SR-71 story.

[pipz]

I got a laugh out of this.

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2015/10/12/sr-71-blackbird-pilot-shares-the-most-amazing-story-ever-very-cocky/?utm_source=revcontent&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=none

[Meatwad]

 

I see that story pop up here about every 3-6 months

[Plazus]

I was told that pilots who flew the SR71 never took it to its top speed- even during tests. They were concerned that the aircraft could fly so fast that it could exceed escape velocity before leaving the thinnest parts of earth's atmosphere. I don't know the credibility to this claim as I heard this told from a friend of a friend of an SR71 pilot.

[Ripsnort]

I see that story pop up here about every 3-6 months

That's about the limit of Pipz memory these days, so...PERFECT!

[WaffenVW]

I was told that pilots who flew the SR71 never took it to its top speed- even during tests. They were concerned that the aircraft could fly so fast that it could exceed escape velocity before leaving the thinnest parts of earth's atmosphere. I don't know the credibility to this claim as I heard this told from a friend of a friend of an SR71 pilot.

That must be a joke. Escape velocity from Earth is more than 25,000 mph. There's a reason NASA use rockets.

[Rolex]

I think they meant the moon, since the escape velocity is just over 5,200 MPH.

Didn't you know that they used to fly the SR71 to the moon? It was a secret. I heard from the cousin of the brother of a landscaping guy who used to cut a SR71 pilot's lawn.

[WaffenVW]

   

It does sound like the kind of joke a pilot would pull.

[pipz]

That's about the limit of Pipz memory these days, so...PERFECT!

How dare you!!!! 

Wait....I forget why I was insulted......... 

 

[DaveBB]

I read that a SR-71 was taken to Mach 3.7 once.  It scorched and burned a lot of the wiring.  So that is probably the limiting factor in its max speed.  Well that and the movement of the inlet spikes.  But it could cruise all day at Mach 3.1.

[Zimme83]

MiG-25:s could be pushed up to mach 3.2 although they would burn the Engines, it would be hard but not impossible to intercept a Sr-71.

Edit: And of course we can mention its successor, The MiG-31, armed w R-33 missiles, that was very capable of intercepting a Blackbird and effectively stopped the Blackbirds from violating Soviet airspace.

[Zimme83]

Trivia question: Only one fighter have ever been able to get a missile lock-on on the Blackbird, Which one?

[saggs]

I read that a SR-71 was taken to Mach 3.7 once.  It scorched and burned a lot of the wiring.  So that is probably the limiting factor in its max speed.  Well that and the movement of the inlet spikes.  But it could cruise all day at Mach 3.1.

I've read a few books about the A-12/SR-71.  One called "Sled Driver" by Brain Shul is a really good one if you can find it.

Anyways, I seem to recall from random reading that the speed limiting factors where 2 fold and both came into play around mach 3.5.  First was somewhere near that speed the schockwave from the nose narrows enough to go into the engine making the inlet cones ineffective and leading to possible flame outs.  Second was the windscreen center divider temperature getting hot enough to lose structural integrity of the windscreen.  Of course this is all assuming you don't overtemp those J-58s.

According to the something I read somewhere, the max published/allowed is Mach 3.3 provided the max CIT is not exceeded, but rumors are some pilots inadvertently hit 3.5.

[49Dallas]

Feel like I HAVE to post this. 

[DaveBB]

Trivia question: Only one fighter have ever been able to get a missile lock-on on the Blackbird, Which one?

I've read about an interception with Mig-31s.  It's not hard to deduce where the SR71 is going when it's traveling at Mach 3.  But when you speak of missile lock, what are you actually referring to?  Does that mean the SR71 is within the firing parameters of the missile? 

[Zimme83]

I've read about an interception with Mig-31s.  It's not hard to deduce where the SR71 is going when it's traveling at Mach 3.  But when you speak of missile lock, what are you actually referring to?  Does that mean the SR71 is within the firing parameters of the missile? 

To be honest im not 100% sure but i guess that its a yes, that they had some kind of firing solution on the blackbird.