What a machine!!
Discussion
Flying the SR71 Blackbird
Edited by LandingSpot on Wednesday 3rd November 21:46
Edited by LandingSpot on Wednesday 3rd November 21:47
story said:
In his book, Sled Driver, SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: "I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my backseater) and I were screaming across Southern California, 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed."
"90 knots" Center replied.
"Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same."
"120 knots," Center answered.
"We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed readout.'
"There was a slight pause, then the response, 525 knots on the ground, Dusty".
"Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison." "Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?"
There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"
"No further inquiries were heard on that frequency"
"90 knots" Center replied.
"Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same."
"120 knots," Center answered.
"We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed readout.'
"There was a slight pause, then the response, 525 knots on the ground, Dusty".
"Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison." "Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?"
There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"
"No further inquiries were heard on that frequency"
LandingSpot said:
Hedders said:
And yet, i had never seen it before 
His long-term memory is crystal sharp up until the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970...and then, nothing....until 30 minutes ago.
And that, kids, is why drugs are bad. Mmmmmkay?
Edited by eharding on Wednesday 3rd November 22:22
I love this....
"the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints."
A machine that natural habitat that was supersonic, What a machine indeed!
Duxford is well worth a visit to get up close and personal to one of these
"the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints."
A machine that natural habitat that was supersonic, What a machine indeed!
Duxford is well worth a visit to get up close and personal to one of these
eharding said:
LandingSpot said:
Hedders said:
And yet, i had never seen it before
His long-term memory is crystal sharp up until the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970...and then, nothing....until 30 minutes ago.
And that, kids, is why drugs are bad. Mmmmmkay?
Edited by Hedders on Thursday 4th November 10:35
Hedders said:
eharding said:
LandingSpot said:
Hedders said:
And yet, i had never seen it before
His long-term memory is crystal sharp up until the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970...and then, nothing....until 30 minutes ago.
And that, kids, is why drugs are bad. Mmmmmkay?
Edited by Hedders on Thursday 4th November 10:35
IforB said:
Hedders said:
IforB said:
This could get interesting. Don't be too hard on him Ed!
fawn..Ed, bring the Gorilla, he might enjoy this.
Sorry, i have no idea what it is you want to argue about, or why.
Care to elaborate?
mybrainhurts said:
story said:
In his book, Sled Driver, SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: "I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my backseater) and I were screaming across Southern California, 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed."
"90 knots" Center replied.
"Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same."
"120 knots," Center answered.
"We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed readout.'
"There was a slight pause, then the response, 525 knots on the ground, Dusty".
"Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison." "Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?"
There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"
"No further inquiries were heard on that frequency"
"90 knots" Center replied.
"Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same."
"120 knots," Center answered.
"We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, 'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed readout.'
"There was a slight pause, then the response, 525 knots on the ground, Dusty".
"Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison." "Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?"
There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"
"No further inquiries were heard on that frequency"
This is the original passage from the book, I make no apologies for the rubbish photos as there is no way I'm letting a £200+ book near a scanner!
Hedders said:
IforB said:
Hedders said:
IforB said:
This could get interesting. Don't be too hard on him Ed!
fawn..Ed, bring the Gorilla, he might enjoy this.
Sorry, i have no idea what it is you want to argue about, or why.
Care to elaborate?
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