phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
Not sure, but I think it's a repost...
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Nice article on the SR-71
- Thread starter MattWSU
- Start date
navy_or_bust
New Member
If it is I am sorry, but still a good laugh anyway.
The first part is a true story and is recounted in the article from that thread.
Its a funny story, but I wonder if its been highly exaggerated or just plain made up. LA Center, depending on the airspace in the area C,B, etc and the sector being controlled, will own from a predetermined low point, up until FL600, class A limits. Why would LA Center be monitoring an SR-71 at FL800? In fact, most scopes are set with a min and max radar limit so that aircraft not within their airspace limitations do not distract them. So, most likely, the Center controller wouldnt even have noticed the sr-71. Its not like that sector got a handoff at FL800. They wouldnt even know the sr-71 was there, unless for some mysterious reason the 71' climbed up through FL600 in his sector, the busy center controller adjusted his scope to watch targets well above FL600 because he had nothing better to do than watch the blip of an sr-71, the 71' managed to scream its way all the way to 1900 knots all before passing through his airspace, and then even after giving the 71' his radar services terminated call climbing through FL600, the controller proceeded to offer him radar services...
PR1 H
Perpetually fixing cranial/rectal inversions
Favorite SR-71 story
I had heard this a while back and always found it rather amusing. Came across it again today and figured I'd share. Gotta love one-up-manship.
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 across 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.
I had heard this a while back and always found it rather amusing. Came across it again today and figured I'd share. Gotta love one-up-manship.
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 across 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.
Has anyone read Sled Driver? I'm trying to track down a copy, but they are not cheap at all. I don't know if I can justify 400 bones (that's like 4.5 days of per diem!) on a picture book.
Maybe 12 of us could all chip in and buy it, then it could travel around from month to month.
Yea, we'd have to.
I looked for a new copy of the limited edition re-release, and it can be yours...for the low low introductory price of 599 dollars on Amazon. Aye Carumba. I can't shoot it, take it on a date and seduce it, drive it, fly it, or drink it. Not many things that cost this much miss all of these categories and still end up on the list of stuff I want.
I looked for a new copy of the limited edition re-release, and it can be yours...for the low low introductory price of 599 dollars on Amazon. Aye Carumba. I can't shoot it, take it on a date and seduce it, drive it, fly it, or drink it. Not many things that cost this much miss all of these categories and still end up on the list of stuff I want.
Brian's quite an interesting guy. There's a great story out there about his "slowest speed" in the Sled. Look it up.... it's a good read.
Here's another good one he did right after 9/11. It's become very famous: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/570378/posts
Here's another good one he did right after 9/11. It's become very famous: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/570378/posts
ryan1234
Well-Known Member
Had a opportunity to share a car ride from an airport in KS with a former SR-71 pilot. He was an interesting guy. Couldn't help asking him a bunch of dumb questions and performance figures... his reply was always a certain number plus...
He shared an interesting story about about a routine mission crossing Eastern USSR and being intercepted by a flight of MiG-25s. He said the MiGs usually tried to go full burner as high as they could and then launch their missles. He said that they were cruising "above Mach 3", when the backseater told him he'd picked up some MiGs that were on an intercept vector towards them. The backseater's voice became more concerned because it appeared that at their current speed and altitude the MiGs would be able to get a successful missile launch. He said he didn't have to do much, just 'bump' the throttles foward and it was no longer an issue.
A couple years after that he was in a debrief with a MiG-25 pilot that defected, Lt. Victor Belenko... Lt. Belenko started talking about how he 'shot down' an SR-71 over Eastern USSR. After going into the time/place details he (the SR-71 pilot) realized that was his mission... so he assured Belenko that no shoot down occured. Belenko said his whole flight witnesses a large fireball after the missile launch. The SR-71 pilot said he never really understood what that was all about, but Belenko wanted a ride in the SR-71, however it was denied.
He shared an interesting story about about a routine mission crossing Eastern USSR and being intercepted by a flight of MiG-25s. He said the MiGs usually tried to go full burner as high as they could and then launch their missles. He said that they were cruising "above Mach 3", when the backseater told him he'd picked up some MiGs that were on an intercept vector towards them. The backseater's voice became more concerned because it appeared that at their current speed and altitude the MiGs would be able to get a successful missile launch. He said he didn't have to do much, just 'bump' the throttles foward and it was no longer an issue.
A couple years after that he was in a debrief with a MiG-25 pilot that defected, Lt. Victor Belenko... Lt. Belenko started talking about how he 'shot down' an SR-71 over Eastern USSR. After going into the time/place details he (the SR-71 pilot) realized that was his mission... so he assured Belenko that no shoot down occured. Belenko said his whole flight witnesses a large fireball after the missile launch. The SR-71 pilot said he never really understood what that was all about, but Belenko wanted a ride in the SR-71, however it was denied.
I have an autographed copy back home at my folks house.....haven't seen it for a long time though
