SR-71 Anecdotes


Message posted by Andre' M. Dall'au on January 03, 2003 at 10:02:11 PST:

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
(his 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 across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for
a readout of its ground speed."

"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 (60,000 ft).

The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How
exactly 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...


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