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Hmmm..do you like low flying aircraft?....then here ya go!

waayfast

waayfast

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Guyfang said:
There is a very informative article in the November issue of AIR and SPACE, concerning the A-12 aircraft, forerunner of the SR-71. No new secrets, but still a very good article. While the Black Bird is listed as the fastest air breathing aircraft in the world, the A-12 has long been unofficially known as faster and able to fly higher then the Black Bird. How fast? That's still classified. How high? That's also still classified. All in all, a good read if these birds interest you.
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Also in the November issue of Air and Space is an article about the only air mail route flown in the lower 48.Central Idaho is solid mountains and canyons and is snowed in all winter. Not conducive to ground delivery.

Ray Arnold has had the contract seems forever and over the years has had quite a few adventures with it.

Bill Dorris flew the mail route as well. He was a Marine Corp fighter pilot in Corsairs stationed out in the Pacific during the war. (obligatory military connection per the rules here). I remembered Bill's landings AND takeoffs were always three point. When asked about that technique, he would just growl and say "because that's the way I fly the sonova-(BLEEEP).
The Dorris family was a big one and brothers Mike and Pat were mentioned in the article. One photo shows Mike (one year older than me) standing in front of N4385B, a Cessna 170. Pat ( I graduated school with him) was also an instructor and my logbook shows about three hours in that plane with him.

Brother George retired from military aviation and lives here locally. I bought his old firewood getting truck, my first Chevy G-506, from him a few years ago.

The article mentions Sylvias Ranch (McClain) airstrip on the Southfork of the Salmon River. Sylvia took Stan McClain's name when they married just after the war. Stan was a great guy. He told me that his unit (Marine infantry) was forming a band. He was standing in line for audition as trumpet player when another guy showed up, Stan being the nice guy he was, let him in line in front of him.

Just as the fellow ahead finished his playing, it was announced they had all the bandsmen they needed and for the rest to go back to normal duty. Stan's "buddy" stayed stateside with the band and Stan went Island hopping in the Pacific for the entire war!! Talk about the fickle finger of fate!! And no, he did not have nice things to say about the enemy. Some of the stories about the way the Japanese mutilated our dead was just horrific!

I flew my 65hp Aeronca Champ Into some of the backcountry strips. Warrens is mentioned and it is fairly high elevation (5912) but nice and long. Silvia's was another matter altogether. Not nearly the elevation of Warrens but certainly one way in and one way out, dog legged, humped and darn steep. Set in the bottom of the Southfork Canyon, I can best describe it as landing an airplane in the bottom of a broom closet-- with the brooms still in it!

The ol' Champ would do it, but solo only!! My buddy Tom Roberts (mentioned in the article-Sylvias grandson), tried to talk me into flying him in and out from the Ranch. Sure glad I did not cave into his pleading-- I'm 110% sure we would be dead!!!

Aw , the good old days!!
Jim
 
steelypip

steelypip

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Guyfang said:
While the Black Bird is listed as the fastest air breathing aircraft in the world, the A-12 has long been unofficially known as faster and able to fly higher then the Black Bird. How fast? That's still classified. How high? That's also still classified.
Click to expand...
The original OXCARTS (A-12) were a lot lighter than the SR-71 - half the human support systems, and smaller lower equipment bays. It's not surprising at all that they were faster/higher fliers.

Probably worth mentioning though that a) the J-58 engine works in a pretty tight 'box' of mach numbers - once the aerospikes are fully retracted and the bleed doors are fully open, the intake mach number starts to rise and you head into decreasing thrust and/or unstart territory. also b) the only way to go faster (in groundspeed) was to go higher (thinner air) - the composites on the leading edges start to char from the aerodynamic friction if you exceed the airspeed VNE number too much for too long. Aircrews could elect to go above max sustained airspeed for 'war emergency' conditions, but it cost some serious money to fix the cooked composites afterward, and too much for too long could cause structural concerns. I think this is vaguely mentioned in one of the flight crew memoirs - one of the Blackbird crews on the Libya mission were surprised by some SAM launches and had to vector out to sea a little more aggressively than the mission profile called for. It was pretty obvious that the writer had never been that fast in a blackbird before and was gratified that it ready, willing, and able to go faster if you were willing to cook some parts.
 
waayfast

waayfast

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Guyfang said:
There is a very informative article in the November issue of AIR and SPACE, concerning the A-12 aircraft, forerunner of the SR-71. No new secrets, but still a very good article. While the Black Bird is listed as the fastest air breathing aircraft in the world, the A-12 has long been unofficially known as faster and able to fly higher then the Black Bird. How fast? That's still classified. How high? That's also still classified. All in all, a good read if these birds interest you.
Click to expand...

Here is some pics on the a-12
 

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waayfast

waayfast

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Hmm? Not sure if this is the right place to put this--- but hey- it WAS a low flying A/C, so here it is.

Went up to Ephrata Washington last weekend to pick up an engine for a small tractor project I have going on. On the way up and back I went thru Dusty WA and noticed a familiar Ag Wagon that belongs to a buddy that works up there but also has a home here in McCall.

Over by Othello and Moses Lake I saw a couple of planes working fields as I drove along during the day. Got me to thinking about ag planes- helping Steve with his Ag Wagon and back when I had my Pawnee.

On the way back home (at an undisclosed location to protect the hard working people involved) in Idaho, I was enjoying the night ride thru the rolling hills of the Prairie. At 10:15pm it was about 98% dark with not quite a full moon and light traffic. Heading south down a short straight that had a dirt county road intersecting the highway just as it began a turn to the east, I spot a red light (tail light?) heading east toward the highway. I'm thinking this vehicle is going at a speed that will no way allow him to get stopped in time for the intersection. FAST! I mean REAL fast! The whole area is rolling hills so the red light is going up and down with the terrain. Then just before he should be getting right to the highway for a heckova crash, I see it rise up and a green light appear below the red. Finally it soaks into my tired mind and eyes.

NOT tail light on a car or truck--but rather position lights on a working plane doing some night spraying.

I watch as the red and green spread apart (rolling to the right) then reverse the roll back left and I'm thinking he's working the field to my right (west) and hey this will be fun-with his turn being done east of the highway he should pass over me fairly close as he dives back into the field heading west--COOL! Just enough light you can just make out the shape of a low wing A/C once you got things figured out.

Sure enough, headed for me from my left, he turns on his work lights, does a quick direction correction to get squared up with his Satloc and dives in for the field, heading west over the highway. The field is slightly lower than the highway. I'm doing 65 heading south and he is working that Tractor at about 130. He ends up low over the highway as he crosses, trying to follow the terrain as it drops away below the highway.

In my sleep deprived state, it's dark, I trying to watch the show, trying to stay on the highway and it did not even dawn on me that we could time it so we would be THAT close. I don't think the airplane driver thought it would be THAT close. Our timing was 99.9 right on. I'm thinking had we got that last .1, it would have been downright spectacular! Whole windshield of the little Ranger truck is FULL of airplane but she handles the wingtip vortices like a champ! I hate to admit it but I blinked- yes I did.

How embarrassing would it have been to get wiped out in a midair collision while driving a dang truck!

Maybe it was a good thing it was me rather than some soccer mom that would not have had a clue right up to the moment the big lights came on right outside her window quickly followed by an "attack" by some unknown flying object in the middle of the dark.

And no- not upset at all--things happen- that's life. Already have inquired as to who the pilot was. When I meet him it'll be fun to tell him that I would have shook hands that night but I couldn't get my window rolled down fast enough!

Jim
 
USAFSS-ColdWarrior

USAFSS-ColdWarrior

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waayfast said:
Hmm? Not sure if this is the right place to put this--- but hey- it WAS a low flying A/C, so here it is.

(edit)


Jim
Click to expand...
Jim,
THANKS for posting that up.
I fully agree - this story DOES belong right here in this thread!

You reminded me a an encounter I had with an Air Force fighter pilot along a desolate interstate highway - circa 1976. I'll try to remember to retell that story later today when time permits.

Be safe, my friend. "mid-air collisions" on the roadways are NOT advised.
 
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