I thought this was a great video and story of the SR-71! :)
http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm
http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm
SR-71 Video & Story!
- Thread starter Trip_Wire
- Start date
Very cool slideshow, great aircraft. Thanks for sharing!
Don't know if it's true, but I heard as a kid that if the Blackbird was hauling ass as it could, it would take 3 states to turn around and go back the way it came from. That was one hell of a plane. I thought I had read that NASA operated one after the USAF retired them, anyone know if that's still true?
Don't know if it's true, but I heard as a kid that if the Blackbird was hauling ass as it could, it would take 3 states to turn around and go back the way it came from. That was one hell of a plane. I thought I had read that NASA operated one after the USAF retired them, anyone know if that's still true?
A
arizonaguide
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To my understanding, the last flying SR-71 (of the two flying aircraft that were transfered to NASA in 1990) was tail number 17980 (NASA #844).
She is on display, though not publicly accessible, at Dryden Flight Research Center, California.
Her last flight was 9 October 1999, and was the last flight of any SR-71.
Here's the photo link to where she now rests: http://www.sr-71.org/photogallery/blackbird/17980/
A
arizonaguide
Guest
Here also is a great history:
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol15no1/html/v15i1a01p_0001.htm
And here is a link to the aircraft lost, and their stories (none due to enemy action).
http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/losses.php
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol15no1/html/v15i1a01p_0001.htm
And here is a link to the aircraft lost, and their stories (none due to enemy action).
http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/losses.php
I heard that rumor as a kid too, but as it turns out, there may have been other reasons for the long turning radius:
Because of the design of the intakes, turning sharply could cause the engines to flame out, so long, lazy turns were required.
Interesting, thanks for that information JBS and AZ!
I read an aviation joke, that told about an SR-71 crew requesting clearance for 70,000 ft. When the ATC laughed and asked just how they planned to get up to that altitude, the SR crew replied that they weren't planning on going up to that height, but planned on coming down.
I read an aviation joke, that told about an SR-71 crew requesting clearance for 70,000 ft. When the ATC laughed and asked just how they planned to get up to that altitude, the SR crew replied that they weren't planning on going up to that height, but planned on coming down.
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08steeda
Guest
Plus we have never actually been told what the top speed of the aircraft. It was always spoken to in the terms of Mach 3 Plus back in the day it was just becoming publicly acknowledged. Since, it has been reported to go around Mach 6+.
There were also reports that it was leaked to go up to Mach 14. But this is thought to be BS. Or possibly a prototype of the BlackSwift platform (Replacement for the SR71).
How many on SS have gotten to see one fly! It is an amazing almost unreal experience!!! When they kick in the after-burners it disappears from your sight so fast that you just can not believe it!!! Then the sonic boom hits (and if your not prepared) you immediately shit your pants because it is so damn loud!!!
If I am not mistaken, on the AF retirement flight for the one that ended up at the Smithsonian, it broke the air-speed record for traversing the continent!
There were also reports that it was leaked to go up to Mach 14. But this is thought to be BS. Or possibly a prototype of the BlackSwift platform (Replacement for the SR71).
How many on SS have gotten to see one fly! It is an amazing almost unreal experience!!! When they kick in the after-burners it disappears from your sight so fast that you just can not believe it!!! Then the sonic boom hits (and if your not prepared) you immediately shit your pants because it is so damn loud!!!
If I am not mistaken, on the AF retirement flight for the one that ended up at the Smithsonian, it broke the air-speed record for traversing the continent!
Everytime I'm over at the USAF Muesum at Wright Pat this is one of the birds I head for. Course it COULD have something to do with my X-Men facination ;)
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I've always been fascinated with that bird and the men who designed and flew it.
If you guys are interested and haven't read it, I highly recommend "Skunk Works", by Ben Rich. Great look into that realm.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Skunk-Works/Ben-R-Rich/e/9780316743006
If you guys are interested and haven't read it, I highly recommend "Skunk Works", by Ben Rich. Great look into that realm.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Skunk-Works/Ben-R-Rich/e/9780316743006
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08steeda
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A
arizonaguide
Guest
The SR-71 manual includes the top speed of Mach 3.2 for mission planning purposes (time/distance), however that doesn't mean that it would NOT do Mach 4.0, but probably at a serious tradeoff of "miles per gallon", and for a short amount of time. :cool:
So, I believe it's "functional" top speed was around Mach 3.2.
The REAL secret of the SR-71 was the sensors involved, to include the Synthetic Apperture Radar...that were serious technological advances of the time!
Kelly Johnson was THE MAN! What a SUPER GREAT figure in history!
So, I believe it's "functional" top speed was around Mach 3.2.
The REAL secret of the SR-71 was the sensors involved, to include the Synthetic Apperture Radar...that were serious technological advances of the time!
Kelly Johnson was THE MAN! What a SUPER GREAT figure in history!
The SR-71 manual includes the top speed of Mach 3.2 for mission planning purposes (time/distance), however that doesn't mean that it would NOT do Mach 4.0, but probably at a serious tradeoff of "miles per gallon", and for a short amount of time. :cool:
So, I believe it's "functional" top speed was around Mach 3.2.
The REAL secret of the SR-71 was the sensors involved, to include the Synthetic Apperture Radar...that were serious technological advances of the time!
Kelly Johnson was THE MAN! What a SUPER GREAT figure in history!
There was also that very interesting DRONE on the back of the SR-71...
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Not to stray too far off subject, but for those Warriors who enjoy military aviation literature, I also really enjoyed Chuck Yeager's book and Erich Hartmann's book.
Both men lead fascinating lives.
Just as an example: Hartmann had 352 aerial victories and Yeager once got in a dogfight with a case of Champagne in his lap!
Both men lead fascinating lives.
Just as an example: Hartmann had 352 aerial victories and Yeager once got in a dogfight with a case of Champagne in his lap!
The A-12 led to at least one fatality that I can recall.
Yeager's book is great, BTW. Too bad he turned into a douchebag later in life.
Gerald Astor wrote a book on the Eighth Air Force that was great. Their losses were horrendous. Men of steel.
Yeager's book is great, BTW. Too bad he turned into a douchebag later in life.
Gerald Astor wrote a book on the Eighth Air Force that was great. Their losses were horrendous. Men of steel.
What happened? Care to elaborate?
Well that's a shame. I'd always seen him as a hero.
A
arizonaguide
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After further research I have found that Mach 3.2 was pretty much the Maximum "Design" Mach Number, with normal "cruise" operation at Mach 3.17.
Speeds as high as 3.3 were allowed as long as Compressor Inlet temperature restrictions were closely watched. (NTE: 427deg C)
Maximum Altitude Restriction was 85,000ft in Normal Operation, according to the manual...yet I seem to recall reading about a flight that reached 100,000 feet at one time.
Speeds as high as 3.3 were allowed as long as Compressor Inlet temperature restrictions were closely watched. (NTE: 427deg C)
Maximum Altitude Restriction was 85,000ft in Normal Operation, according to the manual...yet I seem to recall reading about a flight that reached 100,000 feet at one time.
The key to guessing about the SR-71's capabilities is that these were operating "norms".
When fired upon, the norms went out the window; SOP for evading an incoming rocket / missile was to put the pedal to the metal, max throttle, max altitude. From what I read, it routinely went over 90,000 feet+ when fired upon, and broke mach 3.5 with relative ease, for short stints.
