| Tango01 | 22 Nov 2014 11:02 p.m. PST |
" don't know of any ludicrous speeding tickets so I can't participate in today's QOTD, but it did remind me of my favorite SR-71 story. This is an expanded excerpt from Brian Schul's book Sled Driver : Flying the World's Fastest Jet. (which happens to be out of print and ludicrously expensive now, I wish I had bought a copy when I could have afforded it)…"
Full text here
link Amicalement
Armand |
| kiltboy | 23 Nov 2014 6:40 a.m. PST |
There are pdfs of the book online. I'd still like to own a copy as well. David |
| BW1959 | 23 Nov 2014 7:27 a.m. PST |
Cool story, thanks for the link |
| Khazarmac | 23 Nov 2014 7:57 a.m. PST |
Is it me, or has someone photoshopped that guy's face? Shadows are all wrong. Must be a secret who the real pilot was! |
| Chuckaroobob | 23 Nov 2014 8:17 a.m. PST |
I bought a signed copy when it came out and am amazed at the prices now! I have his follow up book "The Untouchables" as well. It's about the Libyan raid back when Reagan was President. |
| Tango01 | 23 Nov 2014 12:01 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it my friends. Amicalement
Armand |
| ScoutJock | 23 Nov 2014 12:16 p.m. PST |
'Yea, Though I Fly Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,
I Shall Fear No Evil, for I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing.'
– Sign over SR-71 Wing Ops |
 Saber6   | 23 Nov 2014 1:31 p.m. PST |
Relayed second hand this is my favorite SR71 story:
"I can't tell you how fast it fly, but where in the world would you like to eat in the next hour?" |
| thosmoss | 23 Nov 2014 4:36 p.m. PST |
Once heard an attempt was going to be made to set the speed record to stand for a long time. But any direct questions asking how fast the SR-71 could fly were being deflected by the pilot. "So how fast can you get from New York to Los Angeles?" "Can you just tell us what time you need us to be there?" |
| Lion in the Stars | 23 Nov 2014 7:50 p.m. PST |
I've heard that the SR71 actually got more fuel-efficient as they pushed it faster. And that nobody has admitted to opening the Blackbird all the way up. |
| Deadone | 23 Nov 2014 9:25 p.m. PST |
Take that Navy smart alecs! :P Blackbird was an amazing bird and testament to a glorious period of aviation and human exploration of the heavens. |
| GeoffQRF | 24 Nov 2014 8:48 a.m. PST |
I've heard that the SR71 actually got more fuel-efficient as they pushed it faster. Concorde was more efficient supersonic than subsonic. |
| ScoutJock | 24 Nov 2014 11:47 a.m. PST |
It makes me wonder! These things were designed in the 50s and the best thing we have flying today is the F35… Or take your pick amongst any of the top of the line aircraft out there. Still gotta believe there are other things we don't know about zipping along faster and higher than the SR 71. |
| Raynman | 24 Nov 2014 12:08 p.m. PST |
I knew a SR-71 pilot. One story he told me was how much he liked the Arab-Israeli War. It was less than an 8 hour day to fly down, take pictures and fly back. Gotta love the SR-71. |
| OSchmidt | 24 Nov 2014 1:38 p.m. PST |
And what do you think that enormously long and wide runway at Area 51 Is for. Wethinks the Air Force has got itself an orbital interceptor. |
| GeoffQRF | 24 Nov 2014 3:01 p.m. PST |
Wonder what the turning circle at that speed was. "Well, that's photographed Syria, so if we just turn right through Zimbabwe and Brazil we will be back home" |
| Zamboni | 26 Nov 2014 9:59 a.m. PST |
|
| CorpCommander | 26 Nov 2014 12:36 p.m. PST |
The SR-71 had only one job and it wasn't to take pictures. We have satellites for that. We needed it to shoot down UFOs. After the 1947 invasion it took 30 years to finally find and destroy all of the remaining alien space craft. A follow on invasion in 1984 extended the life of the Blackbird. Mop up continues to this day.
|
