Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Meatwad on January 10, 2016, 08:36:07 AM
:rofl
I see that story pop up here about every 3-6 months
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Plazus on January 10, 2016, 08:44:15 AM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Ripsnort on January 10, 2016, 10:04:02 AM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Rolex on January 10, 2016, 01:59:17 PM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: WaffenVW on January 10, 2016, 04:42:08 PM
:rofl :aok
It does sound like the kind of joke a pilot would pull.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: pipz on January 10, 2016, 05:09:30 PM
That's about the limit of Pipz memory these days, so...PERFECT! :)
How dare you!!!! :old:
Wait....I forget why I was insulted......... :headscratch:
:)
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: DaveBB on January 10, 2016, 09:06:50 PM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 12, 2016, 07:11:04 PM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 12, 2016, 07:33:44 PM
Trivia question: Only one fighter have ever been able to get a missile lock-on on the Blackbird, Which one?
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: saggs on January 13, 2016, 01:36:10 AM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: 49Dallas on January 13, 2016, 02:08:06 AM
Feel like I HAVE to post this. :x :x :x :x
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: DaveBB on January 13, 2016, 04:56:27 AM
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?
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 13, 2016, 06:21:40 AM
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.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 13, 2016, 06:40:05 AM
The answer is: (https://hushkit.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/viggen_01.jpg)
Ok, they needed the predictable path of the Sr-71, a HO and a ground radar to illuminate the "target" but it still counts.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Someguy63 on January 13, 2016, 07:24:54 AM
You can get a lock on an aircraft but not be in range to fire.
But since they were in range to fire it is irrelevant. In the theoretic scenario of firing at the Blackbird the missile would have been head-on so range wasnt the issue.
It is of course not likely that the Sr-71 would even been there if there was any chance of hostility but the story is still good.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: WaffenVW on January 13, 2016, 09:43:36 AM
There's no way a Viggen can get a head on shot at a Blackbird. The Viggen can't get up high enough for that. It would have to shoot from below... 25,000+ feet lower.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 13, 2016, 11:30:57 AM
Yes and no, when the closure speed is close to M 5 the planes will be a lot of miles apart when they begin and in that case even 20k ft isnt much. The angle between them will be very small.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_37_Viggen
Quote
Swedish JA 37 Viggen fighter pilots, using the predictable patterns of Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird routine flights over the Baltic Sea, managed to achieve missile lock-on with radar on the SR-71 on numerous occasions. Despite heavy jamming from the SR-71, target illumination was maintained by feeding target location from ground-based radars to the fire-control computer in the Viggen. The most common site for the lock-on to occur was the thin stretch of international airspace between Öland and Gotland that the SR-71 used on the return flight.[26][27][28] The Viggen is the only aircraft to this day to get an acknowledged radar lock on the SR-71.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: WaffenVW on January 13, 2016, 11:44:00 AM
lol with what missile?
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Zimme83 on January 13, 2016, 11:48:25 AM
It is shown on the picture. But take it for what it is, a good story, as I said, if there was even a remote chance of any hostilities the encounter would never have occurred. The skyflash missile would of course have a very hard time to do the job even with assistance from the ground.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: WaffenVW on January 13, 2016, 12:31:10 PM
Skyflash was a good missile, but without thrust vectoring at 80,000+ feet it would have a hard time tracking a moving target.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: SIM on January 13, 2016, 05:12:39 PM
This past spring I spent a few days at the USAF Museum in Dayton. On 2 of those days I took the tour of the Presidential and R&D Hanger on Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Colonel Richard Graham was the leader of this tour on both days. For a fascinating look at the "inside" of the SR-71 community, you can search for him on youtube. His life and stories were absolutely amazing!
But since they were in range to fire it is irrelevant. In the theoretic scenario of firing at the Blackbird the missile would have been head-on so range wasnt the issue.
It is of course not likely that the Sr-71 would even been there if there was any chance of hostility but the story is still good.
Well yeah if they're in range it doesn't matter, I think you or Dave asked if getting a lock means you're ready to fire or not, I was just answering.
Title: Re: SR-71 story.
Post by: Ripsnort on January 14, 2016, 09:12:12 PM
I visit the A-12 with drone (CIA version) every February for "Hops and Props" and that would be drinking 75 sample of micro beer from all over the Northwest, something we were famous for BEFORE coffee....at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
How many of you have sat in the cockpit of an A-12 (SR-71) with a beer ? Hmm?