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#1
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SR- 71/ Blackbird lore
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 backseater) 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 cross their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed. "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 groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed 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 backseater. 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 groundspeed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots" No further inquiries were heard on that frequency ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 60 (60,000ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet? The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it." He was cleared... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ --space Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts. -- Larry Dighera, |
#2
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I like that. Didnt know you guys referred to them as Sleds though. And
particular connotation? "Larry Dighera" wrote in message ... 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 backseater) 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 cross their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed. "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 groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed 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 backseater. 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 groundspeed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots" No further inquiries were heard on that frequency ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 60 (60,000ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet? The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it." He was cleared... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ --space Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts. -- Larry Dighera, |
#3
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Nicodemus Telrenner wrote:
I like that. Didnt know you guys referred to them as Sleds though. And particular connotation? I always presumed as in the "Rocket Sled" that Col. Stapp rode to fame and face-distorted glory... -Marc -- Marc Reeve actual email address after removal of 4s & spaces is c4m4r4a4m4a4n a4t c4r4u4z4i4o d4o4t c4o4m |
#4
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1972, Barksdale AFB: A visiting SR-71 leaving the base was taking what seemed an inordinately long time holding in position for takeoff. I was standing in front of Base Ops amid a small group of people watching, when someone said, "I wonder what's taking him so long." Whereupon someone else cracked, "He's waiting on a landing clearance at Nellis." Billy http://www.two--four.net/weblog.php |
#6
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Big G wrote:
(Marc Reeve) wrote in news:1fyin86.1brigrr3cte24N% : Hmmh, come again Marc? about the 'Col Stapp' and face-distorted glory..' whats that mean? I met and chatted with an SR71 driver once for about an hour at Mildenhall, England. His face was disfigured from some kind of burns incident, would that be the face-distortion you're talking about? This guy knew his Blackbird very well indeed. Col. John Stapp was a pioneer in the US in aerospace medical research. His rocket sled research included a 48g deceleration, resulting in well known (at least in the US) pictures of Col. Stapp's seriously g-distorted face. "During the interval from 1946 through 1958, Colonel Stapp pioneered in research on the effects of mechanical force on living tissues. In the course of these investigations, a quantitative stress analysis of the human body to limits of voluntary tolerance of crash type impacts and decelerations. These dynamic stress analyses, including 76 human experiments with rocket sleds decelerated from aircraft crash velocities, over 200 experiments with human volunteers on swings, catapults and other decelerating devices, provide criteria for aircraft and ground vehicle safety design; for tolerance limits of trajectories of ejection seats and escape capsules for supersonic and hypersonic; and basic data applicable to impact forces expected in space ballistic flight. Simultaneously, effects of windblast were studied, both by exposure of volunteers on high speed rocket sleds and in jet aircraft flights with canopy removed. As a volunteer for 29 of the rocket sled deceleration and windblast experiments, Colonel Stapp sustained decelerations of 25 g average and 40 g peaks during a stop in 1.4 seconds from a velocity of 632 miles per hour attained by a rocket sled in 1954, in the last experiment of this series. Colonel Stapp has not sustained loss of consciousness nor permanent disability from any of these experiments, although he incurred two wrist fractures, rib fractures, retinal hemorrhages and lesser injuries at various times. Establishment of human tolerance limits to impact forces in the order of 10,000 lbs. for durations of a quarter of a second or less, and findings on the quantitative relationship of the rate on onset of mechanical force to injurious and lethal effects were worth the hazard of these experiments." - http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/afp/afp1199.htm The search "+stapp +rocket +sleds" prodices about 70 results and provides lots more background for those interested. Stephen |
#7
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I met and chatted with an SR71 driver once for about an
hour at Mildenhall, England. His face was disfigured from some kind of burns incident, would that be the face-distortion you're talking about? Marc was not speaking about Brian Shul as you might have thought...Brian did sustain burns from a T-28 he was flying for Air America......Marc was talking about John Stapp when he face was distorted during his deceleration tests on the rocket sleds. As to the pilots of the SR calling them sleds...this term actually came from the U-2 drivers talking "down" in a teasing way about then SR's. A bunch of the SR drivers still won't call them sleds. |
#8
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When I was a Crew Chief at Beale AFB in the late 70s, IIRC the word "Sled"
referred to the handling/flight characteristics . . . (short for "Bobsled" very fast, no steering) Steve Swartz "Nicodemus Telrenner" wrote in message ... I like that. Didnt know you guys referred to them as Sleds though. And particular connotation? "Larry Dighera" wrote in message ... 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 backseater) 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 cross their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed. "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 groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed 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 backseater. 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 groundspeed readout for us?" There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots" No further inquiries were heard on that frequency ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 60 (60,000ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet? The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it." He was cleared... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++ --space Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts. -- Larry Dighera, |
#9
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I'm still amazed at the New York to London record set September 1, 1974: 1
hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds with an average speed of 1,807 statute mph over the 3,461 statute mile distance (and that INCLUDES slowing down for a refueling over the Atlantic)!!!!!!! Ed "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." Franklin D. Roosevelt, Address for Bill of Rights Day 15 Dec 1941 (Delete text after dot com for e-mail reply.) |
#10
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Richard Caldwell wrote:
As long as you guys are swapping lies about the Blackbird, would someone please recount the story of the SR-71 that suffered a flamout just this side of Africa on its way back to the east coast. As I understand it, that makes the SR-71 the record holder for long-distance gliding (as in un-powered flight). Of course, it could be just another whopper, but I've never gotten the "real poop" on that particular incident. Richard Caldwell IIRC: That was a U-2 and he flamed out near Bermuda.. huge difference in the glide ratio of SR-71 & U-2 |
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