SR-71

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
User avatar
Pitchy
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 13136
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:15 am
Location: Minnesooooota

SR-71

Post by Pitchy »

We had one land at Luke in the 70`s, something see see got up close to it and yep they leak fuel as seen in the begining of the video.
Awesome plane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfi7q1cwOgg
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9937
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: SR-71

Post by GunnyMack »

The Reno air races in 1986, the opening ceremony and just at the end of the National Anthem the Blackbird comes in low to the deck out of the East across the race course to the cheers of the crowd. Was a sight I'll never forget. The crew took it out and around coming back for a low speed pass. As they got to the west side of the field the throttles were pushed forward, the burners glowed with the pulling back on the stick and it went close to vertical and out of sight in a matter of seconds!
Truely an amazing aircraft.
A few days later we got a fly by of the U2 as well.
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
User avatar
Pitchy
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 13136
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:15 am
Location: Minnesooooota

Re: SR-71

Post by Pitchy »

Yep, we had a U2 land at Luke also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgCatc6ZZms
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
User avatar
Grizz
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 11808
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:15 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Grizz »

O Man Lenn

I thought you built one !! :lol:

there is one at the seattle museum of flight.... totally mind bending
Bill in Oregon
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 8849
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:05 am
Location: Sweetwater, TX

Re: SR-71

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I have seen a couple as well. The most amazing aircraft this nation ever fielded, and I am sorry they are no longer in service. Next in neat factor has to be a B-2 doing a low pass.
User avatar
Pitchy
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 13136
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:15 am
Location: Minnesooooota

Re: SR-71

Post by Pitchy »

Yep they are cool aircraft, i was fortunate to be able to walk around them while they were running.
Got to watch them put the wing wheels on the U-2 and watch it take off. 8)
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

They flew out of here for years. You could watch them fly over on take off and landing. Two are on display now.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
Thunder50
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1185
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:18 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: SR-71

Post by Thunder50 »

March field?
The meek shall inherit the earth, but I reserve the mineral rights!
All the knowledge in the world, is of no use to fools! (Eagles-long road out of Eden)
User avatar
Blaine
Posting leader...
Posts: 30495
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:22 pm
Location: Still Deciding

Re: SR-71

Post by Blaine »

GunnyMack wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 6:37 am The Reno air races in 1986, the opening ceremony and just at the end of the National Anthem the Blackbird comes in low to the deck out of the East across the race course to the cheers of the crowd. Was a sight I'll never forget. The crew took it out and around coming back for a low speed pass. As they got to the west side of the field the throttles were pushed forward, the burners glowed with the pulling back on the stick and it went close to vertical and out of sight in a matter of seconds!
Truely an amazing aircraft.
A few days later we got a fly by of the U2 as well.
Saw one take off at Osan AFB, 1979-ish, (you know, where the USA swore up and down they were not ever there :lol: ) The roar was deafening, and it went almost virtical. Then, when it was nearly out of sight and hearing range, I guess the afterburners kicked in and it was just as loud as when it was taking off.
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First

Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15188
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: SR-71

Post by piller »

I just wonder what we now have to replace it? The SR-71 was kept a secret for a long time. It is now retired, and I doubt that it would have been retired if we did not have something to replace it.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Old Savage wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 10:47 am They flew out of here for years. You could watch them fly over on take off and landing. Two are on display now.
Somebody has been to Palmdale.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

piller wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:22 pm I just wonder what we now have to replace it? The SR-71 was kept a secret for a long time. It is now retired, and I doubt that it would have been retired if we did not have something to replace it.
Seems to be some question as to it being "retired". Seems they reported more being made that retired. The CIA was flying them as was the USAF. And we all know what is replacing it. Aurora. Supposedly work began on it in 2013 by Lockheed Skunk Works. Who else? Now considering the secrecy surrounding the U-2 and SR-71 and the length of time they were in service before their existence was acknowledged I figure the SR-72 Aurora has been flying for a few years before it was announced to be in "planning".
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31933
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: SR-71

Post by AJMD429 »

jeepnik wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:45 pm
piller wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 12:22 pmI just wonder what we now have to replace it? The SR-71 was kept a secret for a long time. It is now retired, and I doubt that it would have been retired if we did not have something to replace it.
Seems to be some question as to it being "retired". Seems they reported more being made that retired. The CIA was flying them as was the USAF. And we all know what is replacing it. Aurora. Supposedly work began on it in 2013 by Lockheed Skunk Works. Who else? Now considering the secrecy surrounding the U-2 and SR-71 and the length of time they were in service before their existence was acknowledged I figure the SR-72 Aurora has been flying for a few years before it was announced to be in "planning".
That could account for many of the 'UFO/ sightings we hear about....
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

Jeepnik or lives a few miles away for 45 years. Drove by the Skunk Works today .
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
TWHBC
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 199
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:45 am

Re: SR-71

Post by TWHBC »

Was at an airshow many many years ago in Louisiana. It was hot and sunny, and everyone had sunburned faces with raccoon eyes from sunglasses. The announcer advised that the Air Force had advised them that a SR-71 was available for a flyby, and would the crowd like to see one? Cheer went up and the announcement said it would be a little while, but they would give a countdown so the crowd could be ready. They spent some time explaining the virtues of the SR-71, how fast it was,
and even rumors of stealth. There were further announcements about making sure that parents kept their children close-by so they could cover theirvears and so forth. The count down went 10 minutes..... 5 minutes..... 2 minutes..... 1 minute..... 30 seconds..... then 10,9,8.....etc. It got real quiet, anticipation was evident then nothing! :shock: Crowd was grumbling, voices were raised, yelling etc. The announcer said what's the problem, We told you it was faster than anything in the air, did you miss it? :lol: :lol: Of course then the announcer said all adults got a free beer, and kids a popsicle.! The crowd cheered, remember this was Louisiana and free beer solved most anything!
jnyork
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 4412
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:33 pm
Location: Wyoming and Arizona

Re: SR-71

Post by jnyork »

You can see one at the Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio. Also, IIRC there is one at the USAF Museum at Hill AFB, Utah. Take in that one and the Browning Museum in one day.
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Old Savage wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:23 pm Jeepnik or lives a few miles away for 45 years. Drove by the Skunk Works today .
That explains it. I
Worked
On the county health facility on I street during construction and start up. I handed it off to one of younger guys but still get out there from time to time. The museum is pretty cool 😎
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Top speed is at altitude. The thicker air closer to the ground cause too much friction. Stii the first one I saw fly by was amazingly fast. Closest think to it I have seen was the F-104 Starfighter. Also a Lockheed aircraft. Not sure if Kelly Johnson was involved with it but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15188
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: SR-71

Post by piller »

The lead sled was a fast aircraft, too. One Uncle, Dad's Brother in Law Charlie, was Crew Chief for one. As long as the flame stayed lit there was not much that could keep up with it or turn with it.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

Well Jeepnik, at what altitude was the amazingly fast SR when you saw it. As you know it flew around here all the time until it was retired.

I would have to say the fastest stuff I have seen were the low passes at the air shows here but the SR us much faster and much faster than they ever admitted.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9937
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: SR-71

Post by GunnyMack »

It's speed known by the public was Mach 3+ , what the actual top end was is probably still classified!
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Old Savage wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 7:14 pm Well Jeepnik, at what altitude was the amazingly fast SR when you saw it. As you know it flew around here all the time until it was retired.

I would have to say the fastest stuff I have seen were the low passes at the air shows here but the SR us much faster and much faster than they ever admitted.
Low approach at George AFB. PLENTY fast compared to the top US fighter of the day the F-4. Sonic booms indicated it was at least mach 1. Not a single complaint from anyone on or off base.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
Ray
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2824
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:45 am

Re: SR-71

Post by Ray »

I've seen and touched the precursor lockheed A-12 at the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile.....

It is said that Gen. Triang offered great rewards to either the s.a.m. crew or pilot who shot one down but when it flew across hanoi it only took about 3 seconds before it was over the sea or 18 seconds to laos depending on direction of flight.
m.A.g.a. !
User avatar
Pitchy
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 13136
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:15 am
Location: Minnesooooota

Re: SR-71

Post by Pitchy »

jeepnik wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 5:56 am
Old Savage wrote: Wed Oct 23, 2019 7:14 pm Well Jeepnik, at what altitude was the amazingly fast SR when you saw it. As you know it flew around here all the time until it was retired.

I would have to say the fastest stuff I have seen were the low passes at the air shows here but the SR us much faster and much faster than they ever admitted.
Low approach at George AFB. PLENTY fast compared to the top US fighter of the day the F-4. Sonic booms indicated it was at least mach 1. Not a single complaint from anyone on or off base.
They did at Sun City :lol:
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
Booger Bill
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2268
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Booger Bill »

I was a Lockheed guard from 1965 to 2000. I was around them all the time. Both the SR-71 and U-2 and everything else they built. Knew the pilots and most everyone that worked on them. One day, I think on a Sunday, I was home and bs`ing on the phone to my best friend, also a guard where they were based at site 2. He got a radio call from the tower that I could hear.
The back seat guy asked that the fly way gate be opened to the field as they had a engine flame out over salt lake and would be landing at Palmdale in 14 minuets. That`s about 540 miles! I lived near the field, timed it, went outside and seen it come in right on time! Gary Powers was a U2 test pilot. One day he came to my gate and was waiting for his wife to pick him up.
I had my Harley sitting by the gate and he asked if he could sit on it. I said I will give you that harley for a ride in the U-2. He said you wouldn't like it, it`s like sitting in a gold fish bowl for 14 hours! One night a U-2 came in and the pilot marveled to me that he just had seen the lights of San Francisco and Phoenix at the same time!
User avatar
fordwannabe
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3369
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:52 am
Location: Womelsdorf PA

Re: SR-71

Post by fordwannabe »

The lead instructor when I was in airframe and power plant school in the 80’s had worked on the avionics of the 71. He had a few photos but in each case the cockpit was covered from view. He had lots of cool stories about working on different military planes. Every time he mentioned the blackbird he got a smile a mile wide.
a Pennsylvanian who has been accused of clinging to my religion and my guns......Good assessment skills.
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Egress manual for the SR71 was one page. It showed a line drawing of the cockpit with a small door. Inside was a T handle attached to a lanyard.

Instructions were to open the door and pull the handle. If the pilot was ejected allow the aircraft to burn. If the pilot wasn’t ejected allow the aircraft to burn.

They were dead serious about those instructions. The skycops were supposed to shoot anyone attempting to extinguish any fire.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
Grizz
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 11808
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:15 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Grizz »

Booger Bill wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:06 pm
Those are great hanger talk stories. Thanks.
Rusty
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9528
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:37 pm
Location: Central Fla

Re: SR-71

Post by Rusty »

I don't have any first hand knowledge but if you read the book SKUNKWORKS by Ben Rich it reveals quite a lot. From what I read in the book the first craft that Kelly worked on was the P-38 in WWII days. IIRC he was in a wheelchair recovering from a stroke the first time they rolled out the SR-71 and that was about all he ever got to see of it, so I'd say he saw everything from the P-38 forward.
Personally I wouldn't bet that there aren't still U-2s and SR-71s still flying. Look at how long some of our other planes have been flying. There are planes in the air now that are older than the pilots driving them.
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9

It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
wolfdog
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 701
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:03 am

Re: SR-71

Post by wolfdog »

Do a search for LA Speed story by Brian Shul, funny story about the SR71. On phone right now and can't share link.
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

U2s are still flying. You can tell if it is one because it is loud a long time. Skunk Works is less than 5 miles from here. SR, not in years. They surely have something faster now and satellites. They used to test SR engines on Wed morning. You could hear those from here.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
Larkbill
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 704
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:31 pm
Location: St Peters, Mo.

Re: SR-71

Post by Larkbill »

In the mid 50s one of Dad's 6 sisters who was destined to be an old maid packed everything she could fit in her VW and departed for California. She settled at Huntington Beach and lead a pretty Bohemian lifestyle all the while telling everyone she was working as a para-legal freelancing at several offices. Fast forward to '73 she retired and moved back to Missouri, settling on a lot at Lake of the Ozarks. Paying cash for everything, apparently quite flush. She was finally able to tell the truth. She was a records clerk at the Skunkworks and part of the deal was she couldn't tell anyone where she worked and what she did. It would have driven all the hippies that were her neighbors crazy to know she worked somewhere like Lockheed. Said it was a great place to work, got to meet a bunch of famous people and got to go on "field trips" to Groom Lake several times. That was really about all she would say about it, was top secret to the end.
___________________________________________________________________
I'm not paranoid because I carry a gun. Why should I be paranoid. I've got a gun.
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

Larkbill,

HB hasn't changed all that much. I have a friend a couple of years older than I. The only way to describe her is as an unrepentant Hippie. Our politics could not be more different. Yet we always have and enjoyable time when we are together.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
wrangler5
Levergunner
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:12 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by wrangler5 »

Served as a JAG at Beale AFB, CA from 68 to 72. It was my initial duty station, and I entered the base through a side gate that was pretty much in line with the departure end of the runway. I'd been in law school for 3 years and had never heard of the SR-71, but as soon as I got on the base one took off - I'd guess it was well below 2000 feet as it showed up in my windshield and immediately disappeared overhead. They're huge planes, especially when first seen that way, and between the speed, the unexpected bat plane shape and the noise it was a miracle I didn't drive off the road. Welcome to the Air Force.

There's tons of info about the plane online, much of it repetitive, but I find all of it interesting. What none of it, including the videos, can convey is the incredible sense of power that you got when you were around one as it took off. If you were on the flight line, the rattling, ripping-canvas sound of the motors would almost literally shake your teeth. But (we were told that) Beale was the second largest AF base in the country (after Eglin in FL) - it had been a tank training base during WWII, so they needed lots of space for maneuvers and impact area. One result of the base size was that the housing area was about 6 miles from the flight line - and around a hill. (The flight line was on the floor of the central valley of northern CA, while the housing area was in the first foothills of the Sierras.) From the BOQs we didn't hear the B-52s when they took off, but you always knew when an SR left, even at that distance.

I also remember one flight when I was working on a private pilot license through the Beale Aero Club. We took off and landed at the base, but flew away to the west to practice maneuvers over the farm fields. Returning to base one time, probably at 600-1000 feet in preparation for a midfield entry to the landing pattern, we were asked to hold west of the field for what turned out to be an SR-71 departure. We were in a Cessna 152, and radio communication back then was through the plane's speaker - we had no headphones, so you got to listen to the plane's motor and air flow around the cabin, in addition to the radio. But from miles away and in that noisy environment, you still could not miss the enormous power of that SR taking off.

BTW, one of the many factoids I've read since those days is that the steep angle of departure was necessary in order to keep air speed below 400 knots while the landing gear retracted - it couldn't retract above that speed, and the plane would get there (from its ~200 knot liftoff speed) in a heartbeat if you didn't get the nose up as soon as you left the ground.

There can't be any of 'em still flying. The unique fuel they burned, the special tools needed to work on 'em (rumor was that trace elements in ordinary tools would transfer to screw slots and bolt heads, and ignite at the extreme temperatures the skin would reach at full speed) and the specially trained pilots, support and maintenance crews, would be impossible to hide for long. Supposedly their reconnaissance can be adequately replaced by drone and satellite sensors, although their ability to show up unpredictably, take your picture before you really know they're there, and be gone before you can do much about it, probably can't be fully replaced by any but the stealthiest drone, if even then. They were a marvel in their day, but sadly, their day seems to be gone.
User avatar
jeepnik
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 6831
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:39 pm
Location: On the Beach

Re: SR-71

Post by jeepnik »

An ex USAF officer and you don’t think they can “hide” the SR71? They did pretty good for a long time. Didn’t do a bad job hiding the F117. And these days no one would even question tools of exotic materials. Heck I’ve got a titanium hammer in the toolbox of my pickup.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

They did maintenance and flew missions with them from here for years. They were coming and going regularly. You could hear the engines five mikes away. There are two of them on display. Hide them, that would have to be very remote. They had faster things while they were still flying.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
wrangler5
Levergunner
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:12 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by wrangler5 »

Oh clearly they could hide a few SRs and tankers in the desert, and could easily surveil a lot of the western hemisphere from there. But covering Europe, the Middle East and Asia would require tanker support in those areas, and I doubt you can do THAT from Nevada. There's a reason the SRs had operating bases, including storage facilities for their exotic fuel, in England and Okinawa. Even if it were physically possible to launch tankers from Nevada to refuel SRs over the Med or the South China Sea, the cost would probably be even more astronomical than it was when the SR program was shut down - ostensibly for cost reasons. Just as they were successful in hiding the 117s in the desert, when it came time to use them for real the planes came out of the shadows because it just isn't feasible to run ongoing operations from those nonexistent bases.

The same thing happened with the D21 drone program. One of my roommates was the Security Police officer for the 4200 Support Squadron, which flew the D21. They had been at a nonexistent base during development and testing, but when it came time to fly missions over China, the unit was moved to Beale - which happened just as I went on active duty. They had their own B-52 and a secure hangar for the drones, and did not need aerial refueling for their missions, but it still was too difficult and expensive to run operations out of nowhere.

So no, I don't think they could be running effective, worldwide SR-71 missions from a nonexistent base in Nevada. And the plane is too big, has too big a support footprint, and is too well known to "hide" at any other place that's not in the middle of a whole lot of nowhere. At least that's the opinion of a long-ago JAG based on 50 year old memories.
User avatar
Old Savage
Posting leader...
Posts: 16688
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:43 pm
Location: Southern California

Re: SR-71

Post by Old Savage »

The air force just landed an unmanned space plane that looks like a small shuttle that had been aloft for 580 days. I think the technological approach has moved far beyond the Blackbird.
In the High Desert of Southern Calif. ..."on the cutting edge of going back in time"...

Image
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15188
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: SR-71

Post by piller »

O S, that sort of backs up my point that there is probably something else being used.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31933
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: SR-71

Post by AJMD429 »

A story of one that blew up....one of the pilots survived...!

https://youtu.be/nRyIGTkcmII
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
Ryan2smith
Levergunner
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat May 05, 2018 12:41 am
Location: Florida

Re: SR-71

Post by Ryan2smith »

wrangler5 wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:44 pm Served as a JAG at Beale AFB, CA from 68 to 72. It was my initial duty station, and I entered the base through a side gate that was pretty much in line with the departure end of the runway. I'd been in law school for 3 years and had never heard of the SR-71, but as soon as I got on the base one took off - I'd guess it was well below 2000 feet as it showed up in my windshield and immediately disappeared overhead. They're huge planes, especially when first seen that way, and between the speed, the unexpected bat plane shape and the noise it was a miracle I didn't drive off the road. Welcome to the Air Force.

There's tons of info about the plane online, much of it repetitive, but I find all of it interesting. What none of it, including the videos, can convey is the incredible sense of power that you got when you were around one as it took off. If you were on the flight line, the rattling, ripping-canvas sound of the motors would almost literally shake your teeth. But (we were told that) Beale was the second largest AF base in the country (after Eglin in FL) - it had been a tank training base during WWII, so they needed lots of space for maneuvers and impact area. One result of the base size was that the housing area was about 6 miles from the flight line - and around a hill. (The flight line was on the floor of the central valley of northern CA, while the housing area was in the first foothills of the Sierras.) From the BOQs we didn't hear the B-52s when they took off, but you always knew when an SR left, even at that distance.

I also remember one flight when I was working on a private pilot license through the Beale Aero Club. We took off and landed at the base, but flew away to the west to practice maneuvers over the farm fields. Returning to base one time, probably at 600-1000 feet in preparation for a midfield entry to the landing pattern, we were asked to hold west of the field for what turned out to be an SR-71 departure. We were in a Cessna 152, and radio communication back then was through the plane's speaker - we had a headphones for guitar amp, so you got to listen to the plane's motor and air flow around the cabin, in addition to the radio. But from miles away and in that noisy environment, you still could not miss the enormous power of that SR taking off.

BTW, one of the many factoids I've read since those days is that the steep angle of departure was necessary in order to keep air speed below 400 knots while the landing gear retracted - it couldn't retract above that speed, and the plane would get there (from its ~200 knot liftoff speed) in a heartbeat if you didn't get the nose up as soon as you left the ground.

There can't be any of 'em still flying. The unique fuel they burned, the special tools needed to work on 'em (rumor was that trace elements in ordinary tools would transfer to screw slots and bolt heads, and ignite at the extreme temperatures the skin would reach at full speed) and the specially trained pilots, support and maintenance crews, would be impossible to hide for long. Supposedly their reconnaissance can be adequately replaced by drone and satellite sensors, although their ability to show up unpredictably, take your picture before you really know they're there, and be gone before you can do much about it, probably can't be fully replaced by any but the stealthiest drone, if even then. They were a marvel in their day, but sadly, their day seems to be gone.
Is the SR 71 still the quickest plane?
I am a writer. I like to play football & swimming often when i free from work.
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9937
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: SR-71

Post by GunnyMack »

Yes-That the public knows about.
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
trapper45
Levergunner 1.0
Posts: 97
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:04 pm
Location: DFW, Texas

Re: SR-71

Post by trapper45 »

There's one on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere (and Discovery Center) in Hutchinson, Kansas, about 40 miles northwest of Wichita. It's on display hanging nose-down, so you get an interesting view of it. Other items include a NASA T-38, Saturn V engine, and Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules.

A link to it: https://cosmo.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgp ... gKRwvD_BwE

Worth a look-see if you're ever near there.
fatboy
Levergunner 1.0
Posts: 72
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:46 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by fatboy »

One very dark night in the Northern corner of MR4 in the RVN an aircraft ID'd itself as BlackBird xx requesting coordinates of an area to be searched 'X' Klicks long by 'Y' Klicks wide and clearance to call fires on anything not positively identified as friendlies. It further requested the call sign of the Officer approving, his rank and initials.
Bob
Booger Bill
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2268
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Booger Bill »

I worked as a security guard around them from 1965 to 2,000. What got me was we were sworn to keep our mouths shut to even our wives. Yet McNamara gave interviews on them, there were write ups in aviation magazines and we were sworn to secrecy about even knowing they existed forever.
I was a private pilot and was flying my citabria over the field with a friend that worked on them. There was a narrow corridor over the very center of the field you could legally cross the field at a set altitude. We approached to cross as a SR-71 was doing a fly by close to ground level. It was surreal. It did a climbing turn way out and reversed and was coming straight back. It was so quick and I was about to do a split S as it looked like a bullet coming at us! We were close enough to see the pilots heads in the cockpit! It crossed ahead of us. Never heard a word about it.
My friend that was with me in the back seat worked on them at Groom Lake. He came close to death up there and they flew him home. He got paralyzed where he couldnt breath. He eventually pulled out of it but they had to cut a hole to his throat so he could breath. I wasn't told what caused it, if it was just coincidental bug or due to something (material) he worked with or whatever. He retired long ago.
This was all back in the 1970`s. That same friend had a hair brained scheme. He had supposedly found info that when General Patton trained his troops prior to world war two that they trained in the Mohave desert (about 50 miles from Lancaster) and they had buried some tanks in the middle of nowhere.
He even had a trailer and boom truck from other projects. He had this idea that the vegetation would be different in spots above the tanks due to the rain water being trapped by the tank under ground. Anything for adventure and a excuse to fly back then. He pointed out one spot and said he wanted to check it. There was a dirt road/trail not a short walk from it and I set down on it.
We didn't find anything, maybe he did later?
One sunday I was home and was on the phone with my best friend who also a guard at the gate. Hardly no one if anyone, was at the site working. He got a call on the field radio that was patched through from the tower that I could hear for him to open the fly way gate from either the pilot or likely the back seat radioman to get our fly-way gate open. Said they were over salt lake, lost a engine and would land at palmdale in 14 minuets! Thats roughly 500 miles! I lived near the field. I went out to watch and sure enough, here they came right on time!
wrangler5
Levergunner
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:12 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by wrangler5 »

fatboy wrote: Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:08 am One very dark night in the Northern corner of MR4 in the RVN an aircraft ID'd itself as BlackBird xx requesting coordinates of an area to be searched 'X' Klicks long by 'Y' Klicks wide and clearance to call fires on anything not positively identified as friendlies. It further requested the call sign of the Officer approving, his rank and initials.
Bob
Doesn't sound like an SR-71 capability - nothing about them would support calling fire on the ground in real time. They traveled about 1 klick/second at 80,000 feet, and I don't think their sensor data was readable in the plane, certainly not during the years they were operating over RVN. Even if it were available, RSOs were not trained as photo interpreters and had plenty of other things to do at Mach 3. So that BlackBird call sign was almost certainly from some other low and slow (by SR-71 standards) recon bird suited for the task.
Booger Bill
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2268
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Booger Bill »

Plant 42 (Palmdale) sure has changed since I retired in 2,000. I just googled Earth`ed it. You can see the two SR 71`s, the U-2 and F-117 on display by the FAA site as Old Savage says, but I dont see another plane on the field at the other sites. There were all kinds of them when I worked there. Looks like a ghost town now. What gives?? We always had some U-2`s and SR 71`s in storage but not now.
Booger Bill
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2268
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Booger Bill »

Far as I knew the SR 71 never carried weapons. Strictly made to observe (spy). Same with the U-2.
The F-117 and F-35 were a different proposition. I also was there and seen the F-35`s maiden flight.
Dave Fergenson flew it and then Morganfield flew it on it`s second flight out of Edwards. Both were Lockheed test pilots. Fergenson also flew the 10-11 on it`s maiden flight and Morganfield cracked up a F 117 in testing. Got busted up but lived. Was there when Morganfield flew the second flight of the F-35. Cracked me up. He was wearing a Gorilla head piece for photo OP. Looked like "Bigfoot" getting out! I have never seen that picture published but it must be somewhere. They tested the F-35 out at Edwards and I was assigned many nights to babysit (guard) it out there. It was in competition with Northrups fighter next door hanger for the military contract. Forgot what the designation model number of the Northrup plane was but did get to see it a lot too. Now 30 + years later it all seems surreal like a old dream. I hired into Lockheed 1965. Retired in 2,000. I believe I likely still hold the record for the longest time guard the company ever had. I was given the #1 badge about five years before I retired.
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9937
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: SR-71

Post by GunnyMack »

I wonder if Morganfield was a part of the Rare Bear race team ? The Rare Bear is a Grumman Bearcat that is highly modified warbird race plane that has won a few races in Reno. They used to stick a person size gorilla in the cockpit .
I got to see the Blackbird at Reno air races. The opening ceremony it came in low from the east at the end of the National Anthem, shot across the field then turned for a low speed pass over the crowd. Turned again across the field yanked back on the stick and went almost verticle until all ya could see was 2 tiny glowing afterburners- good stuff !!
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
Booger Bill
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2268
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Re: SR-71

Post by Booger Bill »

I dont know. His first name is Tom. I am going on eighty, never thought about it but suspect when I knew him he was five or eight years older than me. I got to rethinking about what I wrote him cracking up a F 117 but now I am not positive if it was him or another pilot we had. Getting my wires crossed. It was Morgan field with the gorilla or big foot cape on when he landed though. He ran our site five last I knew him. I knew most of our test pilots at least by sight way back. Tony Levier, Jack Woodman, Gary Powers (shot down over Russia in the U-2, Pete Peterson, and some AF acceptance pilots etc.
I averaged a good 60-65 hours a week so if based on the work week of 40 hours I probably was there longer than I was old when I retired. Burbank was still the main plant when I hired in 1965. It was condemned due environmental pollution through the years and all buildings leveled about 1972. I transferred to Palmdale in 1969 which then was the main plant. Now they have factories in Atlanta and other divisions elsewhere. Kelley Johnson was still there when I hired in. I bet I seen a thousand guards come and go in all that time. When I first hired in it seemed to be a retirement home for retired leo from every agency you ever heard of plus retired military. That all changed right after I hired in. It was a good job as we HAD a good union but now I hear they dont make half what we did when I retired twenty years ago! Not one guard is still there that would know me now. It was a interesting place (at times) but when you lived there for 35 years 65 hours a week it soon got old. I also sort of escorted "stuff" out of state in civilian clothes etc. I know nutting!
Post Reply