SR71 Blackbird

[Guyfang]

I saw the maiden flight of the XB-70. At the time, my Father worked for North American Aviation. He loaded my brother and I up into the old pickup, and drove over to Palmdale. I cant remember the date, but I was about 10 years old. We parked not far from the landing strip, and were far from the only people there. It was suposed to be a low visibility deal, but everyone in North American knew about it. I remember my father telling us that we were watching history being made, but we were too young to really understand it. For us, the the noise, the huge plane and being there with my father was what was really important.

 

[Another Ahab]

I saw the maiden flight of the XB-70. At the time, my Father worked for North American Aviation. He loaded my brother and I up into the old pickup, and drove over to Palmdale. I cant remember the date, but I was about 10 years old. We parked not far from the landing strip, and were far from the only people there. It was suposed to be a low visibility deal, but everyone in North American knew about it. I remember my father telling us that we were watching history being made, but we were too young to really understand it. For us, the the noise, the huge plane and being there with my father was what was really important.

Nice memory, and nothing as heroic or historic as your experience, Guyfang, but us kids we rode our bicycles on the Inner Loop of the D.C. Capital Beltway with our dad before it was opened to traffic. It was on the section over the Potomac River, the Cabin John Bridge I think it's called, with our pet dachshund dog running hellbent behind us trying to keep up. It was a strange feeling to be on that big road and nobody else around. We had a ball, but no XB-70 in sight!

 

[Terrh]

The Russians tried several times to pursue the SR-71 and the A-12, with the MIG-25. They were not even in the same league. Each time, the MIG-25 completely burnt out it engine, to no avail.

According to some people, who are in the know, the A-12 is significantly faster then the SR-71. And flew quite a bit higher. Why these kind of things are still secret, is beyond me.

Yeah, which always makes me wonder about the SR-71 and A-12 speeds. If the Mig 25 would go mach 3.2, and it couldn't catch the SR-71, then obviously the SR-71 won't go "just" mach 3.2.
But still impressive to me that the much simpler mig 25 would go mach 3.2 at all, even if it wrecked the engines to do it.

Also still not getting how the B-1 lancer with essentially 4 SR-71 engines worth of thrust can only go mach 1.2. Even the larger, heavier concorde can go nearly twice as fast with the same amount of thrust.

Maybe things will get declassified someday and us regular folk will get to find out. ****, maybe they've got a faster plane operating already and they've just been really good at keeping it secret. Who knows. Truth is often stranger than fiction.

 

[Another Ahab]

Maybe things will get declassified someday and us regular folk will get to find out. ****, maybe they've got a faster plane operating already and they've just been really good at keeping it secret. Who knows. Truth is often stranger than fiction.

Better yet, one of THESE so we never check luggage again:

 

[snowtrac nome]

love the story of the sr 71 not only was it a good story it was well written

 

[Jericho]

A mig 25 never had a chance against an SR. they are not even in the same leaque, in fact I have never seen a Russian airplane worth talking about , When the Wall came down in Germany I was stationed in Germany at Spangdahlem AB . At about 8 ish in the morning I heard a flight of jets make a pass over the base, Didn't think much of it Then they peeled and landed , taxied up the back taxi way to the tower end,( Jet shop is just below the tower) Was very foggy , taxl to the transient ramp is DOWN HILL , runway at spang is higher than most of the taxi spots. Heard them taxi down and pull in, ran and ran and ran , , looked out from my window, I was the Propulsion Flight Chief , because the noise was getting annoying, ( I know, Jet Troop annoyed by running jet engines) Dawned on me they weren't US or German , at least not WEST GERMAN, Pilot was motioning to me and by now we had drifted out on to the grass adjacent to the ramp , 240 ish guys and gals , No one was around to chock them in and shut them down , so I walked on to the ramp and stopped at the first one EAST GERMAN AF ( sic, RUSSIAN ALLIES ) Chocked em and shut him down while my guys and gals did the rest of them , CALLED THe SRT (Securiety Response Team on the radio, COPS read AF SPs came out of the wood work, Then it hit home FIVE MIgs had just defected complete with flight crew. Held them there a week or so then they ALL flew back to the states . B 1b speed compared to SR, agin not the same aircraft, The B1 has a completely different wing and fuselage cross section, Speed is a recipe of many factors , Cross section , wing shape , thrust to weight ratio ect. The Wing on the B1 is not built for the speed of the SR The SR Engine is a special breed, it is a turbo jet with intake spike and afterburner , but its secret is its high by pass section that allows for operation as a basic ram jet, engine at speed. B1 engine is a turbo fan (TF) and cannot attain any where near the speed (forward motion ) as the J 58. NONE are flying, in the AF no question, haven't been for YEARS, easy way to check it is the query the ENGINE rebuild rate, ITS been zero at depot for years. Migs are crude aircraft, they use older HEAVY metals and there lack of hasteloy X and the like limits there repeated high temp (speed) use, Turmanskies routinely get overhauls at 250 hours, A TF 34 100 a usually goes 5000 hours between overhauls . Bottom line one max speed run in a mig usually means engine changes, SR went YEARS between programmed overhauls, and I do mean YEARS. AF enlisted did all the engine maint , on SRs after the Lockheed contractors ( almost all ex AF enlisted jet troops ) left. Russian ENGINE work was almost exclusively done by a cadre of OFFICER mechs , enlisted cleaned and swept floors. Don't be impressed buy any soviet or Russian stuff, NOTHING was interchangeable , no panels, no control surfaces. Russian panels came UN DRILLED for fasteners, because there quality control was abysmal. RUGGED , built like a tank( could be tank parts in their jets) but crap all crap. China, a different story, couldn't build a tank until 15 years ago , now they build GEN 5 aircraft and jet engines BECAUSE CORPORATE AMERICA GAVE THEM THE TECHNOLOGY to get access to cheap labor, ost of their stuff is JUNK, but they are quick studies unlike the Russians

 

[Another Ahab]

A mig 25 never had a chance against an SR. they are not even in the same leaque, in fact I have never seen a Russian airplane worth talking about , Chocked em and shut him down while my guys and gals did the rest of them , CALLED THe SRT (Securiety Response Team on the radio, COPS read AF SPs came out of the wood work, Then it hit home FIVE MIgs had just defected complete with flight crew. Held them there a week or so then they ALL flew back to the states .

NOT just another day "at the office".

 

[Jericho]

Never had one, day started at 0430 and may times ran into the next day, I was In the GREEN AF only wore BLUES when at schools, Did two assignments chasing the ARMY.

 

[Another Ahab]

Great story, Mr. Jericho; thanks for the inside "look".

 

[Another Ahab]

love the story of the sr 71 not only was it a good story it was well written

One of the great stories in there is the one about the air controller "speed check" (not an aviator so don't know the proper technical term here, but you get the idea) over the public airwaves; classic.

I think it might be included in one of the posts in this thread.

 

[Guyfang]

Indeed Jericho, The russian planes are crude. In 1991, I went to the Warrior Preparation Center in germany. We got to look at all kinds of russian toys. The workmanship was pitiful. BUT, it works.

My Father in Law was german. He spent a little more then three years on the russian front. He had incredible respect for the russian military and soldiers. They made due with second class workmanship. Not only made due, but whopped the germans ass. He told me that if you take about a handful of tools, you can work on any russian vehicle, without a problem. And every screw, nut and bolt, fit any other vehicle. Crude, but effective.

 

[Another Ahab]

My Father in Law was german. He spent a little more then three years on the russian front. He had incredible respect for the russian military and soldiers. They made due with second class workmanship. Not only made due, but whopped the germans ass. He told me that if you take about a handful of tools, you can work on any russian vehicle, without a problem. And every screw, nut and bolt, fit any other vehicle. Crude, but effective.

That's funny you say that. My father was forward observer in WWII for a battery of 8" howitzers, he saw a lot of action up close (on the Wehrmacht side of the front typically, wherever that was at the time).

He never talked much about what he saw, but I do remember a comment he made once about fighting the German war machine. It was just an off-hand, brief remark that I recognize now had a whole lot of significance behind it. All that he said was, "They were good". It wasn't made as a compliment, it was an acknowledgement.

He didn't mean that they were kind and compassionate.

 

[Another Ahab]

Just connected today with this vid.

It might be a repeat; if it is just ignore it. But if you haven't seen this you might want to check it out, it's not very long.

"...photographic resolution of 3"-4" from 80,000 feet..."!!!

One thing I didn't get was "80% of the thrust comes from the intake". I'm thinking I didn't hear that right because I'm sure not getting that.

An amazing aircraft:

https://youtu.be/-woX-irB_tQ

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

One thing I didn't get was "80% of the thrust comes from the intake". I'm thinking I didn't hear that right because I'm sure not getting that.

That IS an awesome "fact".

Most aircraft are PUSHED through the air by the pressure created behind the propeller(s), ducted fan, or jet engine.
HOWEVER, Kelly Johnson's design team at the SKUNK WORKS, along with the contracted engine manufacturer created an engine and ducting system that could function effieicntly in the VERY THIN AIR of the upper operating envelope. (The air is so thin that there is little mass for the exhaust throust to push against.) THEREFORE, the BLACKBIRD's inlets literally SUCK THE PLANE (80% anyway) through the atmosphere of near-space.

Imagine your HOOVER sucking a dust bunny from under your sofa at MACH 3+ !!!

 

[Another Ahab]

I don't know if this vid (just 4-5 minutes) was already posted.

But if you liked it the first time, I'm gambling that you'll like it again:

https://youtu.be/8HO4IaOb8rM

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

I don't know if this vid (just 4-5 minutes) was already posted.

But if you liked it the first time, I'm gambling that you'll like it again:

https://youtu.be/8HO4IaOb8rM

In that last-mentioned record-breaking flight - 1hr, 55min, 42sec - the story is told that when the pilot was interviewed a reporter asked him what he'd do if anyone ever broke his record. The dry reply was simply, "I'll do it again and push the throttle past half-power."

What a ride ! ! !

 

[M813rc]

Inlet design is just as important, if not more so, than what comes out the back. Once jets started getting into the transonic region, managing the shock waves in the intakes became a major headache, and variable geometry inlets became a necessity, thus all those moving ramps and cones and auxiliary doors in the front. You had to manage getting enough air in, with not getting too much and pushing the shock wave back out of the inlet.
One of the major limiters on the SR-71 top speed was heat build up from air friction. If it hadn't been for heating considerations, I have no doubt that the plane could have maintained even higher speeds than it did.
To think that the majority of this was worked out by guys with pencils, slide rules, and paper is truly amazing.

Cheers

 

[M813rc]

On the topic of heat - Back in the day, the Soviets needed to claim some accolades for their own gear, and shake up the West a bit, so they did a high speed "reconnaissance" flight over Israel with a couple of MiG-25s at altitude and speeds that were very impressive.
What they kept to themselves was that the airframes and engines became so heated during the flight that they warped far out of shape as they cooled, and the metal was so weakened, that the aircraft were quietly dismantled, carried off and scrapped. But the West went "Uh-oh!", so it worked.

Cheers

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

I heard that the Blackbird pilots heated their lunches by holding them against the windshield for a few moments.

Makes me wonder how often the glass had to be replaced.

 

[Another Ahab]

In that last-mentioned record-breaking flight - 1hr, 55min, 42sec - the story is told that when the pilot was interviewed a reporter asked him what he'd do if anyone ever broke his record. The dry reply was simply, "I'll do it again and push the throttle past half-power."

What a ride ! ! !

That was my favorite part of the vid, where that first pilot in summarizing the whole experience of piloting these airframes just casually said:

- "It's quite a ride...."