I worked part-time for Ret. Col. Bill Skliar back in the 80's. Skliar was the third pilot to ever fly the prototype SR-71. The first two pilots were civilians. Skliar wrote the original military flight manual for that early model. He said that as he sat in the cockpit for his first flight in that bird, he asked the civilian pilot for some advice. The answer he got was just three words..."Just be careful." Skliar had an interesting history. He was an enlisted man until 1948 when he was accepted into the Aviation Cadet Program. He got his wings and was eventually sent to Korea. He shot down a MIG in Korea while flying an F-84, unaffectionally known as "The Hog." Later, he flew F-100's and then F-4's in Viet Nam. He didn't like the F-100 because of it's occassional habit to flame out when you went to afterburner. As Skliar told me, "The last place you want to have a flame out is above the guy you just bombed." Sadly, he was killed when the wing of his race plane folded during flight testing. He never made it out of the cockpit. A full size copy of his Formula One race plane, with others, is hanging in the Golden Sierra Casino near the Horse Racing betting section.

The suits were developed in the early 50's for the RB-57F, used on the early U-2's,the SR-71 (both the A-11 & 12) and the Gemini program. The Apollo suit was extra vehicular and used for the moon landing.

The engines were certified to Mach 5, the airframe was the limiting factor.

The number of A/C built is still classified as is the operational altitude and speed. Somewhere on the internet is a 1st persom description of a BDA overflight of Lybia. The pilor and REO confirmed mach 3.7 and 87,ooo feet.

I was so fortunate to have worked on the HABU (SR-71) at Kadena,Okinawa. I loved that it taxied right from the hangar and already had clearance to take off. It required what seemed to be only a few feet down the runway before it went perpendicular to the runway. It was so quick to go vertical that the AB's seemed to be just inches above the runway. . . . . . on a perfectly sunny and cloud free day the HABU was a spec in the sky and poof gone, totally out of sight. Upon returning from its mission, touching down on the runway, the all black with dark red lettering, the HABU would deploy its bright orange drag shutes. After jettisoning the shute the HABU would immediately return to the hangar and once in side we would close the hangar doors. That aircraft would have fit right into a Star Wars movie and you would not have blinked an eye that it was out of place. Like many of the people that have put their testimonies above, so are my feelings for the SR-71. It was told to me that it received it's designation SR-71 from President Johnson when in a speech he called it the "SR-71" when it should have been "RS-71", (not sure if that is true though). So, you didn't hear it from me.
Tnanks for reading this and thanks for sharing your thoughts as well.
JAD

I was an Air Traffic Controller, stationed at Beal, this aircraft was and is the greatest. I also was debriefed on one of the missions and was totally in awe. It's faster than any other aircraft on this planet.

The diagram given in this article appears to be that of the YF-12A. The cropped leading edges of the fairings are the result of the FLIR which was mated to the acquistion radar and weapons system. The SR-71 did not have this configuration.

@ Ken Collins
Wow! I'm please to read You DUTCH 21. Please teach us the true about service ceiling and max speed. Do another black project is done? Although I fear information are confidential and still classified...

The best of legends are always those that leave most to imagination, I'll add some fuel to that fire:
Had the security clearance and reason to be on flight line one day at Beale AFB, Marysville, Ca. to see a takeoff, launch would be the more appropriate term. LOUDEST plane imaginable, if you blinked you missed it. Super long exhaust trails with the bright Mach rings and rate of climb makes the Space Shuttle look like an amusement ride. You could clearly hear and feel it long after beyond visual range.
I got to rub elbows with flight crews of the birds at a SR-71 reunion in a Reno casino. I was sworn to double secret probation about absolute statistics but here's a few ticklers:
Published top speed bogus-way way beyond that. Richter scale sonic boom one early AM in Reno/Tahoe area plus UFO reports, Tungusta class meteor sighting, 911 switchboard panic, airliner crash, nuke detonation later brushed off at Beale as SR routine final approach-no further comment.
Published service ceiling bogus-running joke everyone screwed out of astronaut pins.
MIG-25 peril bogus-like entering a Cessna 150 in the Unlimited Class at Reno Championship air races.
Missile launch peril bogus-like shooting bottle rockets at a 747 at cruise altitude. Russians probably went broke at all the hardware put in the air, they all fell down on something/somebody(s).
Off shore Russian coast flight rules bogus- plenty of nice snap shots of the Kremlin in lockers under the centerfolds.
Retirement status bogus-nothing that good ever goes out of style, no one quits with a winner.
Replaced by spy satellites bogus-They can do amazing things but can't go anywhere we want them to at a moment's notice and no mathematically predictable orbital plane, speed, and altitude.
Built by analog thinkers in a now digital world- nothing exists to take a shot at the title.
This does present mind boggling certainties, to be continued,as always keep 'em guessing...

To Amit Kaushik and any other A-12 / SR-71 admirer:
There is a lot of good SR-71 books available. One of the best for general info (Paul Crickmore's)and crew info is Rich Graham's "SR-71 Blackbird, Stories, Tales and Legends". I would be pleased to answer any of your questions. A-12(1962-1968), SR-71 (1968-1974).

"re-entry" means from space to atmosphere and not from mission. BB'capability Sounds like less than 528k feet to me

Ran into a Vietnam pilot who lost his hearing over Hanoi. He was sent stateside to act as XO for a general running the Blackbird squadron. He told a story of how they limited re-entry points into U.S. airspace to avoid witnesses; in this case, the Olympic Peninsula in WA also offers early UFO sightings.

Anyway, he and the general flew up from CA to observe the "re-entry" of a BB. "I'll never forget what I saw", said Bob, "I could see a glowing nose, then just for a second or two, it seemed to split the air and a wave or aura radiated out."

Sounds like a bit more than 85k feet to me! Anyone else hear the rumors about the touch & go in Russia in the 70's?

You can read _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit, low earth orbit(LEO) requires at least 160 Km (100 Miles or 528,000 feet) and max 2,000 Km (1,240 Miles or 6,547,200 feet). SR 71 cannot reach low earth orbit. I know, of course, there are classified capability, but please, remember that SR 71 was a project of the year 1958. At _http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2056/maxaltitudeandspeed.jpg, you can see SR 71 cockpit on fly: the performance ceiling is higher than wrote in the specification tab and it can be better (also speed), BUT it cannot reach 528,000 feet of altitude. I'm sure SR-71 is COMPLETELY decommissioned, because a new black project is done in 1989. Rumors called it "aurora file or aurora project" but his name seems to be SR 75 penetrator. Please see my screenshot(_http://www.uploadline.com/?&fn=766356396381&st=OK&op=upload_result), and Chris Gibson report at _http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread60770/pg1. Sr 75 has a fantastic propulsion system called "pulse detonating engine" (see the strange chemical contrails in my screenshot) that push it up MACH 5 (hypersonic speed). Ed Fouche says it's the first TAV (trans-atmospheric vehicle. Search Ed Fouche info to proof it. All screenshot belong to discovery channel movie (you can see discovery channel logo) and are NOT classified.

The Sr-71 was decommissioned, but not completely. It has been touted even by our own Government that much of the Blackbirds capability will remain classified. Knowing someone who worked on, and with the Sr-71. Shane is not far off by asking about re-entry. The Blackbird has several different noses. Some which have not been declassified. One might just be for re-entry capabilities. My understanding is that; it can if needed reach a low orbit, and re-enter. The fuel is mixed with oxygen and at the right mixture/pressure for such a possibility. (Food for thought)

Speed and temperature are too different. Space Shuttle on re entry, drop in the atmosphere at 16,000 mph (more or less MACH 23 at the beginning)from 28,000 mph which was the orbital speed and with the max temperature of 3000 degrees F.(1600 degrees Celsius). Shuttle was developed to resist at 7823 m/s (Atmospheric Re-Entry speed), Apollo capsule at 11000 m/s (36,090 ft/sec).Titanium alloy (which SR 71 is made)cannot resist without deformation and disruption. SR 71 was developed just to take pictures, not for Atmospheric Re-Entry

I grew up watching the Blackbird flying over Palmdale CA.USA LOCKEED MARTIN SKUNK WORKS. such an awsome plane to watch. My only Question is Do you think it could keep up with the Space Shuttle on Re enty?
A reply would be very nice
TY Shane

Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson simply was a genius. No way MIG 25 to catch SR 71.
Re high radiation: SR 71 pilot's used EVA (ExtraVehicular Activity) crew shuttle suit modified. 150,000 USD each one !
@ shane : you can read answer at _http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/propulsion/q0195.shtml
or _http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,1944906
and _http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1944907

see you soon

How do you convert kilonewtons in horsepower?

While stationed in Okinawa in the mid 60's my co-workers would marvel as these magnificent birds would take off from Kadena AFB, after what seemed like a few feet off the ground they would point the nose almost straight up and climb out of sight in a matter of seconds into a clear blue sky, it would make your heart skip a beat watching them.

When it comes to airshow spectacles I've seen,I recall a Fiesler storch,a Harrier,Concorde and Bob Hoover in the yellow Mustang. Most of all, an overhead pass by an SR71 set my knees to shaking. I'd like one but the gas mileage is poor and it won't fit in my garage. Difficulty in interception was a combination of speed, altitude and stealth, with leading edge RAM, Iron-ball ferrite paint and aerodynamic shape, by the time you've said it's coming, it's gone.

to jeelocked the SR-71 would fly somewhere it was not to fly and the russain would set up mig -25 to get the blackbird they would set each mig apart and when the SR-71 past the mig the mig would go to full power and then launch his missles and that was how the russian would try to get a blackbird but they never did.

If you ever want to see the last B model left it is in the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum and it is so beautiful and I had just been able to sit under it today.

Some years ago we were visited by a Blackbird which had to do an engine replacement after fire. I think all the involved personell at Sola AFB (Stavanger, Norway) + all the spectators still remember the fantastic take-off and "fly-past" the day it left us. To repair this complexed aircraft in a remote area was a good demo to show what the USAAF was capable to.

"HABU" - never before & never again will anything fly like the Blackbird. It gave me the chills & proud to be an American everytime I saw this great bird. Pete (labels)

I have always had a real interest in this plane and cannot seem to get enough to read on th is magnificent piece of work by Kelly Johnson and his crew. It is simply a beautiful piece of work.

The engines were a bear to work on, had to be especially careful with the chemical ignition system, never believe the purge tag on it, use the longest wrenches and open the b nuts slowly if smoke appeared back off..

They wore astronaut suits.

Can anyone tell me how the pilot plus 1 protected themselves against the high radiation exposure wheh flying the SR 71 ?

The observed altitudes are significantly higher than the maximum quoted!

Flabob is building a wind tee that duplicates the Sr-71 exactly as seen from the air, but from the ground looks like a real prehistoric Black Bird of some sort. Take a look in several weeks. Don't let it scare you.

one of the sweetest aircraft ever made.i worked on the black bird for two years.it was a jewel to watch fly.

Re Mig-25. Can't recall (cite) sources but the Mig-25 tried on numerous occasions to catch the Blackbird. NADA.

The pictures you have are both YF-12's and SR-71. The main external difference is the YF-12 Chine only goes up to the nose cone just ahead of the pilot. The SR the Chine goes all the way up. The top picture also show the downward middle vertical stabilizer which was a YF-12 giveaway - the SR-71 did not have that downward stabilizer. Also on the top picture you can see the the serial number 934 that was one of the 12's. The 3 that I worked on were 934, 935, 936. The other part of the Chine and the nose was that you had two different types of radar. The YF-12 had a normal radar dish that was about 5 foot in height. The pilots liked the fact that they could get the radar lock at "extream" distances.

I am interested who else (company) submit proposals, and how these planes lookes alike for the contest in which Lockheed wins with YF-12! Help me someone

Guys, have you ever heard about Mig 25?!
A Russian mass production Mach3 interceptor ?!
SR-71 is a great plane - the fastest!!! But it is a recon plane = no weapons !!! Check this out !!! http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig-25.php

Blackbird was one of the factor that ended the cold war between United States and Soviet Union. Even Soviet Union disagreed existance of such a plane for long time, but their assumptions were proved wrong and US Air Force had gone far off them in the race of Fighter Aircraft. The plane still remains an engineering Marval and still a dream for many strong militarised countries. I pay complete tribute to the United States to aimed and achived this Engineering Success !!
Thanks
Shantanu

Blackbird is still the best plane ever built. It has improved a lot and the technology used to build such a plane is extraordinary. Most of the country can"t even think of making such a plane that Lockheed built in 1961. I would love to be part of it.
Can anyone help me? I will be waiting for reply.
thanks
AMIT