Can I Get A Ground Speed Check? (SR-71)

[mk2ja]

I've always loved the SR-71 Blackbird. In the past week or so, I've seen several shows on History/Military/Discovery about it, and each time it reminds me of the first hand account of an SR-71 pilot I read some time ago. If you like the SR-71, you'll probably love reading this story, too.

There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71 Blackbird (The Air Force/NASA super fast, highest flying reconnaissance jet, nicknamed, "The Sled"), but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane - intense, maybe, even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet. I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat.

There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him.

The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace. We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot who asked Center for a read-out of his ground speed. Center replied: “November Charlie 175, I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground.”

Now the thing to understand about Center controllers was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the "Houston Center voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that and that they basically did. And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios. Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed in Beech. “I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed.”

Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. “Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check.” Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a read-out? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: “Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground.”

And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done - in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn. Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it - the click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: “Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?” There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. “Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground.”

I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: “Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money.” For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A. came back with, “Roger that Aspen. Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one.”

It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day's work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

Source (although it shows up as white text on a white background for me, so you have to select the text in order to see it)

 

[IndyMonkey]

Great read, thanks

 

[flyinlow78]

I enjoyed that, thanks. I'd have loved to see the face on the Hornet pilots face

Reminds me of the old LearJet story. When the Lears were new, and the hottest things out there, some guys in the tower were commenting about how impressive the climb out was and asked the pilots what they do for an encore, and the pilots replied "light the other engine".

I love the SR-71, I sure wish they were still patrolling our skies. Just like the Tomcat, too good to die.

 

[Roadie]

Always been my favorite plane, handsdown. When I was at the Air and Space Museum in Dayton, I HAD to ignore the signs and touch it

Thanks for the great story!

EDIT: Just for reference, that is 2119mph, or about Mach 2.7

 

[22lr]

"You haven't been lost till you've been lost at Mach 3"

SR-71s were the pinnacle of American Airpower, could fly faster and higher than anything the Ruskies had. Sadly they were just to expensive and outdated by satellite technology. I would love to see a RPV version developed though.

 

[HandK]

One of my favorite quotes is from a SR 71 pilot "you've never been truly lost until your lost at 80,000 feet doing Mach 3".

 

[flightsimmer]

Ha, ha, ha, that's rich, I liked that.
At first I thought it was going to be about the time they requested 80,000 ft. or (Flight level) FL 800 and the controller replied "cleared to flight level 800, If you can get there" and they replied "Roger Center, decending to FL 800". What a hoot it must have been.

 

[Raye7r]

I remember the "Habu" flying over me when I was a young Marine at Camp Hansen. They were flying sorties over Nam outta Kadena. Thats been long enough ago that I hope memory gave me the right names for the bases. Awesome sight, awesome plane. I love America!

 

[Jeff]

I love to hear stories of the "Blackbird" and the people who flew them. Thanks.

 

[Raye7r]

More "Habu"
http://www.habu.org/

 

[jeremy]

The blackbird...

One of the few aircraft in the world you can not shoot down with a Stinger...

 

[littletommy]

That plane, to see in person, is as awe inspiring as seeing a Bald Eagle in the wild, or the Stars and Stripes waving in the breeze. I get goose bumps over stuff like that. Thanks for posting.

 

[Scutter01]

SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual

 

[Tactical Dave]

There is at least 1 other variation of that story........ From what I have been told both are not true but cool to read.

The Russians tried to shoot them down with at least SA-2's and the SR's were gone before the SAM's got up high enough. They also sent up MIG 31's after them with the throttle to the wall and one SR pilot said they fired missles at him but could not catch him...

A lot of the info on the engines are still classified......... along with it's true top speed.

 

[littletommy]

There is at least 1 other variation of that story........ From what I have been told both are not true but cool to read.

The Russians tried to shoot them down with at least SA-2's and the SR's were gone before the SAM's got up high enough. They also sent up MIG 31's after them with the throttle to the wall and one SR pilot said they fired missles at him but could not catch him...

A lot of the info on the engines are still classified......... along with it's true top speed.

The Mig 25 was actually developed with the intention of bringing down a blackbird. I saw a russian pilot talking about trying to intercept one, and said his plane was at its max capability as he watched the blackbird dissapear into the distance. I believe they built the mig25 to attain mach 2.5 and fly at around 80,000' because this was what they thought the capabilities of the blackbird were, obviously, they were wrong.

 

[Roadie]

The SR-71 also holds the "Speed Over a Recognized Course" record for flying from New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds, set on 1 September 1974 while flown by U.S. Air Force Pilot Maj. James V. Sullivan and Maj. Noel F. Widdifield, reconnaissance system officer.This equates to an average velocity of about Mach 2.68, including deceleration for in-flight refueling. Peak speeds during this flight were probably closer to the declassified top speed of Mach 3.2+. For comparison, the best commercial Concorde flight time was 2 hours 52 minutes, and the Boeing 747 averages 6 hours 15 minutes.

 

[Panama]

One of my all time favorite birds!

 

[HandK]

It is a neet plane!! here I am seting in one!!!

 

[Roadie]

It is a neet plane!! here I am seting in one!!!

Where??? I want! lol

 

[HandK]

Where??? I want! lol

Seattle Washington, Northrup air museum.