S71A Backbird aka Sled driver

[timetraveller]

Imo the finest built Aircraft ever created from the drawing board to become a reality when it first took to the skies it was years ahead of it's time and Powerplants that made it into the Records books those that created and built those engines .. Will forever be proud .


It may not be in Operational service anymore , but to me it's like a classic trk that never loses it's appeal .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N31eEXjNAUU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbeMb8RcAB8&feature=related

[Hispeed1]

luLz! Wut? You mean SR-71 (RS-71) Blackbird? Great jet. You should see what they have up there nowadays.

[Paddy51]

Thanks for posting. Great vids and one of my favourite planes. Never seen one but maybe one day?

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

loLz! Wut? You mean SR-71 (RS-71) Blackbird? [It was originally designated as teh RS-71 but it was mistakenly announced to the public as the "SR-71" hence the name change.] Great jet. You should see what they have up there nowadays...

I thought it was originally the A-12.

[LongShot]

I thought it was originally the A-12.


A-12 and YF-12A, developed from those two test beds.

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

A-12 and YF-12A, developed from those two test beds.

Those were just designations for the test vehicles? Interesting; thank you, sir.

[LongShot]

Those were just designations for the test vehicles? Thank you, sir.


Well...yes and no, the A-12 was an operational aircraft built for the CIA and saw a short service life of four or five years, the YF-12 was a full blown prototype that helped in the development of the SR-71...the YF-12 was intended to be an interceptor, not a recon airframe.

The A-12 and YF-12 are quite simular in design and avionics from what I have heard.

[Paddy51]

Those were just designations for the test vehicles? Interesting; thank you, sir.

Y stands for prototype and F for fighter I seem to remember.

I always thought that the A-12s were the fighter variants rather than "prototypes"?

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

Well...yes and no, the A-12 was an operational aircraft built for the CIA and saw a short service life of four or five years, the YF-12 was a full blown prototype that helped in the development of the SR-71...the YF-12 was intended to be an interceptor, not a recon airframe.

The A-12 and YF-12 are quite simular in design and avionics from what I have heard.


Y stands for prototype and F for fighter I seem to remember.

I always thought that the A-12s were the fighter variants rather than "prototypes"?



That jives with with what I seem to remember hearing; that it was originally intended to be an interceptor.

Wasn't a drone or guided missile developed for it?

[LongShot]

That jives with with what I seem to remember hearing; that it was originally intended to be an interceptor.

Wasn't a drone or guided missile developed for it?


Yep...the AIM-47 Falcon I think.

[Paddy51]

That jives with with what I seem to remember hearing; that it was originally intended to be an interceptor.

Wasn't a drone or guided missile developed for it?

I am in a stressed state as I can't find my big book. So this from memory.

The A interceptor was to carry two missiles that were nuclear tipped. When the USSR sent fleets of bombers across the North the As would scramble, line up and let rip. The missile system was developed and tested (not with nuke though) and then the programme was cancelled. However, the missile system work formed the basis for the Phoenix system carried by F-14s.

I think the drone was developed as an extension? That is a spy plane without a pilot that could be launched and retrieved. There was a terrible accident with the drone and the programme was cancelled. Please correct me someone as this is from my ageing memory.

:)

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

Yep...the AIM-47 Falcon I think.


I am in a stressed state as I can't find my big book. So this from memory.

The A interceptor was to carry two missiles that were nuclear tipped. When the USSR sent fleets of bombers across the North the As would scramble, line up and let rip. The missile system was developed and tested (not with nuke though) and then the programme was cancelled. However, the missile system work formed the basis for the Phoenix system carried by F-14s.

I think the drone was developed as an extension? That is a spy plane without a pilot that could be launched and retrieved. There was a terrible accident with the drone and the programme was cancelled. Please correct me someone as this is from my ageing memory.

:)
Thank you gentlemen, sorry to be a bother :)

I think I was thinking of the D-21

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9444/d21scan.th.jpg

[Gleipnir]

Thanks for posting. Great vids and one of my favourite planes. Never seen one but maybe one day?
There is an A12 (the OXCART) outside the California Science center in Los Angeles- beautiful to behold- it is outside in the sunlight, raised on a pedestal next to a raised pedestrian walkway and you can get a real good look at it here.
I have photos but unfortunately they are prints (I still don't have a digital camera and no scanner so unfortunately can't post them) but I am sure if you search on the internet you can find one or two.
If you are ever in LA, I highly recommend going just to see it.
It is outside so you can see it for free without paying anything. Of course they changed the paintjob!

[Paddy51]

There is an A12 (the OXCART) outside the California Science center in Los Angeles- beautiful to behold- it is outside in the sunlight, raised on a pedestal next to a raised pedestrian walkway and you can get a real good look at it here.
I have photos but unfortunately they are prints (I still don't have a digital camera and no scanner so unfortunately can't post them) but I am sure if you search on the internet you can find one or two.
If you are ever in LA, I highly recommend going just to see it.
It is outside so you can see it for free without paying anything. Of course they changed the paintjob!

Thank you. I will one day. I am a big fan of J "kelly" Johnson's work. Great mind and great engineer.

[Paddy51]

Thank you gentlemen, sorry to be a bother :)

I think I was thinking of the D-21

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9444/d21scan.th.jpg

No bother at all Sir.

But where is my book? :roll:

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

No bother at all Sir.

But where is my book? :roll:

I've had that feeling before :)

[NeoConPatriot]

Thanks for posting. Great vids and one of my favourite planes. Never seen one but maybe one day?

Recently took my kid to the Air Force museum up in Dayton, OH. They have a modern aircraft hanger with the F-22, SR-71, B-2, F-117 etc... Not to mention all the historical aircraft Bockscar, a U2 and other record setters. It's pretty cool to be able to get that close to such awesome machines. I've got some pics I'll try to post.

[jtv3062]

I seen a flyby at the air show at Travis AFB, Fairfield,CA in the 80s. Another year the AF had one roped of on the tarmac with armed gaurds. Amazing aircraft in deed

[bikewrench]

The only surviving D-21 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/8836/cimg0119.th.jpg (http://img394.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg0119.jpg)
Sorry about the crappy pic...

[quellish]

The only surviving D-21 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/8836/cimg0119.th.jpg (http://img394.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg0119.jpg)
Sorry about the crappy pic...

Actually, most of the D-21s produced survived. The D-21 you see there is the only one on display indoors in a museam, but there are two on the flightline (basically in storage) at NASA Dryden, and a number of them are at Davis Monthan.

The A-12 was a CIA aircraft, it was the first of the blackbird family. After that came the YF-12, Lockheed convinced the Air Force to pursue an interceptor version of the A-12 and that became the YF-12. The Air Force then funded the development of the SR-71 and CIA closed down the A-12 program, though not before attempting to use the A-12 and D-21 together. That unfortunately ended with the loss of an aircraft and crew, and the D-21 was later modified for launch from modified B-52s (one of which is still in service at Edwards).

[Hippie Homer]

The stories the pilots of the Blackbird's wrote are really interesting. I remember one story about these blackbird pilots listening to radio chatter at 80,000 ft and then an F-18 Pilot called in to check his speed to show off how fast he was going. The Blackbird pilots then called in for their speed and the F-18 pilot didn't say a word after that. Pretty cool and funny.

[bikewrench]

Sorry meant m 21.

[Andreas]

The stories the pilots of the Blackbird's wrote are really interesting. I remember one story about these blackbird pilots listening to radio chatter at 80,000 ft and then an F-18 Pilot called in to check his speed to show off how fast he was going. The Blackbird pilots then called in for their speed and the F-18 pilot didn't say a word after that. Pretty cool and funny.


One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. "Ninety knots," ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. "One-twenty on the ground," was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was "Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground," ATC responded.

The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, "Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground." We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cargo/19456-fantastic-sr-71-story.html

[domokun]

Y stands for prototype and F for fighter I seem to remember.

I always thought that the A-12s were the fighter variants rather than "prototypes"?

Y stands for pre-production aircraft in US nomenclature. Those are usually made after X designated earlier prototypes. Pre-production planes are essence late prototypes, but they are much closer to production planes than earlier prototypes. Sometimes either or both of these parts of design process can be skipped, mostly due to computer aided design these days. Sometimes projects are so closely related to earlier projects that much of normal development steps can be skipped, one good example is F/A-18 Hornet that was designed from YF-17 Cobra prototypes that made earlier for air force.

[Netzach]

Bodo, in Norway, was a diversion airfield for SR-71 missions over the Kola Peninsula.

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/bodo.html

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/Bodo036.JPG

[Firefly26]

I saw one at Oshkosh a long time ago. It didn't seem nearly as loud as I thought it would be. The B-1B, EA-6B and F-104 were alot louder.

[junglejim]

For the guys living or currently in SOCAL and interested in the BlackBird, there is a small museum dedicated to that plane in Palmdale Airport over in Antelope Valley, if i remember correctly theres a specimen of the SR-71 and YF-12 parked there along with some engines on display. If its not there anymore, since I havent returned to Amerika in the past 9 years, grab a few cold ones and park across the edge of the runway for Plant 42 and watch B-52's, and KC-135 do touch and go on all day.

[ZARDOZ]

A friend of mine used to work on these birds and U2's as well. He loved his job but got phased out due to his size (6'7), he got to big to fit into the nooks and crannies.

Here is a web page he gave me one time on the SR-71...

http://www.habus.org/revealed/index.htm

I will look and see if I can find the photos he gave as well.

The new (not so much now) Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles (outside of D.C.) has a spectacular view when you enter. You go down an escalator and come out facing a SR-71 with a Space Shuttle right behind it. It is engineering "nerd"vana.

[Hippie Homer]

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/cargo/19456-fantastic-sr-71-story.html

Thanks for posting that, I can read this over and over like listening to the same song over and over and never get tired of it. :)

[Dinges]

An interesting fact on the 'net in the naming of the SR-71 was that it was Gen. Curtis E. Lemay that lobbied to change the RS- (reconnaissance/strike) to SR- ( strategic reconnaissance ) and not a slip of the tongue by then Pres. Lyndon Johnson as is the urban myth. The press handouts were still printed with the RS- designation after Gen. Lemay had the designation changed in the speech of Pres. Johnson.

[Netzach]

[/URL]
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww257/netzach09/LockheedD-21B1.jpg?t=1236291403 (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)

[URL]http://www.spyflight.co.uk/d21.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-21_Tagboard