Lockheed SR-71s of the Baltic Express
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2020
- The Lockheed SR-71 was one of the most extreme aircraft ever flown. But its extreme engineering also meant that the plane could face operational problems. SR-71s flying reconnaissance flights in the dangerous airspace of the far northwest of the Soviet Union faced mechanical failures and political risks. The dramatic stories of the SR-71s flying the “Baltic express” deserve to be remembered.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #sr71
When I was a 2nd Lt in the Air Force I was friends with an USAF Intel officer who related one of the more interesting SR-71 missions in the early 1970's when the Soviet Air Force took the MIG-25 operational. The new MIG-25s were observed on radar making high speed training runs from Russia down through the Middle East at extremely high altitudes in a loop or "reace track" pattern that was fairly consistent. The USAF was desperately seeking first hand intel on this new major air threat because they already knew the MIG-25 was a quantum leap forward. The SR-71 mission was to do an ultra high altitude photo run above one of these Russian "race track" operational training/test flight circuits that extended outside of the USSR. To accomplish that objective an SR-71 was positioned orbiting over the central Mediterranean, with the US 6th Fleet providing aerial radar vectoring over the eastern end of the Med. A MIG-25 was spotted coming out of Russia by USAF ground radars in Turkey backed up by Hawkeye coverage from the 6th Fleet on its now familiar track. An air intercept vector was computed and the SR-71 commenced an ultra high speed run down the Med at its altitude ceiling. The cameras on the SR-71 had been modified for this mission to allow for photos of closer distances than its normal 70-80k feet focal length. Because the MIG was actually flying remarkably close to the SR-71's max ceiling on this mission, the SR-71 crossed the MIG flight path with cameras rolling at WELL less than (hypothetically speaking) 10K feet altitude separation. The details of construction, configuration, and even the cockpit layout/instruments were captured in exquisite detail. They could even read the notes on the Russian pilot's knee pad. My friend related that there was a blowup of a single frame from this run on the wall in the Intel photo offices at Beale showing the startled face of the Russian MIG pilot. His face was visible through his helmet visor as the SR-71 passed over his aircraft and he looked up just as the SR-71 passed close overhead, probably as just a blur. The speculation was that the MIG's threat radar wasn't set properly or was faulty and it didn't alert the MIG pilot until the underside aspect of the SR-71 presented for that brief split second as the two planes paths crossed. As your video described the SR-71 as the "sled" so the SR-71 mission plan was to continue straight ahead since its turning radius was enormous; plus they didn't want the MIG to have a shot opportunity. So the SR-71 just continued flying East and landed at Beale making this one of many SR-71 "around the world" missions. Just a little additional tidbit of SR-71 lore to add to your excellent video.
I want that picture
Wish I'd been cleared to have seen the take from that mission, but only got briefings on the Foxbat after the defector landed one in Japan.
Awesome thanks for the details.
This never happened.
You should stick to writing fiction in your moms basement whilst singing The Star Spangled Banner. 🤷🏼
I will never get tired of SR71 stories. Good job on the Swedish pilots and country to protect our pilots and aircraft when it was distressed.
Almost makes up for Sweden's behavior during the Vietnam war.
I can never get enough of the Habu!
Neither will I. My favorite is the LA Speed Check
ua-cam.com/video/ILop3Kn3JO8/v-deo.html
its my favorite plane, so same
@@givennorton If you're being denied overflight permission from Sweden while on a bombing run into Vietnam, you're fighting the war wrong.
Here's a account I found on Reddit:
Part 1:
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I’m most often asked is “How fast would that SR-71 fly?” I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It’s an interesting question, given the aircraft’s proclivity for speed, but there really isn’t one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual “high” speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let’s just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn’t previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked, “What was the slowest you ever flew in the Blackbird?” This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following.
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 flypast. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat, and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from the 325 knots we were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically over the field-yet, there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field.
Part 2:
Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the flypast. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast. Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us, but in the overcast and haze, I couldn’t see it. The longer we continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point, we weren’t really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was), the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.
Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn’t say a word for those next 14 minutes. After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 flypast he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet’s hats were blown off and the sight of the planform of the plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I both understood the concept of “breathtaking” very well that morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight suits, we just sat there-we hadn’t spoken a word since “the pass.” Finally, Walter looked at me and said, “One hundred fifty-six knots. What did you see?” Trying to find my voice, I stammered, “One hundred fifty-two.” We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, “Don’t ever do that to me again!” And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer’s Club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 flypast that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, “It was probably just a routine low approach; they’re pretty impressive in that plane.” Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories. It’s ironic that people are interested in how slow the world’s fastest jet can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it’s always a good idea to keep that cross-check up...and keep your Mach up, too.
Brian Shul spent 20 years as an Air Force fighter pilot, and now is a popular keynote speaker. Shot down in Vietnam, he spent one year in a burn ward. His comeback story culminated with flying the SR-71, which he detailed inSled Driver. Brian also is known for his nature photography, which is on display at Gallery One in California.
Cool
" Its jet exhaust... frying chickens in the barnyard!"
I had the chance to hear him talk around 10 years ago. He was fascinating to listen to. I bought his book and made this Cessna pilot feel very special as he signed the book "to a fellow pilot..."
I knew it was Brian Shul. I have never heard that particular story, but I figured it to be him. He is a great storyteller.
I think all pilots have those close calls that scare the cra out of you, yet reinforce you great training. Hopefully you have great training.
Thank you for sharing this story that was definitely worth the read!
As a radar operator in the USAF here's trying to track an SR-71:
The sweep was clockwise and covered 360° in ten seconds. The max range was 500 nautical miles. Blip,Blip,Blip,Blip, Gone. And the bird wasn't even pushing it.
According to a NAvy buddy of mine, the SR-71 was logged as a UFO on his ship, for reasons similar to what you said - a couple of returns at incredible speed, and then just gone. He said he read a book about the plane in 2008, and a mission was described that would have taken it right over his destroyer then. But at the time (1982) the scuttlebutt among the crew was that they had encountered a "flying saucer".
When I was in UPT, I heard that same story from a radar operator at Vance AFB. And the Blackbird was in a turn.
Heard from a ATC at Kelly that a call requesting winds and current runway and clearance to land. ATC did not see the squawk on his radar and challenged the caller. The answer came back, "I'm an SR-71. Currently over New Orleans. I'll be landing your station in twenty minutes." He got his clearance.
@@pdoylemi To catch one on your scope you really had to have two things. First was a call from the ID section telling you in advance they were coming and from what direction going to where and second (over CONUS only) the ID squawk code, because they were usually too high to get a reliable "skin paint" and all you saw was the codes on your scope. Really the only time where got a heads up they were coming was when they were overflying an exercise area. Otherwise it was usually one operator asking another... "Was that what I thought it was?"
@@-jeff-
Yeah, I was a nuclear reactor operator, which meant I was an Electronics Tech - trained in radars. I can easily imagine that if you were not given a heads up, about this, the best you would get would be a hint that SOMETHING had passed by.
As a young engineer I was working at a radar site in Germany when one afternoon we saw a plane take off from the UK. It was climbing pretty fast over the channel towards the North Sea. At some point its IFF (transponder) was turned off, but it kept climbing and gaining speed. Eventually it was at 80,000 feet and flying Mach 3, the only time I ever saw a velocity vector that long on a real radar return. It was obviously an SR-71. We watched it cruise south along the border with the GDR (East Germany), turn around over West Germany, fly the border north, then return to the UK. We could watch it the entire time because it never flew beyond the range of our radar.
One detail you missed was how many missiles that were shot at them over their history. One report said some 4000 attempts were made to bring them down without a single success. That is a most impressive detail!
I can die happy now that I've heard THG describe something as "sexy as it gets"
During a high school summer break in 1982 I was lucky to get a job working for the US Forest Service. We had a unique job of going to logged areas and clearing ground in spots to help future fir tress take hold. Forest conservation after logging. We were truly in the middle of nowhere, so one day when I heard a jet flying over head it was unusual. Most were too high to be very notable. So being a teen boy and hearing a jet overhead I looked up, and it was a SR-71 that was refueling. It was stunning. Naturally no one else saw it. We were in central Idaho and I only got a one second view and they passed behind the firs. I can still see it in my mind’s eye. Truly awesome.
What a truly amazing experience.
I saw one take off one night, circa 1983~1984. It was pitch dark out. I only saw the flames; segmented, purple fire from full after burners. As it rose from below the skyline after take off, it turned vertical and disappeared straight up. I was active duty near an air base at the time, I wish I'ld had a video camera that night.
Never hand the pleasure of seeing a "blackbird" in flight. I did get to experience a practice bombing run on Clear Lake dam in central WA state. I was a college intern working on a fish ladder project with the forest service when two jets from McChord Air base performed a "very low" run on the dam. This is a popular camping spot and the jets came in so low and fast that the tree tops were swaying from the jet exhaust and the campers were diving out of their camp chairs and flipping out. I remember being shocked, surprised, and in awe...
Cheers!
Hey, Zed!
It's nice to hear from another USFS guy. Especially if you worked on the ground in/with the forest. I was in timber managenent (Sale Prep; cruising and marking). I feel very good about the work we did, benefitting the forest then and in the future. And likewise benefitting the people.
Yep we had some interesting aircraft appearances too.
But I think you win hands-down with a Blackbird sighting!
Mid 70's I was a kid doing kid things exploring in a massive soybean field. I topped the hill I was going up and found myself and the pilot of an F-104 in the next valley over were literally looking eye to eye. If he had kept flying straight I would have been skewered on the nose. I even remember his eyebrows pushing his helmet back as his eyes opened as wide as the mirrored aviator sunglasses the cheeky basrd was wearing at the time.
Needless to say he stood it on the tail leaving me opened mouth looking right into the arse of the Missile with a Man in it climbing straight up.
The pilot looped around and turned upside down looking at me checking to see if I was alright I guess. I assured him I was ok by shooting at him with my BB gun for scarring the hell out of me!
True story. Wish I knew who that pilot was. I would love to buy him a beer. He would have cleared that hilltop by about a foot had I not popped up out of nowhere dead in front of him.
There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.
It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet.
I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury.
Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace.
We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: "November Charlie 175, I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground."
Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the " Houston Center voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that, and that they basically did. And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.
Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. "I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed." Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. "Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check". Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: "Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground."
And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done - in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.
Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: "Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?" There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. "Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground."
I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: "Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money."
For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A.came back with, "Roger that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one."
It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day's work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.
ua-cam.com/video/Lg73GKm7GgI/v-deo.html
Great story!
Thanks that was awesome!
That was such a classic story!
Thank you Sir for your service and for sharing. 👍🏼
This is copied from Maj. Brian Shul. It is lousy that you didn't provide the reference in a sad attempt at making people believe you had a part in this other than copying someone else's story.
oceanexploration lol this is such an infamous copy pasta that anyone who wants the source can find it easily
The coolest looking plane in history.
It is a beautiful airplane though the ME262 is stiff competition.
*cough*SU-47*cough*
@@RealmCenter40 Yeah, that 262 is like a shark with wings.
Yep. As the History Guy said ... aircraft don't get much sexier than the SR-71. The P-51 is a close second.
Coolest looking plane being escorted by 2 of the 2nd coolest looking planes :)
Designed with slide-rules and built by hand, the SR-71 still holds records over more modern jets today. I remember being amazed by the existence of such an aircraft during my youth.
Public records yes, military records not a chance. The D-21 from the same era outperformed the SR-71, now we are well into the hypersonic territory on a regular basis.
@@otm646 Different type of aircraft. I'm talking about manned air-breathing planes, not rockets. I stand by my statement.
I can appreciate the slide-rule observation. The Apollo missions also wore out many slide-rules.
@@Mondo762 I recall a documentary where the SR71's defense when a missile is fired was mentioned: speed up and outrun it. A pilot who did that did not give an exact speed but he did see "scary mach numbers" given what they are use to that says a lot.
@@Mondo762 To be fair the D-21 was a ramjet, so air-breathing but yeah it was a drone. A drone in the early 1960s would have been pretty questionable when you consider it had one engine and how many issues the SR-71 had with engine unstarts.
The SR-71 is easily the coolest plane ever!
*laughs in Supermarine Spitfire*
@@Trek001 also cool but not Mach 3 cool
@@Trek001 meh its not a Mosquito
Allegedly agreed.😎
It's looks like a long cockpits strapped to two rockets.
The various permutations of the Saab 37 Viggen are rather extraordinary in themselves and IMO deserve their own vids, as they are often forgotten since the Swedish Air Force was the only one to operate the type in any capacity. They were essentially designed to be able to fly the missions pertinent to the specific model from austere road bases in the event of Soviet invasion, and were equipped for very short takeoffs and landings by the standards of a conventionally set-up tactical aircraft. In addition, it was rather cleverly designed so that it possessed favorable traits for a fighter (good maneuverability and energy recovery), interceptor (very good climb ability and range at supersonic speed), and reconnaissance or strike aircraft (very fast at low altitude and long flight time at full power). This essentially gave the Swedes four types (fighter-interceptor, attack, anti-ship, reconnaissance), each optimized for their own mission profiles and equal to specialized aircraft designs, but still based on the same fundamental airframe and parts. It's a very cool aircraft that doesn't get enough press
I grew up under its flight path near Mildenhall UK (where SR-71 was later stationed)
@Bob Dinwiddy
I was a Security Policeman (back when dinosaurs walked the earth :-)). Many aircraft had the Two Man Concept/No Lone Zone. Particularly those carrying...Special Weapons....Annex Echo Materials
@@stevenwiederholt7000 I was an SP at Mildenhall, unfortunately after the SR71 was retired.
Bob Dinwiddy. It has as many noses as Michael Jackson.
@@whiterabbit-wo7hw hopefully stronger and better built than Michaels 👃
I was a brat (USAF Dependant) living in Mildenhall village when my dad was stationed at 3rd AF HQ in mid '80s. Went to school at RAF Feltwell and later RAF Lakenheath. Fond memories... I can also remember the distinct sound of the SR-71 taking off.
Even today, when I see stories about the SR-71, I have to watch them. Brian Shul's LA Speed Check remains an all-time favorite. Thank you THG!
Let's give a medal to the Swedish air commander who ordered his pilots into an armed defense posture even though they knew Soviet response was airborne.
Courage against an enemy is fine, courage against an enemy + your own bureaucracy? That's worth a medal.
Ed RDnc ahahah yes, that's it
Sweden have had a long relationship to the US, starting with ELINT missions in the 50s with electronic surveillance equipment flying near the coast of the Soviet Union to gather information about Soviet radar installations and readiness. The information was to be shared with the US. One of these flights were bounced and shot down, the crew lost. The Catalina flown in a search & rescue after them were also attacked, the crew rescued.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_affair?wprov=sfla1
I can tell you dozens of stories about the Soviet aggressions; as there were so many confrontations between navy and especially the Air Force, standing order were to break and evade as the Russians locked fire control radar on our fighters and we knew they always carried live missiles. Thankfully the SAAB 37 Viggen had a tremendous turning capability at high AoA. Once a Russian fighter jock tried to follow and keep the lock, following down om the deck, but while the SAAB 37 could make a snap turn up almost at sea level, the poor Russian hit the sea and went in.
First kill without firing. ;)
So, yeah, we had our run ins during the Cold War; it wasn't that cold.
@@N0rdman We who flew RF-4s in the Baltic appreciated when your Viggens pulled up in formation. We had a long way to fly home and it was comforting having some escort in sight. We never had the Warsaw Pact launch on us since we weren't as sexy as the Habu.
Kudos for touching on one of many subjects most people misunderstand about the SR-71. Where it flew. After the Gary Powers incident, US recon flights were barred from overflying the mainland of the USSR. So, according to the men who flew them, at least, the Blackbirds flew alongside the border instead, using their cameras to look deep inland from high altitude.
In spite of this, there were many efforts to intercept them. They’d accelerate, and quickly leave the slower interceptors struggling to gain altitude. Sometimes, this afforded the opportunity to watch a MIG-25 run out of energy in its steep climb.
There were two very well-kept secrets (now declassified, unlike the precise top speed) about the SR-71, that were very cleverly disguised by half-truths:
When asked about the function of those inlet spikes on the record, the most anyone with clearance would say is that they moved forward to stop shockwaves entering the engine. Their function was actually to let the shockwave into the inlet, to supply subsonic airflow to the engine while also diverting air to run alongside it and provide most of the thrust out the back end during high-speed flight.
And when asked why the Blackbird refueled so soon after takeoff, the answer was always that the plane leaked like a sieve while on the ground and needed to top-up. Which was something of an exaggeration, although the skin of the airframe acted as its fuel tank. Drops of fuel per minute were measured to be higher than for most (universally a bit leaky) high-performance aircraft at rest, but not a downpour. Actually, the idea was to force out air from the fuel storage, through the skin, and afterward, maintain a positive internal pressure using a tank of Liquid Nitrogen.
This kept the atmosphere inside the “tanks” inert to prevent ignition from the high temperatures of the aircraft’s skin. This was far easier to accomplish at altitude, although ground crews VERY rarely had to perform it on the ground, in a complicated fueling procedure known as the “Yo-Yo.”
Thanks for the video.
Good info, but I would still argue the severity of the fuel leakage issue.
The ground crew wore raincoats while working under the fuel tanks pre-flight, bcz the leaks were that bad.
At 7:00 into this YT video you can see the leaking for yourself during a fuel up.
ua-cam.com/video/Vq8mUnxEBII/v-deo.html
Thank you!
@AC
I read and understood all the words you so kindly shared with us.
And yet I still do not have the faintest idea how that liquid nitrogen worked...!
The liquid nitrogen was stored in a small bottle in the nosewheel compartment, with a line running to the fuel “tanks” (again, the skin of the aircraft acting as such). After takeoff, the pilot would climb and accelerate, going supersonic (but not anywhere near Mach 3) en route to the refueling point. Then slow and descend rapidly on approach to one of the modified KC-135s that accompanied the Blackbird squadrons as they relocated around the globe as needed. Completing the refueling successfully was a requirement for continuing the mission, regardless of how full the tanks were at this point.
As the JP-7 filled the fuel storage, this forced air out. Something which happens even when more conventional aircraft take on fuel. Helped along by the low ambient pressure at the tanker’s altitude. At this point, the valve was opened up between the liquid nitrogen bottle and the fuel stores. As fuel was consumed by the engines, the open space this created was filled immediately with nitrogen gas that boiled away from that small bottle as the warming cryogenic liquid evaporated. This maintained the inert atmosphere above and around the remaining JP-7. Which, in itself, had a higher flash point even than traditional JP-6 jet fuel.
As for the fuel leaks, I’m sure this made wearing raincoats while working on it very sensible. But even a rate of 60 drops per minute, on a Blackbird ready to fly, meant that somewhere on the aircraft, a drop was falling once per second. Not quite like standing out in the hydrocarbon rain on Titan. And insufficient to deplete the onboard fuel sufficiently, during preflight inspection, checklist, and taxiing, to require the tanker rendezvous so early in the flight. It really was all about getting that inert atmosphere needed to operate at Mach 3+, where the airframe that doubled as its own fuel tank would be heated to very high temperatures.
On the nitrogen.
I assume, the leaks were caused by sealants that could not cope with the thermal expansion that occurred along the expansion joints. So on the ground they did not seal.
Just trying to wrap my head around how you keep enough nitrogen to backfill the tank volume until the joints sealed as the airframe heated. Seems like relying on unpredictable tank leakage would be kinda sketchy.
Nitrogen was only required above 2.6M. I would assume they would wait to add nitrogen until the tanks were sealed by thermal expansion? And this speed was not only enough to guarantee a good seal but required from the air frame heating to keep it from possibly bursting into flames. ?🤷🏼♂️
Just trying to wrap my head around the process? I was a kid when the thing was retired, just semi Professional armchair engineering here, with a minor in sarcasm.
Can anyone shine light on the process.
I am an Air Force brat and lived at Kadena AFB where a Blackbird was stationed. My dad used to take me to flight line at night when that beautiful bird would take off. The shear power and majesty of that plane still, to this day, takes my breath away. The SR-71 is the pinnacle of superior flight machines and deserves to be remembered!
Considering your story, you might appreciate this. I served in the Marine Corps In Okinawa as a Military Policeman (MOS 5811) from April 1971 to April 1973 (I loved Okinawa and volunteered to serve a second overseas tour). As Military Police we understandably had security clearance to go anywhere on the island ... with two notable exceptions. We could not enter the missile sites in northern Okinawa beyond the administration buildings without advanced clearance, (yes, we had missile sites there) and we could not enter the landing/service areas of the SR-71s on Kadena. I think that says something for the security surrounding the Blackbird.
@@tomjustis7237 I can totally relate. My dad was a jet mechanic/machinist and he would at times be "loaned" for parts fabrication. The Blackbirds were under such structural stresses that there was ALWAYS something that had be be fixed or our right fabricated because of where the part was at in the airframe. He has a love for the Blackbirds, even to this day. He will wax nostalgic for hours about him crawling through the airframes to fix something here or there. I know he has always "edited" his stories due to the sensitive nature of the planes and their missions. I wish he could tell me the unedited version of those stories. Maybe someday. I loved the 6 months that I got to live in Oki. It is a beautiful island with truly unique and beautiful people. I married a Marine and we got orders to Iwakuni but that got canceled due to Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He was Air Wing and was in the first wave that was sent to Saudi to set up bases and landing strips for all of the combined Allied Forces at the time. BTW, thank you for your service. Semper Fi!
My grandpa was the Lead SMSgt (Senior Master Sergeant) in charge of the SR-71 program for SAC (Strategic Air Command) at Beale Air Force Base, CA, where I grew up. My grandparents raised me and have both recently passed away.
I have a *very large* amount of military memorabilia. Including a large number of items involving the Blackbird. I even have a scale model built directly by Lockheed. I also have from few early hand sketches, from different angles, that I now have framed. I have boxes full, that I really need gone through. As a little child, I have sat in this plane and many others, plenty of times. Brings good memories.
Rob, my friend, you are a lucky man. I would love to see those treasures.
Their is nothing like the SR-71 . It is the original sex machine!
Cheers.
An interesting thing about the construction of the planes skin is that it’s primarily titanium. It was so hard to get a hold of the quantities necessary in the states, that they set up a dummy company to purchase titanium from Russia.
One of the many fascinating stories about it. Russia sold us the raw materials to build a plane to spy on them LOL.
You do not know all the same stories about precision production equipment, was bought for soviet factories, for subs, planes and space production, via dummy europe and japan companies
AND, I heard that the titanium became stronger over the lifetime of the airframe.
It is absolutely incredible this plane was built in the early 1960s and is still the fastest plane ever made. Hardly 15 years after we we even made the leap to jet technology. Just amazing.
Love SR-71 stories and hadn’t heard that one before. Thanks Sweden
🇺🇸 🤜🤛 🇸🇪
I was on duty in Germany when this event occurred & observed this on radar in real time.
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I have looked up to you for over a year, not only as a historian but also, a creator, story teller, man, and scholar. Thank you for providing the much toxic internet airspace, pun intended, with your amazing passion and expertise.
To me, the SR71 is the most beautiful and amazing airplane ever created.
There is no such thing as hearing too many stories about it.
The SR-71 and its crews literally define the term “BAD-ASSERY!”
Those guys must have had a lot of terrifying fun flying that ultimate bird!
Courage knows no nationality.
So very true that’s why soldiers throughout history have had a respect for each other except for a few that stand out for being insane
So true!
Nor does comradery. It truly was displayed that day.
@@VesaGuardian That's the meaning of the saying, "Where we go one, we go all."
I was at the national museum of the USAF when they brought her in for her last flight.
There is video of this event back in the early 1990s.
She landed on the 1 mile long museum runway.
probably the shortest runway an SR71 ever landed on. In the video you can see the entire runway as she lands.
Just a ten minute drive down the street from our house in Palmdale, Ca. are Two SR-71's. Along with several other planes of distinction, including a 747 that carried space shuttles. The SR-71's still look like something from the Future, rather then from the Past.
one is an SR-71, the other is its CIA flown predecessor the A-12...
Stories about the SR71 never get old. Thanks!
Somehow simply giving this episode a "thumbs up" feels far inadequate to the quality of the content.
Very well done indeed, sir!
I agree
As do I
Yes!
I worked as a security guard for Lockheed in 1966 at Edwards AFB when this happened. We were working on ships 4,5, and 6. I don’t remember which bird crashed. Everything was secret. Nobody could touch any of the birds but assigned personnel. Security was very tight. Thanks for the memories. Ed
Remember them in the taxi lines at Kadena (along with U-2s and Rc-135s). Our KC 135 refueled the RC. There was a serious recon squadron at Kadena. The refuelers like us rotated on TDYs. Also taxied by the SR71 at Beale AFB. We were close by parking for a few hours there. They KC 135 Q was the only refueler that loaded them up. They used a fuel other than JP-4 so the Q had modified fuel system tanks.
A trivial note: the fuel was designated JP7 - I did a refueling as a KC 135 pilot TDY in ancient times.
If you haven't yet watch his video "fall from an SR-71". One of my fav history guy vids!
Here in McMinnville Oregon we have one in our Air & Space Museum. A docent told about the time a former Soviet Mig pilot walked up to the plane, grabbed the edge of the wing and said "caught you finally". He had chased several but never got close.
I was stationed at Beale AFB from 1974-77 and loved to watch the SR71 take off at dusk, the afterburners were beautiful.
I was at Beale 76-79, fantastic aircraft.
John Babiarz what did you do there, I was in the bomb dump.
I was at Beale from 1978-1981. I actually thought the U-2s were more impressive when they took off, since they went a couple hundred yards down the runway and then shot straight up. But they did make a big production out of SR-71 launches.
@@ihave1god I was in PMEL, we did the calibrations of test equipment and measuring devices.
John Babiarz we probably met each other then, we had to bring in torque wrenches to be calibrated.
I was fortunate enough to work on this airplane! Sweet looking and very accurate! My dad, brother and my uncle worked on it also because they all worked in the “skunk works”. ❤️
Greatest technological piece of aviation magnificence ever engineered and built in the history of manned flight. Ramjet Mach 3.2+ cruising would be the greatest job in the world for real. Hats off to the brave pilots and surveillance officers that did the damn thing every day. We salute you !!! ✌️
Best looking plane ever.
Sometime in the 50's or early 60's there was a, I think, Godzilla movie that looked like a SR-71 shooting lightning from the nose.
At 12:01 in this video: That is the Swedish _Saab 37 "Viggen"_ fighter -- itself a BEAUTIFUL AIRCRAFT...👍👍
Saw one at the Pima Air Space Museum in Tucson. The gent by it was a pilot, spent a good amount of time talking with him.
The starter is TWO Chevy 427's!
the Start Cart originally had Buick 401s ganged through a dual input gearbox that had a retractable starter shaft that spun the engines. in the 70s the carts were rebuilt using Chevrolet 454s from Good Chevrolet in Sacramento. they were phased out for the most part later on when each of the SR-71 hangars got an air-start system
@@truthsayers8725 Thanks!
I'm and Air Force history fan, and this is one of my favorite aircraft. I served from 1984-2008.The majority of my time was on C-130 aircraft, C-130E, AC-130U, MC-130P, MC-130H and C-130H. I retired just before my last base got the C-130J. I still see them flying around my house and work all the time.
What a great aircraft, the C-130 is legendary, truly amazing.
My Grandpa, Vic Horton, flew the NASA Blackbirds out of Edwards AFB between 1969 and the early 80s. On one test flight in the 1970s, the unstarts were so bad, his head slammed into the canopy hard enough that it actually cracked the shell on his pressure suit helmet and it had to be replaced post-flight.
As for the "official" speed and altitude records, Grandpa used to scoff at them, saying, "Aww, they weren't even pushing her!"
As a child of the 60s and 70s, the SR 71 was the F 22 of my day. I had SR-71 pictures on my wall and books on my shelf.
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
― Plato
such a great quote!
Question everything...What does that have to do with anything?
was station in Key West and walk in to the hanger and there sat an SR-71. they lost and engine over south America and when they recovered the aircraft, they where over Key West I heard the tower could not believe the radio call they got. the Airforce try to keep it quit that the plane was here. The mayor talked them in to doing a fly bye when they left. Everybody in town was out to watch, 3 short runs across the island, on the fourth one they punched it. one second the plane was there the next it was gone. I got to ask the pilot how high and fast they went, got the bottom line 80 thousand plus and Mach 3 plus. We where allowed to touch it will never forget it.
Key West has a runway to accommodate an SR-71!?
@@donaldstanfield8862 It was long to handle just about anything, the base is on a key just north of Key West itself.
I am in a cover band and for one Christmas-season party for a large company some years ago that company rented out the Udvar-Hazy Center/Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. Our band was set up on a stage right next to an SR71. During the moments I wasn`t singing or playing, I would just turn around, gaze, and marvel!
Great episode! When I was in the Marine Corps, we deployed to Kadena AFB on Okinawa in 1988. During the evening FOD walk, we were able to watch the SR-71 (Habu) launch for its recon mission on more than one occasion. It was hangared down the flightline from where we were operating, and more than once, I was able to see it in the hangar, parked over a sea of drip pans. Truly an amazing aircraft.
Amazing history History Guy! As a SAC (Strategic Air Command) Brat who grow up in SAC during the 1960s into the 1970s, I especially appreciate this. All my best wish…
I had a mate who was in the communications business and used to here these things fly across the pole in the arctic of Canada. Apparently they was a lot faster than they advertised.
Thx THG for another informative and well researched video. FWIW I have had a lifelong interest in the Blackbirds after seeing 2 fly by Beale AFB in '66 while traveling with my folks when a teenager. I worked at ADP ( Skunk Works) in 70s helping to keep U bird and Blackbirds flying. My middle daughter earned Her A&P. Mechanics license and now work @ GAA on unmanned recon aircraft. Thanks again to you both for letting more of the Black Bird's stories be heard and seen. We'll probably never know how many lives were saved and wars avoided by the skill and bravery of so few.
I remember seeing a poster with a bunch of planes flying in a spear formation and the tip of the spear was the SR-71.
Wish I had that poster now.
Bodø is also home to Norway's national aviation museum; whilst the U2 incident is well covered (including a U2 on display) I don't recall finding anything about this story on the occasions I've been fortunate enough to visit. Another fascinating piece of forgotten history - thank you.
Kelly Johnston rocks.
I Never get tired of hearing stories on this incredible plane!!
I am a huge fan of the SR-71 and go absolutely gaga over any documentaries on it. This is, without a doubt, on of the best!
One can never go wrong when the Blackbird is the subject of your video!
"When it comes to aircraft you don't get much sexier than..." This right here is the summary of the SR-71's entire time in service and it's derivatives. Excellent stuff History Guy!
One of my biggest thrills at an airshow was seeing an SR-71 at Norton AFB in the early 1980's. It had a rope barrier and an armed guard. Late in the show its air crew came out in their pressure suits, climbed in, and went through their pre-checks. We watched it start up, taxi out, and take off. It stayed at low level, looped back for a high-speed pass over the runway, then pulled up probably 70-80 degrees and kept going. The last thing visible were its two afterburners as it sped away.
Loudest sound I ever heard was a low fly-by of a SR-71 at McChord when I was a youngster. So loud I can remember it 30+ years later. A fundamental noise.
Old enough to have seen one of these fly at an air show when I was a kid. I remember it being really, really loud.
The Glomar Explorer story is another cold war tale worthy of memory
Those Saab 37s are sexy birds as well.
I've always respected Sweden for maintaining it's own fighter production.
Since before the Viking days the Swedes have always been among the most innovative in the world with regard to weapons and defense.
Just hard to get their cars out of neutral 📉😂📈
I had the good fortune to witness an SR71 low pass and afterburner departure at an Air Force Academy Graduation commencement. It was a most memorable event.
Hi, THG. It is always fun to read about adventures like this. The SR-71 is a futuristic aircraft and looks supersonic sitting on the ground. Thanks for sharing! Stay healthy!
Three corrections, please: Duane Noll was the pilot of the SR-71 when intercepted by the Swedish aircraft and Tom Veltri was the Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). The pilot who landed in Bodø, Norway was BC Thomas.
I lived near Beale AFB from 1979 - 1981, and had two friends who had been "back seaters" in the SR-71. One, had retired in the mid 70's as base commander, and the other, also base commander, retired in the early 80's. Fascinating aircraft, and I can neither prove, nor disprove any of the "tall tales" heard about the aircraft. Both retired officers have since passed on, but anyone who has ever seen one land or take off, I am sure, did not forget the incident. They always appeared ready to fall out of the sky when landing, even though they were doing 200 knots. Great video. I never knew any of this, but people who have had clearances (I too had one) tend not to bring things up.
It was an amazing site in the mid 80's being parked across from the SR hangers at Mildenhall in the C-130 hard stands (Bravo Squadron).. Standing on the tail (facing the hangers) watching them start and taxi out... We knew when they were going to fly as the Q model's taxied and took off prior..
I'm a simple man, I see an SR 71 I click the video.
I was in the Air Force in 87' going to tech school to be a crew chief, my original orders right at the end of tech school were to be based in CA as a crew chief on the SR-71's. But those orders were abruptly changed to KC-10 tankers, I never really knew why, until recently. In retrospect the 10's were a much better aircraft to work on, no regrets.
Great story! I actually spoke to an SR-71 pilot who was flying for American Airlines. Being a GA pilot I asked what it was like to fly and he said, "it was a numbers airplane" but the acceleration and the visibility from the altitudes flown were awesome like on the edge of space.
Designed in the 50s and still the best looking plane ever built! Thanks for the story.
I saw the SR 71 in flight during the USAF 40th anniversary celebration at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio. It was one of a series of flyovers by aircraft ranging from World War II to the present day. That black bird was an amazing site.
I'd love to hear your take on the Allegheny Arsenal explosion on September 17, 1862. It's largely forgotten because the Battle of Antietam was also fought that day, and overshadows it, but I think that it deserves to be remembered
If they had aircraft like this in the 60s i can only imagine the technology they have now!
It was my dream as a little boy to fly that beautiful machine. Sadly, it never happened. My hair still raises up every time I see one. Such an amazing human achievement. Thanks History Guy! You're the best!
I remember the SR-71 world speed record flight. At the time, I was a USAF Aircraft Maintenance Officer at Pease AFB, NH, where we staged KC-135Q tanker aircraft from Beale AFB. The speed record flight required several refueling missions and the KC-135Q's staged at our base covered the refueling missions over the Atlantic. The SR-71's required the dual fuel manifold KC-135Q's because they burned JP-8 instead of the standard JP-4 jet fuel.
An "Unstart" did not mean that the engine quit running, it meant that the shock-wave held in position by those pointy spikes had become unstuck, which also meant that 80% of the thrust being produced abruptly stopped. To recapture the shock wave the other spike would sympathetically unstart too allowing them both to recapture the shock waves and more importantly 80% of the thrust required to go mach 3+ :-)
Watch these beautiful Bird land take off and fly over as a kid on Beal Air Force base CA and brian shul had a frame shop next to the hobby shop i hung out in. A very nice man.
I grew up there as well. We lived in Olivehurst.
Another great video! I built a model of a SR71 and had it in my room as a teenager in the early '70s. I was a space geek and loved planes!
As a member of the USAF I was lucky enough to go TDY to Bodo airbase. Great people there. We were hosted very well. It was my first time above the Arctic Circle. Great memories.
Growing up in the north end of the San Fernando Valley! Many of my neighbors, as well as, school friends parents worked for Lockheed!! They were proud of their work on projects, such as the SR-71 and the U 2 A neighbor, would tell stories of working on earlier aircraft , such as the P 38 and the P 80!!
Every young child's favorite, decades ago... Now Lockheed does Traffic Light cameras... Can't be as much fun as the sr71
The SR-71 came out of Kelly Johnson's Skunk Works, a division that ran almost as an entirely separate company at Kelly's insistence, and with his history of success, Lockheed executives let him do it. Skunk Works is still active working on high-tech drones, at least one ship (the Sea Shadow), a fusion reactor, and...other things. They announced a few years ago that design work was underway on the SR-72, an optionally armed successor to the SR-71. There are some questions about the future of the project, and some speculate it's being built to allow the USAF an alternative explanation should an already extant, even more advanced aircraft (possibly itself a Skunk Works product) be spotted.
I met the pilot at an air show. Got his autograph on a SR71 t-shirt, great honor.
I love watching SR-71s at air shows /open house when I was in the USAF back in the 1980s. It was crowd favorite. Thanks for another great video History Guy.
When I was in the Air Force I was fortunate to watch an SR-71 take off from MacDill in Tampa. Just by luck as I drove past the end of the runway there it was, about to take off, its tail facing me. So I pulled over, got out of the car and waited. When those two ABs lit the ground shook as the aircraft rolled slowly at first, then faster and faster until it rotated and left the ground, accelerating like crazy. Then it just disappeared as if it went into warp drive like some science fiction spacecraft, That was in 1969 or early 1970 and I can still see it as clearly now as I did then. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972).
Got to love the tailored intros. Paper airplane👍😸
For such a super secret squirrel piece of Hardware, the Blackbird sure does show up in a lot of stories doesn't it? 🤔
I never heard of them as sleds and sled drivers before. That's pretty cool.
If you're ever around Palmdale, there is a park available to the public and they have an SR-71 and A-12 there as well as a U2 and some original concepts. It's called Blackbird Airpark. It's worth stopping by, then go to Veteran Owned, Bravery Brewery not to far away where R. Lee Ermey was a co-founder and used to stop by there and buy our armed service members a beer.
11:05 That's a trainer, which you can see by the hump of the second cockpit
I actually got to see the SR-71 flying operational missions out of RAF Mildenhall back in the 80's when I was TDY there from Little Rock AFB. When they took off and lit the burners, your sternum rattled. It was THAT loud. Amazing aircraft.
THANKS PLAYBOY for the jogging of my memory. When I was a kid a neighbor of mine was the Thunderbirds mechanic here in Las Vegas out of Las Vegas. I was Lucy to be able to sit in the pilot seat. Remember this never sit in the pilot's seat eating Cheetos and melting chocolate . I have been in the Thunderbirds pilot's seats a few times. This was prior to the tragic accident that occurred! GOD BLESS THE FAMILY'S THAT WERE LEFT WITHOUT THEIR FATHERS!
I once met Brian Shul - his stories about the SR-71 are great
You could start a second channel of all SR71 Blackbird stories and I'd watch everyone. Fascinating plane and program. Thanks for the show.
Great Job. I worked as ground crew and later as a phase dock crew on these from 1980 to 1984.
On a flight from Rockford, IL to Seattle, we were turned off course over Montana to pass behind a SR-71 that had come off a tanker and was climbing through our altitude. It was headed north into Canada (probably a training mission). We pilots marveled at how fast his contrail was moving. We could only hear one side of the conversation with ATC since we had VHF frequency radios and the military had UHF radios. ATC requested the SR-71 report leaving 60,000 feet, the top of controlled airspace. It was a very short time later when ATC acknowledged that report. We poor, little corporate pilots were really impressed. It was (is) an amazing aircraft. This was the only time I saw one flying.
I especially enjoyed the shot of an SR-71 flying over the X-1E on pedestal at the NASA high speed flight test center located at Edwards AFB, California. I got a tour of the center many years ago when it was an NACA facility. I was about 10 or 11 yrs old. My dad arranged the tour for a group of his students from a local community college, and bailed me out of school to join in. I'm 76 now, and a lot of aviation history has elapsed since then. Thanks for helping me to remember some of it. I especially like hearing your accounts of the little known events such as this one. Many of them I had never known before seeing them here on your channel. I thank you.
Near the Navy’s WWII Clearfield facility, (spoken of by the History Guy in another vignette) Hill Air-force Base close to Ogden, Utah is the Hill Aerospace museum. There are exhibits and examples from a Wright Brothers flyer up through to the Raptor. My personal favorite is the one of a kind SR 71 C the last one built. Nothing like it in the world. It and what it represents. You can’t help but feel proud of the men and women who serve. Thanks for helping us remember.
Kelly Johnson....What a guy....The King of airplanes SR-71....But we have one now that is even faster.....Thanks very much...
I have seen a dozen videos about the technical merits of the SR 71 Blackbird. This is the first one with a riveting mission story. Thanks THG!
I like looking at the shelves behind your right shoulder. This time I see what looks like an Adam West Batman figure. In other episodes, I've seen the Lost in Space robot, his cousin Robby (Forbidden Planet) and, an X Wing fighter from Star Wars. It all adds to the fun. Cool. Now, I'm in the mood to buy the biggest SR-71 model kit I can find. Love the show, Sir.
I met Brian Shul at the Reno air races about 5 years ago. I remember him telling me sometimes you just had to go a little faster and the SR could always go a little faster.
Brian Shul is a flat out stud!
I have three of his books. Great story teller and great photographer!
I had talked to an army air traffic controller that was in the Vietnam War. He said he personally seen one recorded at 3200 mph! He also said he heard stories from other controllers that they have recorded it faster. The government would never report how fast it would really go.