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,

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,

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

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

(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.


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



--
Smiling
‹(•¿•)›
Big 'G' ' Better than a smoke or a cup of tea '
Sure you can mail me: GARETHLROBERTS at TALK21 dot COM
Just please... PLEASE Dont spam me !

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

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.

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,

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.)

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