Very O/T 'cept for the speed aspect - SR-71

[Jamsvx]

My memory has dragged up a bit more about the RS/SR and that it was the result of a typing error/oral mistake.....whatever it was, they could have called it "Mickey and Donald's Airborne Photolab" and it would not have detracted from the brilliance of the machine.

I have a number of SAC bombers in 1/72 scale hanging up (the B-36 takes up a ton of room!) but was hoping to get my hands on the 1/72 scale C-5 Galaxy Vacform (gigantic kit!) and...get this....a 1/72 Boeing 747 Shuttle Transporter with the 1/72 Shuttle kit on the back....yeeha!

[wasions]

Originally posted by Jamsvx
My memory has dragged up a bit more about the RS/SR and that it was the result of a typing error/oral mistake.....whatever it was, they could have called it "Mickey and Donald's Airborne Photolab" and it would not have detracted from the brilliance of the machine.

I have a number of SAC bombers in 1/72 scale hanging up (the B-36 takes up a ton of room!) but was hoping to get my hands on the 1/72 scale C-5 Galaxy Vacform (gigantic kit!) and...get this....a 1/72 Boeing 747 Shuttle Transporter with the 1/72 Shuttle kit on the back....yeeha!

This is going a little off-topic - but . . .

I was at my mother's house in Tucson several years ago, and got out of bed early because we were going to visit the air museum (where we saw the SR71 - there, back on topic). We were sitting in her living room, just talking, and I said, "Hmm, look outside. There's the Shuttle." I don't think I even realized what I was saying at the time, but everybody ran for the door. The 747 was doing a slow circle over town with the Shuttle on it's back. We were absolutely rapt! I've seen several launches and one landing (my dad lives in Daytona Beach), but THAT was totally unexpected! Very cool day!

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by wasions


This is going a little off-topic - but . . .

I was at my mother's house in Tucson several years ago, and got out of bed early because we were going to visit the air museum (where we saw the SR71 - there, back on topic). We were sitting in her living room, just talking, and I said, "Hmm, look outside. There's the Shuttle." I don't think I even realized what I was saying at the time, but everybody ran for the door. The 747 was doing a slow circle over town with the Shuttle on it's back. We were absolutely rapt! I've seen several launches and one landing (my dad lives in Daytona Beach), but THAT was totally unexpected! Very cool day!

Heh, I can imagine that.

'Hey, look out the window - there's the Shuttle.'

'Oh, crap - that's the Shuttle!!!'

I saw a night launch when I lived in FL. Really, really cool. What an awesome sight.

[newsvx]

Yes, this is a VERY old thread, but I was just "searching around" on the site and came across it - I had not seen it before.

The SR-71 is also my favorite plane, and having been in the military, I have perhaps some info others have not heard.

Regarding the leaking of fuel: The aircraft, as I believe Mr. Pockets mentioned, was designed to expand greatly - how about 18 inches in length!! - at speed, due to the heating up of the aircraft because of friction with the air. This included the fuel lines, and it leaked like a sive on the ground. It had to refuel immediately after takeoff - inflight, of course. The fuel, BTW, can not be lighted by fire, spark, etc - it has to be a chemical iginition - so it is safe to use dripping all over the ground while parked on the tarmac .

Speed of the SR-71?: Well a couple of years ago (3 - 4??) it set yet another world speed record from California to Washington, DC (seems like it was just over one hour!!). And that was to have been is last "official flight" to be decommissioned and turned over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airpoprt, which JUST OPENED this year! A typical training flight went something like this: takeoff from the California and refuel, fly to the extreme northwest part of the US (Washington State), refuel, fly to extreme northeast corner of the US, refuel, fly south to the extreme southeast corner of the US, refuel, fly to the extreme southwest corner of the US, refuel, fly to home base in Calififornia - TOTAL FLIGHT TIME? ABOUT THREE HOURS!!!!

My favorite story about the SR-71 is when we were doing recon over Algeria before, during and after bombing Kadafi a number of years ago. France (of course) would not let the US fly the SR-71 over French airspace from its base in England in order to conduct the recon. The SR-71 had to fly south over the Atlantic and make a left turn (going east) through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, and on to Algeria. On a return flight back to homebase from the recon over Algeria one time, a warning light came on indicating an overheating engine. The pilot idled one of the two engines and throttled back to about 1,000 MPH at about 40,000 or so feet altitude. He then decides, for safety sake, to violate the French airspace and take the most direct flight path back to England and "limp home" on the one engine. As it it flying across France, two Marage fighters come up along beside it and demand (via international fregs) why they are violating French airspace. The Operitions Officer (backseater) flips the French pilots the bird as the pilot opens BOTH throttles and is GONE! They wer back in England in THREE MINUTES!!!! - leaving the French in the vapor trails!!

There is a great book out on the development of the SR-71 and other aircraft (like the stealth fighter) - been out for several years. The title is THE SKUNKWORKS, by a fellow named (Buddy?)Rich who was ran Lockheed's Skunkworks at one time - The Skunkworks was a super secret facility that did all sorts of neat stuff for the military, to include a steath ship - you could NOT SEE IT on radar, but surface search radar could see clearly the waves / wake created by the ship! How they got approval to publish this book, I don't know, but it is facinating reading!

And if they "decommisioned" the BLACKBIRD on the day it set a world speed record, one has to surmise that, yes, there is a replacement, and it is flying today! The Aurora is the "reported" name of the replacement.

Long live the BLACKBIRD (or at least the concept!!)

Harry

[NikFu S.]

SR-71 has bee my dreamcraft since I was 5.
I remember seeing some video of it being prepared though and the fuel leakage seemed really wasteful.
Supposedly it got so hot during flight the crew had to wait an hour or so to get out.
I got to touch one when I was about 9.

The joys of living on an airbase (Eglin).

I also heard of this "Aurora", but I don't think it is ready for commision.

[newsvx]

I think it is flying today. It doesn't seem logical that they would decommission (they did put a few back into commision after Congress got involved) the SR-71 without having something to do its job. I would bet good money it is flying But it can't look as good as the SR-71!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harry

[NikFu S.]

Satellites, man.
*outro*

[Myetball]

The official Air Force reason for discontinuing the SR-71 program was excessive cost of operations and maintenance. Excessive compared to what? Anyway, it seems more likely that the SR-71 became obsolete, in other words, it was replaced by something higher and faster.

How many years was the F-117 flying....and crashing....before it was made public.

Too bad we can't drive up to Groom Lake and camp out and take pictures.

[newsvx]

Originally posted by NikFu S.
Satellites, man.
*outro*

Satelites are too "predictable" as to where they will be and when - a capability like the SR-71 is not, and it can be deployed on a moment's notice too.

BTW, I read in the thread about some pilot ejections from the SR-71. I don't believe there has ever been a SR-71 crash.

Harry

[Earthworm]

Originally posted by newsvx
A typical training flight went something like this: takeoff from the California and refuel, fly to the extreme northwest part of the US (Washington State), refuel, fly to extreme northeast corner of the US, refuel, fly south to the extreme southeast corner of the US, refuel, fly to the extreme southwest corner of the US, refuel, fly to home base in Calififornia - TOTAL FLIGHT TIME? ABOUT THREE HOURS!!!!

Is that its turning radius?

[newsvx]

Originally posted by Earthworm
Is that its turning radius?

ALMOST, Dave!!

Harry

[Jnthn_Sctt]

Regarding the SR-71 decommisioning: official line is that satelite recon is cheaper and better, rendering the SR-71 obsolete. However, it is not so obsolete that the government doesn't maintain 2 fully functional aircraft. One in, "storage", maintained by Air Force Strategic Air Command, and one maintained by NASA for, "Testing" purposes. Also, all of the birds on display, such as the one on the Intrepid museum in NY harbor can be brought on-line in a matter of days.

Upon the decommisioning of the SR-71 there was an interview with some of the pilots. One of the questions was, "What will you do when your records for speed / altitude / distance get passed by future aircraft?"

One of the pilots responded nonchallantly, "We'll take her out of mothballs, fuel her up, and put the throttles forward one more notch." Clearly a classic response for a classic bird.

It would seem that any listing of the Max speed for the SR-71 was an educated guess. They never had the throttles maxed out and have no true idea of just how fast it will go.

[NikFu S.]

Originally posted by Earthworm
Is that its turning radius?

I recall the official turing radius at speed to be about 100 miles.

Note on SR-71 recon:
Though it had a REALLY good camera, you didn't get many chances and if you screwed up you failed the mission.
Sat's being very slow moving, unmanned, equipped with more powerful spy equipment, and just as indetectable (if not more so) are the logical choice for low cost day-to-day operations.

The Blackbird will only be around as long as the military needs an ego.

[blackbolt94red]

In the early 80's I worked a lot of freelance graphic/commercial art jobs in the D.C. area and got hooked up with some of the guys that were responsible for putting together the visuals for the 'briefs the chiefs' every morning in the Puzzle Palace. Most of these old navy dudes are dead now, but one day they invited me into see where they worked and attend a retirement party for somebody, anyway, I wander.....
While there, because they knew of my interests in aviation and the SR 71, introduced to two pilots who flew the SR, they would not say their names because I was not cleared of course, but they did give me a signed pic of '964' and a coffee mug. I treasure them to this day.
Kelly Johnson is said to have offered $50.00 to anyone who could come up with a 'simple' solution to any of the thousands of problems encountered designing this plane, he said later he still had the $50.00.
Anyway, I forgot why I wrote this, oh yea, I understand that concerning speed/throttle settings that as the aircraft burned off fuel, the pilot had to keep retarding the throttle slightly or the aircraft would accelerate as it got lighter.
The skin got hotter than the inside of your oven at cruise, way hotter, and they used to heat their food pouches against the inside of the cockpit glass before eating.
What a machine, but I wonder, didn't somebody order the tooling destroyed? I want to say Robert (Strange) MacNemara (SP? but I can't remember. The story of making the tooling alone is facinating as were those powerplants..........P&W J58's
You should also read up on the inlet/exhaust system, at cruise the powerplant actually provided minimal thrust, just big airpumps really, it was the inlets and exhaust that provide the majority of thrust.
Also look for "Sled Driver" the author excapes me now but it is amazing for its photos, and expense. Also some back issues of Wings/Airpower might still be available. They did an extensive series back in the mid 80's and no doubt more since.
Anyway, I know this is an old thread, but I love this plane so and its been so long since I've been on this site, I was just happy to see some interest in the old girl.
Bruce

[Royal Tiger]

I have a photo of a SR-71 from static display at Lackland AFB, TX. After my UTA this weekend I'll put all the photos in my locker and let you guys know when I'm done.