air Tattoo celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. A two-day open house would attract well over 100,000 visitors and the SR-71 would be on its first British public display since setting the speed record from New York to London in 1974. The SR-71 would be part of the static display, but roped off so people could not touch the aircraft.We had been advised to watch for representatives from the Soviet Union and Eastern satellite countries trying to get too close to the aircraft and securing material samples. To prevent the Russians or anyone else from exploiting the display, no sensors were left on the aircraft, all fuel had been removed from the tanks and the aircraft was heat soaked to ambient temperatures to prevent infrared cameras from discovering the secrets of the aircraft’s internal structure and support systems.

As we four crewmembers were standing around the aircraft answering questions from the crowd, sure enough the Russians showed up in numbers. They took numerous regular and infrared photos and some of the Russians even had hidden microphones. They were a sight to see, coming up like a covey of quail. It looked like the Salvation Army had outfitted them. Their dress sense was that from a 1930s movie about American mobsters. They were attired in bulky double-breasted suits made from rougher cloth than one normally sees, and all clustered around each other waiting for their leader to act. The head of the Soviet delegation, a former MiG-23 fighter pilot, was quite relaxed and talkative in his demeanour and invited John and I to sometime drop in on Vladivostok in the Far East as a gesture of peaceful relationships. We just quipped, ‘Please forward that request to our State Department.’ The British open house audiences are much more aviation literate than their American counterparts. Tough aeronautical questions were often asked as we stood by the aircraft in the static display, but a great time was had by all, with wonderful weather and spectacular flying demonstrations.

Actually, one of my Navy skippers did cross-deck with the Russians in Vladivostok in about 1978.

[Nige321]

Col. Rich Graham is giving a lecture near Stratford On Avon this coming Wednesday.

Tickets are still available (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/first-wednesday-sr-71-with-col-rich-graham-tickets-53911398444)

✈ ✈ ✈ **SPREAD THE WORD** This is an event open to members and none members ** ✈ ✈ ✈ Colonel (ret.) Rich Graham, flew the world’s fastest and highest-flying aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird, for 7 years during his 25-year Air Force career. He also flew 210 combat missions in Vietnam as an F-4 fighter pilot and Wild Weasel pilot. His many military awards include 3 Legion of Merit medals, 4 Distinguished Flying Cross medals and 19 Air Medals. Rich speaks with authority on the SR-71 having been the Squadron Commander and 9th Wing Commander of this Top Secret reconnaissance program. Rich is a respected authority with an incredible depth of knowledge on the Blackbird. His truly amazing stories enthrall aviators and non-aviators alike.LocationThe Charlecote Pheasant Hotel
Charlecote Road
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV35 9EW

[pulse1]

Col. Rich Graham is giving a lecture near Stratford On Avon this coming Wednesday.


He must be on a tour. I am hoping to hear him speak in Bournemouth on Thursday evening.

[LoeyDaFrog]

He must be on a tour. I am hoping to hear him speak in Bournemouth on Thursday evening.
He was at Metheringham airfield on Wednesday evening as well. Would love to have gone and hopefully I will be able to get to another one, he's presented at least twice before.

[Paul C]

Hi, is it possible that Jim Eastham and Jack Mecham are actually the same person who chooses to be known under a different name now for whatever reason?
Cheers Paul

[chevvron]

Training as a civil ATCO at Northern Radar in mid 1973, one day one of the RAF controllers strolled over and told me 'watch track number XX; it's an SR71'
I watched it and noted it would move at high speed for some distance, then the blip would apparently stop (the Type 82 radar I was watching was not equipped with MTI) then it would move again, tracking north west from the vicinity of Alconbury.
It wasn't until later I read about the SR71 climb technique.
The following year, 1974, having been posted to Farnborough I was present when 'Aspen 01' arrived having left Beale only a few hours previously and setting up a world record across the Atlantic.
We were told to have fire crews standing by as if one or more of his 3 brake chutes failed to stream, he would stay down but have VERY hot brakes when he stopped.

[ex82watcher]

Chevvron,when I was an ATCO at Eastern Radar(civil) in 1983,I was called into the bosses office one day (HL,you may know him).I was given a brown A4 envelope,and told to read the type-written page inside,digest the information,hand it back,and then talk about it to no-one.It contained information about the procedures to be followed when the SR71 was to be operating from Mildenhall during my next morning duty.However,when I arrived for work on the said day,my colleague(DW,whom you may also know,being an ex-ATCA).had already arrived,and had 'plugged-in'.Bearing in mind my instructions,I said nothing to him,presuming he had been shown the contents of the aforementioned brown envelope.I did however watch the progress on the spare screen,and thereafter these flights were quite a common occurrence,but I do wonder if this was the first one.

[Haraka]

I do wonder if this was the first one.
It wasn't .

[ex82watcher]

Wonder what all the hush-hush stuff was all about then ?

[The Nr Fairy]

Is there a way of finding out where else Col Graham is speaking? Charlecote and Bournemouth so far, but if there's anywhere else...

[dragartist]

Fairy, check out the RAeS web site for Rich giving lectures at a number of the Branches. He comes over to UK twice a year. Based in Cambridgeshire. Likely to appear at Duxford talking to youngsters in the main.

[The Nr Fairy]

Cheers. As it turns out, a change in plans means I'll try to get to the Bournemouth event this evening.

[Kiltrash]

Came across this on the WWW. in case some have missed it,have mot seen it mentioned on here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kIMTJRgyn0

Enjoy

[Nick 1]

Any idea regarding this withe stuff between the Blackbird tails ? I don't know if it’s a real or fake picture , never saw in any image before…


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/987x1346/040a1dd0_24f6_4460_838a_6b768e77e75e_9c70a01a576e28df3bad1c7 b4edb514d438d42e4.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1021x1494/052f67d4_9fcc_4613_a6d7_2164b7158b6b_736153c9bdd87a5042832df 1ec115bf8b3004dae.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/963x1488/c1cbbac9_3e5f_44dd_86d8_58eb215dbe45_91c2115deb682153b6fb674 c7bcc48f6a0168dc9.jpeg

[Ninthace]

Possibly an empty one of these?
https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/3yfokw/m21d21_the_mothershipdrone_variant_of_the_sr71a12/
See first picture

[Nick 1]

Mistery solved , thanks ! I was wrong it’ s not an SR-71 , it is an A-12 precursor of the SR-71 …

[JSF-TC]

Not an A-12.

NASA operated SR-71 with a prototype linear aerospike engine mounted on top. Search Wikipedia.


My wife worked on it as an intern at NASA Dryden - got at signed picture of it on the office wall.

[Ninthace]

The first wind tunnel experiment I helped on was the YF-12 intake. We were sub contracted to Lockheed to run a model of it in our supersonic tunnel. The point went in and out and the petals of the cone behind the spike expanded and contracted to vary the rake of the cone and the gap to the intake rim. The edges of the intake were razor sharp and had to be treated with caution.

[Nick 1]

Not an A-12.

NASA operated SR-71 with a prototype linear aerospike engine mounted on top. Search Wikipedia.


My wife worked on it as an intern at NASA Dryden - got at signed picture of it on the office wall.

Found it …thanks !

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/pdf/88598main_H-2280.pdf

[Flugplatz]

I think that was part of the tech risk reduction for the X-33 as described. Seem to remember they couldn't get the thing from not leaking fuel or something

[Rug]

My initial guess that it was the drone mount on the M-21 stands corrected by JSF-TC's interesting insight. Oxcart Project Pilot Frank Murray touches on the drone concept briefly in this excellent talk on his involvement with the A-12, in which he also disparagingly refers to the SR-71 at the "family model" of the Blackbird variants.

If the link below doesn't work, search Youtube for "The Oxcart Story - Frank Murray".

The Oxcart Story - Frank Murray

[ORAC]

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1650x1299/image_48076dcbd2ab81c35b1916889d2f84ffd75f36bd.jpeg

[ORAC]

https://youtu.be/KrhJ3vFD3fE

[Ewan Whosearmy]

...in which he also disparagingly refers to the SR-71 at the "family model" of the Blackbird variants.

Not sure that he's intending to be disparaging: 'family model' is a well used jocular reference to any two-seat aircraft that also has a single-seat version.

[gums]

Salute!

No way is "family model" disparaging. It has been used for decades when the primary model is single seat and the trainer or special mission model requires two seats.

Gums sends...

[Rug]

“They built more of this model here [SR-71] which I call the family model. I’m sorry if any of you guys are SR drivers, I don’t have a helluva lot of good to say about it. I never flew that thing either thank God…”

Not a glowing opinion by any means but yes, all delivered with a smile and to laughter so friendly rivalry no doubt.

[etudiant]

I think that was part of the tech risk reduction for the X-33 as described. Seem to remember they couldn't get the thing from not leaking fuel or something
The composite tank was very challenging, with engineering conflicts that eventually caused Lockheed to switch to an aluminium design. Sadly that pretty much killed the SSTO capability of the X-33, metal was too heavy.
The sad result was the entire effort was cancelled, a major loss imho. It signaled the beginning of the era of stagnation in the US space program, decades of Titan and Delta launches with no expectations of anything better.

[tartare]

I wonder if they could build the X-33 now, given the advances in composites and manufacturing over ensuing decades?

[petit plateau]

If you listen to Musk in this recent 21-Nov-2021 talk and Q&A etc with (US) National Academies of Sciences (etc) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtjh0pW7siA (or https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=55237.0) he discusses the issues with composite tanks. It is a long talk and worth listening to in its entirety. In respect of the tanks he notes the porosity/leaks aspects, the flammability aspects (LOX + carbon + high pressure = bang), the weight, the strength (at pressure + low temp), the cost, and the re-entry (heated strength) and the overall airframe weight fraction that comes from this. That is what led to Space-X's decision to ultimately select and develop a stainless steel grade for the Starship as he explains. He also explains the corresponding decisions on Falcon 9. Remember that Space X started off with some very big composite structures in the early stages of Starship, back when they were going with conventional wisdom, so it is not as if Space-X didn't try the composite route. You can see some of the composite tooling etc that was their original pathway for Starship in ( https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all-in-steel-starship-super-heavy/ )

So you could say that the lessons of X-33 were learnt, eventually.

[Flugplatz]

Agree Etudiant,
Not following through with the X-33 tests of represents (to me) when NASA sort of lost their 'mojo' in terms of cutting edge launch vehicles/aerodynamics. They've still got it with their exploration spacecraft and science goals, but I guess the baton has now been passed to innovators like Space X. At least NASA have got behind Space X and that arrangement seems to be working pretty well.

Actually, the Lockheed team did build a metal internal tank, which eventually came within the required weight, so it could have been used. The testimony of NASA director Ivan Bekey was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. There is something about the whole project, which is sadly reminiscent of the dumping of the TRS 2

[tartare]

Shame.
It kind of `looked right' as Kelly used to say...

[Nick 1]

@ORAC , that’ s where the pictures come from .
They where testing the plumbing of the system ( cold flow ) in a series of flights , they ignited the propellant only in ground test .
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/history/pastprojects/SR71/Lasre/index.html

[etudiant]

@ORAC , that’ s where the pictures come from .
They where testing the plumbing of the system ( cold flow ) in a series of flights , they ignited the propellant only in ground test .
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/history/pastprojects/SR71/Lasre/index.html

I don't know whether the X-33 engine was ever tested at full scale. It certainly had an impressive plumbing complex above the simple looking linear aerospike.
How robust the whole thing would have been is unknown, but weight was always the SSTO bugaboo, so margins were minimal everywhere.