In 1966 he bailed out after his SR-71 disintegrated while flying at Mach 3.18 at 78,800 feet and by some sort…
Losses and Aviation SafetyMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Tag:
SR-71
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Aviation HistoryMilitary AviationSpace
Did you know NASA had to borrow U-2/SR-71 “yellow” Pressure Suits for first space shuttle mission?
by Dario LeonePrior to the first shuttle mission (STS-1), the launch of Columbia, there was a defect detected in the batch of suits…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
In 1971 an SR-71 crew flew 15,000 miles, in 10 hours 30 minutes non-stop to see how many times the Blackbird could refuel before the liquid nitrogen gave out
by Dario LeoneThe SR-71 Blackbird remains to this day the only aircraft rated to run in full continuous afterburner. Designed to sustain Mach…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
JP-7, the fuel that powered the SR-71 Blackbird caused a nationwide shortage of bug spray. Here’s why.
by Dario LeoneShell Oil developed JP-7 in 1955. Manufacturing several hundred thousand gallons of the new fuel required the petroleum byproducts Shell normally…
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Civil AviationMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Did you know the SR-71 Blackbird sonic booms shattered the windows of Kelly Johnson, Zsa Zsa Gabor and President Nixon’s houses?
by Dario LeoneThe rumor is… that a test flight SR-71 Blackbird flew over Johnson’s ranch and broke several of his large windows. But…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Former USAF maintainer explains why the iconic SR-71 Blackbird could only barely exceed 85,000 feet of altitude
by Dario LeoneWhat would happen if an SR-71 tried to surpass 85,000 feet of altitude? Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the iconic SR-71…
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Cold War EraLosses and Aviation SafetyMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Bailing out at Mach 3: the incredible story of Bill Weaver, the first pilot to eject from an SR-71 Blackbird
by Dario LeoneLockheed test pilots Bill Weaver and Jim Zwayer on Jan. 26, 1966… were flying the #952 at Mach 3.18, at 78,800…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Did you know the SR-71 engine was originally developed to power US Navy XF8U-3 Super Crusader? World renowned expert on the Blackbird unveils some unique facts about J58 turboramjet
by Dario Leone‘It was thought if the Chance Vought XF8U-3 Super Crusader where to have gone into production it would have been powered…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
Did you know that titanium used to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane came from Soviet Union?
by Dario LeoneThe world’s largest supplier of it was the Soviet Union. The US worked through Third World countries and fake companies and…
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Cold War EraMilitary AviationSR-71 Blackbird
SR-71 RSO tells the story of the first time the Blackbird was shot at by a missile
by Dario Leone“Turning inbound on our first sensor run, I noticed the “R” light on my electronic countermeasures (ECM) panel was illuminated. A…
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