Good read.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332399 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=332399)
God I love that plane...
Nothing like it. . .
Watched a cool youtube video on the SR71 the other day.
Apparently the CIA set up a dummy corporation to buy the titanium for it from Russia. Cold War irony.
Quote from: stateprez on July 28, 2009, 09:14:59 AM
Watched a cool youtube video on the SR71 the other day.
Apparently the CIA set up a dummy corporation to buy the titanium for it from Russia. Cold War irony.
That's great! [laugh]
Also in the irony department, the mathematical theory that led to the development of our stealth technology was discovered in a paper written by a russian author. Apparently one of the Skunkworks engineers was a total math geek that enjoyed reading obscure mathematical papers. He read the paper, figured out how it could be applied to stealth technology and brought the concept up to Ben Rich (successor to Kelley Johnson), and the F-117 program was born.
Quote from: stateprez on July 28, 2009, 09:14:59 AM
Watched a cool youtube video on the SR71 the other day.
Apparently the CIA set up a dummy corporation to buy the titanium for it from Russia. Cold War irony.
If you like Cold War stuff, go buy the book SpyCraft.
It was written by the former head of OTS of the CIA.
mostly about spying during the cold war in moscow.
the cia did some funny ass shit.
The best is when they bought a bunch of blow up dolls from an adult store in washington while testing out making a "fake" passenger.
Triple J has read it.
Skunk Works by Ben Rich is also a great read. [thumbsup] Ben Rich was an engineer with Lockheed Skunkworks during development of the SR-71 (among other things), and then took over when Kelley Johnson retired and was in charge when the F-117 was designed.
Besides having great stories (like when they had to send someone from Groom Lake to Las Vegas to buy a ladder because they forgot to make one so the pilot could get into the 1st stealth prototype) it shows how effective it is to have engineers integrally involved with manufacturing. Skunkworks design offices were directly above the area where prototypes were built...so design engineers spent as much time on the "assembly line" as they did at their design tables. [thumbsup] Would have been a great place to work.
Nice read. I've always been fascinated by those aircraft ~
JM
I can remember having a model one as a kid. I kept it because I liked it so much. It's still in storage at my mom's place. Nice find.
that plane give me wood.
i would love to feel that much power at my fingertips and just go screaming through space faster than you can really comprehend.
One flew into Lackland when I was there for basic training. Wow..WOw WOW!!
On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records.
Amazing!!
I work with several pilots from WWII era. Top speed on a few of their planes..140 mph. [laugh] A former client's father was an F-15 pilot. Told me the fastest he had it up to was 1500 mph in Desert Storm.
Cannot imagine flying 1000 mph..let alone doubling that in the SR!! :o
Thanks for the link!! [thumbsup]
The plane is really cool, but if 1960's technology can produce something like that, I can only imagine what the Aurora is like providing it's real.
Quote from: IZ on July 28, 2009, 06:47:01 PM
On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records.
They took off, then headed out over the Pacific to refuel. When they had topped off the tanks, they turned around and got a running start before going feet dry.
Quote from: Obsessed? on July 28, 2009, 07:01:56 PM
They took off, then headed out over the Pacific to refuel. When they had topped off the tanks, they turned around and got a running start before going feet dry.
Really..you're going to fault them on that one?!
So they would have added about 3 min to the total time if they had taken off from the ground.
67 minutes still pretty good!!
;)
Quote from: superjohn on July 28, 2009, 06:53:05 PM
The plane is really cool, but if 1960's technology can produce something like that, I can only imagine what the Aurora is like providing it's real.
Satellites man ;)
Quote from: IZ on July 28, 2009, 07:15:47 PM
Really..you're going to fault them on that one?!
Hell, no. If it's the last chance, do it right, dammit.
I've seen a handful of them at static displays. ALWAYS awe inspiring, even while sitting still. Purpose-built for speed and it shows.
Very cool! [thumbsup]
Best plane ever, and it even spied on us poor South African`s ;D
I love that story.. but this is always my fav. part:
"One day, high above Arizona , we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. "Ninety knots," ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. "One-twenty on the ground," was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was. "Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground," ATC responded.
The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, "Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground." We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast."
Quote from: MrIncredible on July 28, 2009, 07:19:55 PM
Satellites man ;)
Good but not as flexible. I'm convinced we have at least two Mach 5 recon planes that are still a public secret. ;)
Quote from: wbeck257 on July 29, 2009, 03:48:16 AM
I love that story.. but this is always my fav. part:
"One day, high above Arizona , we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. "Ninety knots," ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. "One-twenty on the ground," was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was. "Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground," ATC responded.
The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, "Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground." We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast."
That is by far
the best part! Made me giggle again reading it. [laugh]
Quote from: superjohn on July 29, 2009, 04:12:43 AM
Good but not as flexible. I'm convinced we have at least two Mach 5 recon planes that are still a public secret. ;)
+1 Too easy to calculate the orbit of a satellite and hide things.
I'd be very surprised if the US doesn't have a new operational high speed spy plane.
Quote from: IZ on July 28, 2009, 06:47:01 PM
One flew into Lackland when I was there for basic training. Wow..WOw WOW!!
On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records.
Amazing!!
I work with several pilots from WWII era. Top speed on a few of their planes..140 mph. [laugh] A former client's father was an F-15 pilot. Told me the fastest he had it up to was 1500 mph in Desert Storm.
Cannot imagine flying 1000 mph..let alone doubling that in the SR!! :o
Thanks for the link!! [thumbsup]
I got to go to the landing. It was one of the coolest things that I have seen!
Quote from: Obsessed? on July 28, 2009, 07:01:56 PM
They took off, then headed out over the Pacific to refuel. When they had topped off the tanks, they turned around and got a running start before going feet dry.
Really?
Somebody over at advrider said the record was set ground-to-ground and didn't involve flying over any markers.
(http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/spdrun_1990.jpg)
http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/972record1.htm (http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/972record1.htm)
Interesting.
I wonder where the guy over there got his mis-information.
Yes I have loved these things most of my life. The sexist thing in the air. Timeless! as a Norton, a Monster, a Jag, a P51 or a spitfire and even better. If form follows function this is the pinnacle of success.
(http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq353/1ajess/Sr71_1.jpg)
LA
What makes it able to go so fast?
Just the huge engines and aerodynamics?
Quote from: Monsterlover on August 02, 2009, 05:47:04 AM
What makes it able to go so fast?
Just the huge engines and aerodynamics?
well, that's (obviously) part of it... there were also many lessons learned with regards to design and construction, plus a few surprises after the fact.
Quote from: Monsterlover on August 02, 2009, 05:47:04 AM
What makes it able to go so fast?
Just the huge engines and aerodynamics?
It's got a hemi in it.
QuoteIt's got a hemi in it.
That won't work. Every time the Hemi speeds up, so does the conveyor belt.
Do you think it's time for us to log off and go for a ride? [moto]
Quote from: Langanobob on August 02, 2009, 11:28:34 AM
That won't work. Every time the Hemi speeds up, so does the conveyor belt.
Do you think it's time for us to log off and go for a ride? [moto]
I don't ride on the weekends anymore. Only weekdays-too many motorcyclists out on the weekends, and they really kind of suck at what they do.
Quote from: MrIncredible on August 02, 2009, 11:17:36 AM
It's got a hemi in it.
Actually, if remember correctly, the starter units used Oldsmobile 455 rocket big blocks to get the turbines going.
Not a Hemi, but close.
This pointless trivia moment brought to you by the letter 'g'. ;D
Quote from: superjohn on August 02, 2009, 01:22:04 PM
This pointless trivia moment brought to you by the letter 'g'. ;D
Sweet! That letter starts off my last name.
Another random trivia bit? Okay.
The name of the athletic shoe company Adidas has nothing to do with thinking about sex.
The founder's name was Adolf Dassler. His nickname was Adi.
Adi Dassler. He equipped Jesse Owen with running shoes for the 1936 Olympics.
His brother Rudolf, citing political differences, founded Puma.
When I was 12 I went to live with my dad who was a Marine pilot in Okinawa. One day not long after I had arrived on the island I was eating lunch with pops and some of his pilots at the Officer's Club at MCAS Futenma when I noticed a black airplane making an approach to Kadena AFB about 8 miles away. The O club had a great view of the East China Sea and the approach to Kadena AFB. So anyway, when I saw this familiar looking aircraft which I had only seen in pictures I exclaimed "What's That???". All of the pilots kinda looked at me strangely, my dad just responded calmly, "That's the Habu". In Okinawa the SR-71 was reffered to as "The Habu" after the black poisonous snake on the island. So being a 12 year old kid who was amazed with everything that flew, my dad was a pilot after all, I got real excited when I realized what I was seeing, "Wow! They have those here?" All of the Marine KC-130 pilots kinda gave me a look of disdain that I was excited to see an Air Force plane when there were plenty of perfectly good Marine Corps planes on the base I was eating lunch at. That was one of my fondest moments of living in Okinawa, that and watching it take off one night on the balcony of the Apt building we lived in. I swear from 8 miles away it rattled all the windows in the building in what must have been a deafening roar up close, that and the bright orange afterburners rocketing skyward were quite a sight to see. Later that year they were retired, but I was lucky enough to have seen it fly on at least two separate occasions.
Craig, great story. I've only seen them at airshows. As a kid I remember U-2's taking off from Lockheed in Burbank, CA. They had or have a reputation as sort of high altitude powered gliders, but wow, when they took off they went absolutely straight up! Great thrill for kids to see that kind of stuff and you never forget.
Quote from: NAKID on July 28, 2009, 08:27:56 AM
God I love that plane...
So, just to be clear, you think the 2,000+ MPH plane that leaks fuel all over itself because it expands at higher temperatures that flew in the early 60's and operated with a couple of jets in a low oxygen atmosphere is just dandy.
You also think we
didn't have the technology to actually go higher than this plane with rockets in a no oxygen area a few years later (moon landing)?
The SR-71 never actually flew, it was just a front to help mask the lack of an actual moon landing
also
there was never any bombing in hiroshima or nagasaki
the Nips are actually vampires and a bunch of them walked outside when the Enola Gay flew by trailing a sign with anti-vampire propaganda
Quote from: Eeyore on August 02, 2009, 10:17:11 PM
The SR-71 never actually flew, it was just a front to help mask the lack of an actual moon landing
also
there was never any bombing in hiroshima or nagasaki
the Nips are actually vampires and a bunch of them walked outside when the Enola Gay flew by trailing a sign with anti-vampire propaganda
Just pointing stuff out. I have to do it here 'cause they asked me to stop at work.
I was at Oshkosh when an SR-71 was there. The crew gave a presentation and said among other cool facts, that it took a team of people 8 hours to do a pre-flight. He also said it cost $250,000 an hour to fly it - about the same as my S4.