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Flying the world's fastest plane: Behind the stick of the SR-71
Great interview with former SR-71 pilot Rick McCray. One of the highlights is his description of losing a engine over Norway. (www.sbnation.com) Mehr...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I was at Farnborough in September, 1974 when the SR-71 had it's first public display. Major Jim Sullivan was the pilot and Major Noel Widdifield the RSO. I was there with C-5 tail number 0454 on static display and a basic training buddy from Montana was there with the SR-71. I got to meet the crew and their wives - there were stome great flying stories that eveing, but a lot of the performance was still not publicly discussed. What an awesome plane and aircrews. "Mach 3+ and 85,000ft.+. The "plusses" after those numbers were always the questions of the crew and the answer was always the same, something like this, "What does the plus mean"? Answer: "More than". "How much more than?" "Plus". Undoubtably the most beautiful aircraft ever designed - and who has been there for a startup that can forget the sound of those two 430 cubic inch Buick motors manifolded together and screaming at high RPM when that start button was pushed???!!!
I wonder what will become of the SR71B that Evergreen Air and Space has in its collection. Evergreen Aviation was forced into bankruptcy and now the museum is selling off some of its planes. I wonder if the SR71B will also go. Truly a sad situation there in McMinnville, Oregon if you ask me.
Always was a big fan of the SR71. I remember back in the late 80's they were bringing one into March Air Force Base for an air show. I had base access at the time & knew the approximate arrival time. I was at the end of the runway and the SR started doing touch & goes for about 30 minutes with full afterburner. I was right underneath it. What a sight. Cars, on the 215 which paralleled the runway, were pulling of the road and getting out to watch. Afterwards went over and watched it taxi in. Was able to walk right up to it and see all the ice falling off of everything,
I was stations at Beale from 1966 to 1968. Those Buick Wildcat starters were something else. In fact I was so use to them that when I transferred to Clark I arrived a few days before a 7.0 earthquake hit Manila. When my roommate tried to wake me to get out of the barracks I told him it was just the SR starting and to leave me alone. When he finally woke me he told me we just had an earthquake. He added you ain't in Kansas anymore.
I also watched one of the twelve crash. It happened a mile short of the runway at Beale. We all thought the pilot was hot dogging as the plane started to wallow. Then the two of them ejected. The plane flipped over on it's back a fell to earth. They had run out of fuel. The plane had the glide ratio of a rock but when it flew it was something else to see. THe SR-71 was the only plane Lockheed has ever built that I can say I liked.
I also watched one of the twelve crash. It happened a mile short of the runway at Beale. We all thought the pilot was hot dogging as the plane started to wallow. Then the two of them ejected. The plane flipped over on it's back a fell to earth. They had run out of fuel. The plane had the glide ratio of a rock but when it flew it was something else to see. THe SR-71 was the only plane Lockheed has ever built that I can say I liked.
I always wondered why the just didn't go on in to base with a flame out. We had a U@ at one time flame out over OKC and Hq. looked at him and told him to glide on in to Tucson.
I think the wings on the U2 are better suited fro gliding then the wing of the SR71 which is more of a Delta wing.
Yeah, that U2 ain't nothing but a well powered glider. LOL
I was stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB from April 1966-Dec 1969. We had the U-2s there at that time. I got to meet Gary Francis Powers on a Sunday afternoon. He was bringing a U-2 back from Lockheed. Was funny to watch him drop the camera bay and retrieve his suit case.
We had SRs in on at least two occasions. I was security police so we had to maintain a large security circle. That bird was amazing. I felt for the pilots though. The crews on hand were not really ready for the SR. They had to rig up a suitable way for the crew to get out. It took the ground guys about an hour to figure it out. The SR was so secret we were told to confiscate camera from airman that took pictures while the bird was parked at our Christmas Tree area. Watching the SR take off was a reward since they had mach 1 very shortly after liftoff. We all cheered the sound. Too bad that plane had to go away.
We had SRs in on at least two occasions. I was security police so we had to maintain a large security circle. That bird was amazing. I felt for the pilots though. The crews on hand were not really ready for the SR. They had to rig up a suitable way for the crew to get out. It took the ground guys about an hour to figure it out. The SR was so secret we were told to confiscate camera from airman that took pictures while the bird was parked at our Christmas Tree area. Watching the SR take off was a reward since they had mach 1 very shortly after liftoff. We all cheered the sound. Too bad that plane had to go away.
steve i was there - the 71 in the christmas tree area - I was driveing the u-2 chase car with the u-2 pilots and the Sq comander in it, you guy would let the u-2 crew near the Black Bird.
The way we were trained was to not allow anyone without clearence near the bird. I know it sounds weird but there were 3 or 4 of us in security with Background Security clearences and we were the only ones allowed within 200' I think it was. We had to put two walking guards on it and an entry point and we had a crew list that I think came from Beale that were the only people allowed inside that area. U-2s were only Level 3 or Class C security demand aircraft but the SR-71 was considered Level 1 or Class A, SAC clearence. That was a long time ago but we in security were required to attend a highly classified briefing on the SR-71s. We had to sign out a Top Secret booklet on the plane and get instructions on SAC security on the bird. Then we had to sign that we would not reveal the document or it's contents for some length of time. During ORI's and other SAC trainging, only those of us with the Top Secret Background clearences were allowed at the door of the 390th Missle Wing Command Center. We called that a brass door because it was so top heavy with officers. We took over some of the U-2 chase cars after the 100th got new ones. Those old Dodges or Chryslers were flat fast. You have spurred up many menories of those days at DM.
I was assigned to the 4453rd CCTW at DM at the same time you would have been there. I was a weapons loading instructor on the F-4's & we worked out of the "alert" barn next to the HH43B rescue chopper. It was always fun to watch the U-2's take off & land. I got out of the AF & went over to the AZANG & was still working there full time when 911 happened & I ended up back on active duty, scrambling F-16 out of those same alert barns.
I do recall the F-4s at the alert area. Some place down in that area of the flightline the F-4s had what I called a gattling gun alignment area. I recall watching the F-4s braced up and the crews would fire the gattling guns into a structure that somehow kept the rounds from ending up in Benson, Az. I think that was down towards the Christmas tree area. Also near the rescue chappers were the drones that were flown after being launched under the C-130s. I think they had CH-46s or some kind of Jolly Greens to retreve the drones after their "test" flights. That was an active end of the flightline. We had to provide security at that hanger also. Some nights we didn't have enough people to cover all the needed security areas. We even put base police down there one night. Man were they mad about having to "hump" that hanger.
Question, any relation to Ron Strickland? Security Policeman about the same time you were in. He was my brother in laws brother. From New Bern NC. Went on to become a minister with the Salvation Army & is now retired.
You have the right area & I have jacked up the planes in that area you talked about firing the gatling gun into. I was also involved with putting guns back into the T-33 that they were bring back out of storage to be used to retrain pilots who had not flown for awhile. We repaired the bomb racks & 2.75 missile launchers as well.You also remember correctly the C-130's that carried the drones. Another friend of mine from the AZANG was a crew chief on them & another friend worked on the drones. Another AZANG friend worked on the U-2's for the 4080th. I was TDY to Kadena in 1965, but do not remember ever seeing a SR-71 over on the SAC side of the base. Only KC-135's during my time there. Pretty sure I would have seen the SR-71 if they were there during my time since I worked the end of runway arming F-105s for 12 hour shifts. I was nearly killed wen a KC-135 nearly crashed on landing approach when an engine blew up. He was plowing corral at us with his right wing tip, but got it airborn & went over us by about 20 feet. My future brother in law Hans Wurfel who recently moved from Palmdale was there with me & we never get together that we don't share memories of it.
I was at Kadena when the first B-52's made their first conventional bombing raids & one plane aborted. We heard about it during the night & as we were walking back to our barracks the next morning I happened to look back & there was that B-52 with more bombs than I had ever seen on any airplane. When I went back to work that night I was sent over with another weapons guy to make sure those bombs were all safe before they took off to meet up with their friend who were make another bombing run the next night
You have the right area & I have jacked up the planes in that area you talked about firing the gatling gun into. I was also involved with putting guns back into the T-33 that they were bring back out of storage to be used to retrain pilots who had not flown for awhile. We repaired the bomb racks & 2.75 missile launchers as well.You also remember correctly the C-130's that carried the drones. Another friend of mine from the AZANG was a crew chief on them & another friend worked on the drones. Another AZANG friend worked on the U-2's for the 4080th. I was TDY to Kadena in 1965, but do not remember ever seeing a SR-71 over on the SAC side of the base. Only KC-135's during my time there. Pretty sure I would have seen the SR-71 if they were there during my time since I worked the end of runway arming F-105s for 12 hour shifts. I was nearly killed wen a KC-135 nearly crashed on landing approach when an engine blew up. He was plowing corral at us with his right wing tip, but got it airborn & went over us by about 20 feet. My future brother in law Hans Wurfel who recently moved from Palmdale was there with me & we never get together that we don't share memories of it.
I was at Kadena when the first B-52's made their first conventional bombing raids & one plane aborted. We heard about it during the night & as we were walking back to our barracks the next morning I happened to look back & there was that B-52 with more bombs than I had ever seen on any airplane. When I went back to work that night I was sent over with another weapons guy to make sure those bombs were all safe before they took off to meet up with their friend who were make another bombing run the next night
There were no relatives of mine in the AF. There was a Strickland at DM when I was also there but he was a K-9 handler. He went to Viet Nam in '68 or '69. All the Stricklands in the Southern US are related somehow, My dad had 7 brothers and a sister. He had an uncle that lived in NC and one or two from east Texas and Mississippi.
All these stories that are being related here need to get written down. I doubt they will get related to the future generations. It would ne nice to have all this put in print. Real history. Real stories.
All these stories that are being related here need to get written down. I doubt they will get related to the future generations. It would ne nice to have all this put in print. Real history. Real stories.
4453rd.com
This is a site created by a friend of mine from the engine shop in the 4453rd CCTW. It has some pictures that might bring back some memories of your time at DM.
A comment about the stories. Last weekend I was over at the Pima Air Museum here in Tucson & I was talking to one of the docents & I was tellng him that it must be so interesting to work there & on a daily basis hear all the different stories from all the different people who either worked on or flew all the different planes. He told me I would not believe all the stories he had heard.
Last Oct I was back at Wright Patterson AFB with the F-4 Phantom II Society folks & we spent 3 days touring the museum & it was so neat to hear all the stories our group of guys had.
I still do auto repair here in Tucson & one of my employee's was as Air Policemen for 7 1/2 years & spent a lot of time at March AFB. Pretty sure he was in mid 70's time frame.
This is a site created by a friend of mine from the engine shop in the 4453rd CCTW. It has some pictures that might bring back some memories of your time at DM.
A comment about the stories. Last weekend I was over at the Pima Air Museum here in Tucson & I was talking to one of the docents & I was tellng him that it must be so interesting to work there & on a daily basis hear all the different stories from all the different people who either worked on or flew all the different planes. He told me I would not believe all the stories he had heard.
Last Oct I was back at Wright Patterson AFB with the F-4 Phantom II Society folks & we spent 3 days touring the museum & it was so neat to hear all the stories our group of guys had.
I still do auto repair here in Tucson & one of my employee's was as Air Policemen for 7 1/2 years & spent a lot of time at March AFB. Pretty sure he was in mid 70's time frame.
Monroe, for some reason the site didn't come up. Maybe flightaware doesn't allow posting of emails or sites. I do follow on Facebook if you ever go there. I have 3 email addresses also. One is at reagan.com and another at gmail. I'd like to continue the conversations. My emails are [email protected] and [email protected].
Sent a reply to your reagan.com site
I'm also on the Facebook site
I'm also on the Facebook site
It's roughly 200 miles from Pt. Mugu to Mexico and the "target" was passing San Diego when told to set up pass 2. He hit the apex of his turn past the south tip of the Baja Peninsula and made a 200 mile diameter circle back to follow the same track back north. Even with that large turn radius, the "target" was set up as fast as our test aircraft was. For all the speed of the southbound pass, the northbound amazed the hell our of me. In a day of mechanical INS and no GPS, the plotter pen dropped right back onto the exact same trace for the northern pass. The track was perfect because the plotter trace width didn't increase any noticeable amount. It wasn't until years later at Dryden that I learned exactly how advanced much of the technology in the Blackbird was for it's day. During our test, I was working for one of the original system engineers on the YF-12 who had flown Mach 2 in the back seat and he wouldn't even fill us in on what it could do. An amazing aircraft.