Posted on 01/14/2021 8:53:20 AM PST by Onthebrink
No other U.S. Air Force aircraft could fly faster or higher than the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird,” and on its final flight, it set a truly impressive record.
The reconnaissance aircraft flew from the west coast of the United States to the east coast – some 2,404 miles – in just 68:17 minutes. During that flight, it traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati, Ohio, a distance of 311 miles in about eight and a half minutes.
(Excerpt) Read more at 19fortyfive.com ...
While no SR-71 was ever shot down, it was the political infighting and an issue of funding that finally grounded the speedy Blackbird.
It was so fast that it went backwards in time and disassembled itself?
Built from technology gleaned from a UFO crash at area 51. ;)
A12 was the same model but built of lighter materials and much faster.
“While no SR-71 was ever shot down, it was the political infighting and an issue of funding that finally grounded the speedy Blackbird.”
And maybe the presence of the secret “Aurora” scram jet?
It was also the hypersonic vehicles taking budgets away.
Shul was the first pilot to write a book about flying the SR-71. This story comes from his book Sled Driver: Flying the World’s Fastest Jet, first published in 1991, now in its sixth printing.
Walter and I had just completed the 100 hours required to attain Mission Ready status in the jet. Ripping across the Arizona deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California.
I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace.
We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: “November Charlie 175, I’m showing you at 90 knots on the ground.”
Now the thing to understand about Center controllers was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the “Houston Center voice.” Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.
Just moments after the Cessna’s inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. “I have you at 125 knots of ground speed.” Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a Navy F/A-18 pilot out of Naval Air Station Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. “Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check.” Before Center could reply, I’m thinking to myself, “Hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout?” Then I got it. Ol’ Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He’s the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same calm voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: “Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground.”
And I thought to myself: Is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done. That Hornet must die, and die now.
Then I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, Walter spoke: “Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?” There was no hesitation: “Aspen 20, I show you at 1,842 knots, across the ground.”
I think it was the “42 knots” that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. Walt keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: “Ah, Center, much thanks, we’re showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money.”
For a moment, Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A. came back with “Roger that Aspen. Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one.”
It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on frequency were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day’s work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
We used to refuel those aircraft with the KC-135Q aircraft. We flew along on those flights but were not allowed to watch the actual refueling.
The boom operator later said he would have allowed us to watch. Bummer. Missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Here is some interesting info.
https://gizmodo.com/fascinating-photos-reveal-how-they-built-the-sr-71-blac-1683754944
Skim down for more photos.
http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/transporting_the_a-12.html
It’s beautiful, and awesome. But it’s also old, expensive, and with the quantity of satellites we have just not necessary.
All kidding aside, I am sure it was replaced by a constellation of reconnaissance satellites that could change their orbits as needed. It is simply much cheaper to have something that orbits in space using little fuel compared to the SR-71 that burned 8,000 gallons per hour cruising at mach 3.2 (2,100 MPH).
Love that story and was going to mention it if no one else did!
SR-71 was basically pre-satellite era.
Corrections, insights welcome.
I was at an air show at Wright Patterson AFB in the 1980’s.
We were supposed to witness a rare supersonic fly by for an SR 71.
The air show announcer came on with “ the SR 71 is currently taking off from Beale AFB California, and we expect it overhead in 40 minutes”.
Say they had a problem refueling and could not complete the mission.
But as someone who had some aviation experience in the F 4 Phantom, that 40 minutes TOT from California to Ohio really got my attention.
Altitude was over 100,000 feet.
If I recall, speed was over 2250.
I think orbiting satellites are more accurate(?) better cameras and stuff.
There are 2 interviews with SR 71 pilots on youtube (yeah, I know people hate YT now) but they are great long and detailed videos on their experiences.
One of them even said “men in black” would visit them an hour before ANY flight over the USSR and gave them “pills” and a “weird looking walkie”..in case they get shot down/captured. One of the pilots even said they had 3 of them at Kadena in Japan, as back-ups.
Contrary to belief, one SR 71 actually malfunctioned and the pilot was ejected. He also has a long interview and its really good.
2122 miles per hour.
~ 2.79 times the sound barrier.
Great story. Thanks.
While no SR-71 was ever shot down, it was the political infighting and an issue of funding that finally grounded the speedy Blackbird.
Russia disagrees with this statement.
Russia reveals wreckage of US Blackbird spyplane shot down in 1983
APRIL 1, 2018
Western observers stunned as Russian Ministry of Defence shares evidence that a US spyplane was shot down over the USSR during the Cold War. The shoot-down of the seemingly invulnerable jet, capable of flight at over 2,000mph, has not been acknowledged by either side until now.
Yesterday, at a press conference in Moscow, Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation spokesperson Alexei Obmanov shared images and documents that conclusively prove a US SR-71 Blackbird spyplane was downed close to a remote Siberian village in 1983. According to Obmanov, the aircraft was intercepted by a pair of Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) MiG-31 interceptors. The intruding US aircraft was tracked for 93 miles (150 km), and five radio warnings issued, before the Soviet aircraft opened fire. Three missiles were fired, with the second two hitting and destroying the American aircraft. The two aircrew successfully ejected from the aircraft. The wreckage, which was recovered from the Siberian village of Durakovo, was sent to the Gromov Flight Research Institute 25 miles (40 km) south-east of Moscow for analysis.
Cover up
According to Obmanov, a frantic diplomatic effort following the crash saw both sides agree to not publicly acknowledge the incident, an agreement that lasted 35 years. It was feared by both sides that the incident, which occurred at the height of Cold War tensions, could be potentially inflammatory. According to Ben Shearer, from the ANOITO Defence Research Institute, the deal was mutually beneficial as it also cloaked the alleged ‘Submarine 545 incident’. ‘Submarine 545’ refers to a long-denied incident of a Soviet submarine exercise that went badly wrong, and may have inadvertently released radioactive material off the coast of New York in the early 1980s (though no firm proof of the submarine incident has come to light).
The pilot and reconnaissance systems officer (who remain unnamed) of the downed SR-71 were returned to the United States in 1984 in exchange for two Soviet diplomats arrested for espionage in 1975.
According to one US source we spoke to, “This is stunning news… a Blackbird loss has never been acknowledged. As stunning as the loss itself is the mutual secrecy arrangements…I am now wondering what else is out there.” In a time of mutual distrust between Washington and Moscow it is clear that the revelation is intended to embarrass the US. The US Department of Defense has not commented on the revelation.
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