MOW
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Owner/Operator
Currently: Offline
Posts: 5,821
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Joined: September 2003
Retired: USAF, Civil Service
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Post by MOW on Mar 15, 2013 10:35:02 GMT 9
Read this on facebook today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In his book, "Sled Driver," SR-71/Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement ac ross their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed. "90 knots" Center replied. Moments later,a Twin Beech required the same. "120 knots," Center answered. We weren't the only ones proud of our ground speed that day...as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout." There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty." Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause ... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots." No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.
www.Sierrahotel.net
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Post by Diamondback on Mar 15, 2013 19:43:46 GMT 9
Hats off to Mr. Shul and all the other Sled Drivers... their kind may be gone from active service, but they will NEVER be forgotten.
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Post by bear (Deceased) on Mar 20, 2013 2:35:17 GMT 9
Pat P Do you remeber when the YF-12 landed at Castle and said he was going to park in the 106 area which he did,and our Sq Cmd no one but ADC troops were allow in the area.
Bear
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Post by LBer1568 on Mar 20, 2013 2:52:08 GMT 9
I was at Tyndall, TDY from McGuire, when YF-12A flew into Tyndall. They parked her in Hanger 5 which was the far end of ramp closest to Mexico Beach, away from Panama City. We got to look all over the A/C. They had big walk up maintenance ramps to see into cockpit. Awesome Interceptor.
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Post by pat perry on Mar 20, 2013 5:50:12 GMT 9
Pat P Do you remeber when the YF-12 landed at Castle and said he was going to park in the 106 area which he did,and our Sq Cmd no one but ADC troops were allow in the area. Bear Bear, I sure do remember! But I think it was a SR-71? They had a squadron of them at Beale AFB near Sacramento. The bird was from Beale AFB and had engine problems as I recall. The CO marshaled them to a parking spot on the ramp and I think I recall two guys in spacesuits got out after they cleared the ramp of all us looki-loos. The bird was shortly towed to the Alert Barn while maintenance crew and equipment were flown in for repairs. I never knew there were so many Air Cops at Castle. They were suddenly everywhere. Some of our guys towing equipment up to the Alert Barn for normal F-106 work were invited to "eat concrete" at the rifle point. One of our AGE guys, Bob Justus, said their start cart had 2 Buick Wildcat engines in it. After a day or two it taxied out of the Alert Barn rolled down the 11,000 foot runway went 90% vertical until out of sight. There were jaws on the ground and all of us were duly impressed. Wish I had picture of that but getting shot was a consequence. Pat P.
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Post by bear (Deceased) on Mar 20, 2013 13:13:52 GMT 9
That was an Edwards bird, YF-12 before they started changing over to the SR-71. It kind of belong to ADC that why he parked it on the 456 ramp.
Bear
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Post by pat perry on Mar 21, 2013 10:43:07 GMT 9
That was an Edwards bird, YF-12 before they started changing over to the SR-71. It kind of belong to ADC that why he parked it on the 456 ramp. Bear Thanks Bear, correction noted. Hey, how is your arm doing? Sounds like you are back in the shop doing woodwork. Pat P.
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Post by bear (Deceased) on Mar 21, 2013 13:28:23 GMT 9
Back in the shop but can't do much with about 1/2 hand. That still better than the kids coming back from oversea missing parts. Many prayers for them.
Bear
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Post by Jim on Apr 16, 2013 6:54:26 GMT 9
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Jim Scanlon (deceased)
Senior Staff
FORUM CHAPLAIN
Commander South Texas outpost of the County Sligo Squadron
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Post by Jim Scanlon (deceased) on Apr 16, 2013 7:02:19 GMT 9
Great story, that has been underwraps for many years.
I think there are still some things about the "Blackbird" that are still classified.
Who knows, some may still be flying.
I got this from a cousin-in-law who lives in Minneapolis.
"I worked in Avionics at Honeywell
We made cockpit instruments for the Blackbird.
I remember once i asked a group leader what the dial indicator (Angle of attack) was for.
He said it was classified and could not tell me, but if i bought a Poplar Science Magazine i could read about it.
That cracked me up."
Jim Too
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Post by pat perry on Apr 16, 2013 9:12:17 GMT 9
Thanks Jim, This is quite a story of the world's fastest production aircraft and the slowest journey it would ever take from the place it was born to the place it first took flight. Thanks to Dorsey G. Kammerer this historical story can be told. The CIA "who ain't telling" started the Oxcart project "which didn't exist" at the Lockheed Skunk Works "which didn't exist" in Palmdale, CA and transported 12 aircraft "which didn't exist" to Area 51 "which didn't exist" for flight testing back in the late 50s and early 60s. What an amazing piece of history this is. And who knows what else has accomplished since then that we don't yet, and may never know about. Hand salute to Kelly Johnson and crew and others like them who have put dreams on paper and made them fly. Pat P.
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Post by pat perry on Sept 30, 2017 4:12:36 GMT 9
Thought I'd use this thread to post this article I found on FaceBook today - Pat P.
Vietnam, the CIA, and the World’s Fastest Aircraft As the SR-71 went public, these pilots flew its lookalike in secret.
www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/operation-black-shield-180964751/
Oxcarts fly Operation Black Shield Excerpt: The mission was flown at Mach 3.1 and 80,000 feet. Vojvodich made one pass over North Vietnam, turned, and made another, photographing 70 of 190 possible anti-aircraft-missile sites, as well as nine unspecified “priority” targets. Three hours and 39 minutes later, he was back safely on Okinawa. The A-12’s radar-detecting gear showed that the airplane had passed high over enemy turf unnoticed.
Enjoy
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Post by pat perry on May 24, 2022 23:27:28 GMT 9
Here's an aircraft story for the benefit of our Forum Guests who may have never heard of Brian Shul. Prepare to be entertained and educated by Brian on the SR-71! Pat P.
LLESA Author Series | "Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet" by Brian Shul
1,182,251 views Jan 26, 2021. Video runs about 71 minutes
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Post by lindel on May 25, 2022 5:23:26 GMT 9
Worth every second of that nearly 71 minutes Pat. Thanks.
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