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#11
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I think Johnson did us a great favor. SR-71 sounds much cooler than RS-71.
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message oups.com... Supposedly, the original official designation should have been RS-71 for "reconisance - strategic" but LBJ muddled the words and called it an SR-71 when it was unveiled to the public... No one wanted to correct the Prez so it stuck...True? False? According to Bill, this is 100% true. He still laughs about it. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#12
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"Martin Hotze" wrote in message ... "Jay Honeck" wrote: I've made a list of questions to ask him when he gets here, but if you have any questions about the Blackbird, the U-2, or any other Lockheed Skunkworks stuff, post 'em here and I'll ask him for ya! is it true that a SR-71 drone was once lost over hostile territory while flying a spionage mission? and is it true that several years later this drone was given back as a present during a state visit? (story was told at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ) #m -- Buck Fush! IIRC according to a biography of the Skunk Works by Ben Rich a former head of said Plant, it is. The drone was not actually an SR-71 but small scale version which incorporated many of the SR-71s features including its shape. It was launched by piggy backing off an SR-71 however and crashed over Communist East Asia (I forget where and don't have the book to hand at the moment) and part of the skin was given to an American delegation by a Russian delegation who thought it was the current level of Stealth technology at the time. HTH and if you want more info. let me know and I'll and dig the book out. -- Richard I know the Brit military, and take it from me that they make better friends than enemies. The Royal Navy is well respected by our guys. Tom Clancy A.B.T-C 20 February 2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.809 / Virus Database: 551 - Release Date: 09/12/2004 |
#13
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"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com... Supposedly, the original official designation should have been RS-71 for "reconisance - strategic" but LBJ muddled the words and called it an SR-71 when it was unveiled to the public... No one wanted to correct the Prez so it stuck...True? False? According to Bill, this is 100% true. He still laughs about it. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" Hehehe...cool. Thanks! Jay B |
#14
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"Jay Honeck" wrote in message ups.com... 1. According to Bill, they called it either Area 51 or "The Ranch". "The Ranch" came about when Kelly Johnson was looking for somewhere on behalf of the CIA to train pilots on the U2. It was called "The Ranch" to make it sound attractive to the personnel who would be posted there despite the fact it was a desolate place with small rocks being blown around as if they were tumbleweeds. -- Richard I know the Brit military, and take it from me that they make better friends than enemies. The Royal Navy is well respected by our guys. Tom Clancy A.B.T-C 20 February 2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.809 / Virus Database: 551 - Release Date: 09/12/2004 |
#15
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"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com... Bill says that in all of his years there, he never got to see any aliens. He says the whole UFO legend began because the Air Force didn't want to admit that they were sending mylar balloons (then new technology) over the Soviet Union. When people found the remains of a balloon -- which looked like sci-fi space suit material -- they denied knowing about them, which, of course, simply inflamed the curiosity of everyone. Bullsquat! You are part of the conspiracy, Jay. The truth is out there! -- Jim Xisher |
#16
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IIRC according to a biography of the Skunk Works by Ben Rich a former head
of said Plant, it is. The drone was not actually an SR-71 but small scale version which incorporated many of the SR-71s features including its shape. It was launched by piggy backing off an SR-71 however and crashed over Communist East Asia (I forget where and don't have the book to hand at the moment) and part of the skin was given to an American delegation by a Russian delegation who thought it was the current level of Stealth technology at the time. (If this answer came through twice, my apologies. I posted my first answer using "Google Groups" which -- even in its latest incarnation -- is the worst piece of sh*t I've ever used... But I digress.) According to Bill: This story is not true. No D-21 drones were ever lost over enemy territory, despite the fact that they routinely crossed hostile countries. The drone would be launched at altitudes of 70+ thousand feet, and would fly using its ramjet at speeds of over Mach 3.5. Incredibly, it had a range of over 2200 miles. When it got back over "friendly" territory (usually the Sea of Japan) it would "kick out" its payload -- a 6' x 4' x 3' box -- which would float down under three parachutes. The payload would then be snagged by a C-130, and the D-21 would be destroyed remotely, blown into a million pieces. The only accident Bill reported was when one of the three 'chutes failed to open, and the payload dropped much faster than expected. The C-130 missed catching it, and it impacted the sea. Two American destroyers in the area began a search, with one finally putting a tow-line on the payload. Amazingly, while under tow, the OTHER destroyer managed to cross the towline, breaking it, sending the payload to the bottom. The D-21 program was axed by Kelly Johnson after a fatal accident about 50 miles off the coast of California. Apparently the D-21 experienced an "unstart" at release, causing it to settle back down on top of the mother ship, breaking the SR-71 in two. One of the pilots was killed when he broke his arm while ejecting, which tore his flight/space suit, which then filled with water after he landed in the water, drowning him. From that point on, D-21s were only launched from B-52s. They were attached to a missile to accelerate them to speeds where their ramjet could ignite, not unlike the recent NASA scramjet test -- although much slower. (If Mach 3+ can be called "slow"...) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#17
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The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United
States Air Force Museum) in Dayton Ohio has a YF-12. Casey Wilson wrote: (4) How many YF-12s were built. And do any exist today? |
#18
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Usually when pressed about the fabled Aurora project (the purported
replacement for the SR-71, with rumored Mach 4+ capability), Bill gets sort of vague, with a somewhat wistful look in his eye, and artfully changes the subject. Today, however, he mentioned something that caught my ear, and made me perk up. I'm paraphrasing what he said, as I was writing as fast as I could scribble, so I may have gotten a few details wrong, but here goes: Apparently the Air Force built a huge and extensive air base in Tonopah, Nevada, exclusively for the F-117 Stealth program. New hangars, testing facilities, living quarters, runways -- all were constructed at huge expense, in the absolute middle of nowhere for this ultimate Top Secret stealth fighter. And then the base was "abandoned". Without fanfare the F-117s were quietly transferred to Holliman Air Force Base, where they remain based to this day. What's at Tonopah now? No one will say for sure, but according to Bill, that's where he thinks the fabled Aurora was tested. All he would say after that was that they "apparently were having a lot of trouble with the engines" -- the first time he has actually addressed the Aurora in "real" terms. When pressed further, he related the following story. One night, while at his retirement home in Charles City, IA, he saw an aircraft fly overhead late at night. It was making sequential sonic booms, and the engine exhaust was sequential fireballs, the proverbial "rings on a rope" contrail that the Aurora has been rumored to produce. He said he couldn't determine the altitude due to darkness, but he said it passed over so fast that he called a couple of his buddies who were still working in the program, to see if what he was seeing was the real deal. At this point, Bill changed the subject...again! When pressed, all he would say is that he thinks the program is probably moribund, and that you "just don't hear much about Aurora anymore..." He had a strange, wistful look in his eye... -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" "Jay Honeck" wrote in message ups.com... Bill says that in all of his years there, he never got to see any aliens. He says the whole UFO legend began because the Air Force didn't want to admit that they were sending mylar balloons (then new technology) over the Soviet Union. When people found the remains of a balloon -- which looked like sci-fi space suit material -- they denied knowing about them, which, of course, simply inflamed the curiosity of everyone. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#19
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Hehehe...cool.
Thanks! Other cool tidbits from Bill: Regarding the D-21 drone: They had many problems with the engine "unstarting" which, in Bill's opinion, could have easily been solved by installing a "translating spike" in the engine intake, like on the SR-71 itself. The D-21's engine designer was opposed to the plan, which would have added weight to the drone, and successfully argued against it -- resulting in the unnecessary loss of several drones, and a couple of SR-71s. The P-80 program. In 1944 they sent 5 P-80s, built virtually by hand, from scratch at the Skunkworks (their first plane was the P-38 Lightning, BTW), to Italy. Because the engines only lasted about 5 hours before destroying themselves, the pilots were instructed to go "fly the planes near the enemy, but don't engage them." After each mission, the tail numbers were changed, so that the Germans would believe that we had dozens of jet fighters in theater! Security. At Lockheed's Burbank, CA facility, they were testing the SR-71's fuel tank and the explosive nature of the special fuel the Blackbird used. They drained a tank, leaving fumes in it, and heated it to hundreds of degrees, to simulate in-flight conditions. It, of course, exploded, blowing the building to bits and starting a raging fire. When the fire department responded, they ran up against the 10-foot, razor-wire-topped fence -- and guards who would NOT let them inside. Apparently no one had thought to give a security clearance to the fire department -- even though it was LOCKHEED'S fired department! The firemen were left to aim their hoses at whatever could be reached -- from outside the fence. (According to Bill, the water caused extensive damage to their testing equipment -- he was working with Honeywell at that time on the Blackbird's autopilots...) Fly by wire. The Blackbird had fly-by-wire capability AND conventional push-rod and cable controls. Most of the time it was flown by the autopilots, using the fly-by-wire servos, but the pilots liked knowing that things were still hooked up conventionally if all the electrons failed. The pilots. Several pilots achieved over 1000 hours -- at Mach 3 or higher! This plane was USED, a LOT. Flying the plane. It was dangerous. They lost 15 of them, primarily to "pilot error." They lost several after refueling, when the pilots would try to zoom to altitude, trying to get over weather or whatever. The pilots would pull back too aggressively, which would cause the SR-71 to pitch up violently. If the plane was going fast enough, it would break in half right behind the cockpit. In one accident, the back seater hit the water dead, while the front seat guy was badly injured. It was determined that during the aircraft breakup, the right wing somehow hit the fuselage where the "RESCUE" handles were located. When these handles are pulled, the crew's straps are disengaged, so that rescuers can pull them out cleanly. Apparently the wing triggered this mechanism, cutting the crew's straps. This allowed them to tumble around the cockpit unrestrained. When the plane pitched up, the pilots were exposed to first positive and then negative Gs. In the meantime, the pilot's canopy came off, while the back seater's remained in place. When the plane went into negative Gs, the pilot was thrown clear, while the back seater was thrown violently into the canopy, breaking his neck. On the SECOND tumble, the back seater's canopy came off, and he, too, was thrown clear. The parachute sequence was automatic, so he floated gently down, quite dead. As Bill said "It took us quite a while to figure that one out..." Killing the SR-71 project. We would have found the Scud missiles in Iraq easily, if the Blackbird was still in service. Its cameras could look obliquely at things, seeing into caves and canyons that couldn't be viewed from outer space. In his opinion, Clinton killing the program was "putting politics ahead of the Nation"... Building the Blackbird today. He flatly says it couldn't be done. In the time it took to build the SR-71 (two years), we wouldn't even have the first piece manufactured, thanks to increased "government oversight". This is illustrated by the following. The P-80, from start to first flight, took 90 days. The U-2, from start to first flight, took 6 months. The SR-71, from start to first flight, took two years. Each plane had a little more "government help" -- and took much longer to complete. He said by the time he worked on the Stealth program -- which took years -- there were 50 government workers, doing what one guy did on the SR-71 program. He said the meetings that were held to satisfy all these guys ("Each one had to ask a question to justify his existence, which then required a formal, written response that could take anywhere from ten days to six months...") were taking most of his time by the time he retired. The danger of working on the program. Many pilots were lost in this super secret program, without fanfare. But what few people remember is how dangerous the plane was to work on. The hydraulic system, specially designed for high temperatures, was operated at 3350 psi. The hydraulic fluid, if it leaked, would vaporize as it came out at 650 degrees. By the time the plane cooled down, the leak could no longer be found -- so it HAD to be tested at high temperatures and pressure. On one occasion, a technician had the system pressurized and heated, and found the leak he was looking for. Stupidly, he instinctively put his gloved hand over the leak, which instantly bored a hole clean through his glove -- and his hand. I meet some pretty interesting people at the inn -- but none more interesting than Bill. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#20
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"Jay Honeck" writes:
Bill actually ran Area 51 for a few years, and was instrumental in the development and deployment of the SR-71 Which was developed in the late 1950s I think, which makes ol' Bill rather old indeed. |
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