5 ms·

Surviving in-flight breakup of an SR-71 Blackbird at Mach 3.18

270 points by mike_esspe 14y ago

DiabloD3 14y ago
Anyone who has flown in a SR-71 is certified to have brass balls.
johndbritton 14y ago
"As an outgrowth of Bill Weaver's inability to see out of his faceplate from the ice buildup, futre SR-71 ejection seats incorporated a battery pack that continued to keep the glass faceplate heated during the frigid descent." The amount of engineering and refinement that goes into these safety systems really amazes me. They learn from everything in aviation and put it to good use.
- Tichy 14y ago
  Then again, they had a brilliantly working "don't panic" mechanism built in :-)
  - minimax 14y ago
    I think the technical term would be "super-chromatic peril sensitive faceplate."
Wingman4l7 14y ago
Non-Google-Books versions: Test pilot Bill Weaver's personal account (exact same text) -- http://www.barthworks.com/aviation/sr71breakup.htm http://www.barthworks.com/aviation/sr71breakup.htm Very similar 3rd-person account -- http://www.thexhunters.com/xpeditions/sr-71a_952_accident.html http://www.thexhunters.com/xpeditions/sr-71a_952_accident.ht...
001sky 14y ago
Amazing reading this. Especially his thought process. After he comes out of "blackout", he goes right to work running a checklist and taking inventory of his assets. The part about the seatbelts, in this context, is a priceless example of how to keep your cool. Sometimes you don't want to know or need to know everything.
snogglethorpe 14y ago
This appears to be the best book ever written. oO;
fleitz 14y ago
A little more mundane and uplifting SR-71 story about a ground speed check. https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/rec.aviation.stories/ueI6JKeEomo https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/rec.avia...
- fossuser 14y ago
  Here's a similar story, but about "What was the slowest you ever flew in the Blackbird?" http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/speed-is-life.html http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/speed-is-life.html
- bshep 14y ago
  I think I've read that excerpt about 5 times and I always love it! Thanks for sharing
- sageikosa 14y ago
  You gotta love SR-71 stories.
incision 14y ago
I own a print copy of this book, it's good stuff. I picked it up soon after reading Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed [1], an incredible book which recounts development of the U2, SR-71 and F-117A. 1: http://amzn.com/0316743003 http://amzn.com/0316743003
- 3amOpsGuy 14y ago
  Skunk Works is a great read. It's enlightening how advanced these guys were in the 60's, I tend to think of the 80s and 90s as being the time when we raced forward technically but it was probably the 60s and 70s were the fastest pace.
  - incision 14y ago
    Absolutely, I found it incredibly inspirational to read about those guys riding the bleeding edge of technology - inventing and adapting as they went along. They basically built something from the future.
    - chernevik 14y ago
      With a native grasp of aero / astro, can't imagine they had a lot of CAD or simulation horsepower. I have to think its a great story of fundament mastery.
      - justin66 14y ago
        As Ben Rich describes in Skunk Works, the SR-71 was designed using slide rules and drafting instruments and tested in a wind tunnel that could only run at night because of how much energy it used. IIRC it was the early stealth stuff (an SR-71 launched drone and then the F-117) that ushered in the use of computers.
        001sky 14y ago
        Also amazing, was the materials engineering. SR71 ushered in the use of widespread Titanium in the airframe, which was needed to stand up to the heat (friction) at Mach 3+. Because of the severe heat-cycling, the engineers ultimately figured out an unorthodox solution to manage thermal expansion: The fuselage panels were manufactured to fit only loosely on the ground. Proper alignment was only achieved when the airframe heated up and expanded several inches. Because of this, and the lack of a fuel sealing system that could handle the thermal expansion of the airframe at extreme temperatures, the aircraft would leak JP-7 jet fuel on the runway. At the beginning of each mission, the aircraft would make a short sprint after takeoff to warm up the airframe, then refuel before heading off to its destination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird#Airframe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird#Airfra...
deleted 14y ago
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electic 14y ago
An amazing story.
sondh 14y ago
This is interesting for so many reasons, very good book (both in stories and writing). The most useful bit probably when he explained why the suit inflated, exactly like the way Baumgartner's balloon inflated earlier today when it reached the upper atmosphere.
InclinedPlane 14y ago
Some other interesting moments of aeronautical derring-do: Imagine piloting an unpowered aircraft with no wings which could best be described as a "flying bathtub" and by "flying" what is meant is "falling". This is the M2-F{1,2,3}, designed to test lifting body aerodynamics and unpowered landings, much of this research helped in the design of the shuttle orbiter. But in 1967 pilot Bruce Peterson was involved in a spectacular crash that was later used in the opening of the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man, he survived: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jvGJhJINlc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jvGJhJINlc Also consider the X-15. Unlike the SR-71 the X-15 didn't cruise around at high speeds it just accelerated to very high speeds using a rocket engine and then glided. These aircraft, dropped off the wing of a B-52, these aircraft would eventually travel up to nearly mach 7 and over 100 km altitude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 Also it's worth considering that the Space Ship One rocket powered sub-orbital space plane gets up to around mach 3 on ascent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne Or, consider the Apollo 10 spacecraft, which reentered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of nearly 40,000 kph after returning from the moon (over ten times the highest recorded speed of the SR-71).
bigthingnext 14y ago
The "skunkworks" is one of my favorite concepts. Look at what they were able to achieve. Truly amazing.
sylvinus 14y ago
He mentions that it was his "first ever parachute landing", but I can't imagine a SR-71 test pilot wouldn't have been trained in parachute landings. Any idea why?
- disillusioned 14y ago
  I imagine he's simply stating that this was his first-ever ejection-seat landing. It's not like they kick you out of a plane in a chair with a chute attached to it to train.
- liotier 14y ago
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvB5AE6HlE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvB5AE6HlE describes "Aircraft Ejection & Parachute Training, ADC Life Support Training School, 1968, US Air Force" - so we can infer that since ejection and parachute training did happen in times contemporary to this account, and since test pilot is a high risk activity (especially back in the time when test pilots were actually pushing the flight envelope instead of just validating numerical models), the author did receive that training. But even for test pilots, ejection is a rare and traumatic event : finding oneself landing with no injury at all after a high speed ejection is very lucky - the design of the B-58, XB-70, F-111, Space Shuttle and some of the B-1A prototypes with an escape crew capsule is a consequence of that, though it seems that the weight and space tradeoff has fallen out of favor. Apart from speed, the mere impact of the charge that propels the seat is enough to cause spinal injury, even if the pilot managed to get his spine in perfectly upright position before ejecting.
  - shin_lao 14y ago
    Actually, I think today's procedure is that a pilot is retired after two ejections because of the induced trauma.
wazoox 14y ago
If you like this sort of books, don't forget to check "X-15; extending the frontier of flight": http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aero_x15_detail.html http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aero_x15_detail.html
Gravityloss 14y ago
Here's a video of another high speed Blackbird breakup, from a D-21 drone release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyC2urCl_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyC2urCl_4 The debris just keeps on going because of the huge momentum and thin air at those speeds and altitudes.

270 points by mike_esspe 14y ago

Anyone who has flown in a SR-71 is certified to have brass balls.

"As an outgrowth of Bill Weaver's inability to see out of his faceplate from the ice buildup, futre SR-71 ejection seats incorporated a battery pack that continued to keep the glass faceplate heated during the frigid descent." The amount of engineering and refinement that goes into these safety systems really amazes me. They learn from everything in aviation and put it to good use.

Tichy 14y ago
Then again, they had a brilliantly working "don't panic" mechanism built in :-)
- minimax 14y ago
  I think the technical term would be "super-chromatic peril sensitive faceplate."

Wingman4l7 14y ago

Non-Google-Books versions: Test pilot Bill Weaver's personal account (exact same text) -- http://www.barthworks.com/aviation/sr71breakup.htm http://www.barthworks.com/aviation/sr71breakup.htm Very similar 3rd-person account -- http://www.thexhunters.com/xpeditions/sr-71a_952_accident.html http://www.thexhunters.com/xpeditions/sr-71a_952_accident.ht...

001sky 14y ago

Amazing reading this. Especially his thought process. After he comes out of "blackout", he goes right to work running a checklist and taking inventory of his assets. The part about the seatbelts, in this context, is a priceless example of how to keep your cool. Sometimes you don't want to know or need to know everything.

snogglethorpe 14y ago

This appears to be the best book ever written. oO;

fleitz 14y ago

A little more mundane and uplifting SR-71 story about a ground speed check. https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/rec.aviation.stories/ueI6JKeEomo https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/rec.avia...

fossuser 14y ago
Here's a similar story, but about "What was the slowest you ever flew in the Blackbird?" http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/speed-is-life.html http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/speed-is-life.html
bshep 14y ago
I think I've read that excerpt about 5 times and I always love it! Thanks for sharing
sageikosa 14y ago
You gotta love SR-71 stories.

incision 14y ago

I own a print copy of this book, it's good stuff. I picked it up soon after reading Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed [1], an incredible book which recounts development of the U2, SR-71 and F-117A. 1: http://amzn.com/0316743003 http://amzn.com/0316743003

3amOpsGuy 14y ago
Skunk Works is a great read. It's enlightening how advanced these guys were in the 60's, I tend to think of the 80s and 90s as being the time when we raced forward technically but it was probably the 60s and 70s were the fastest pace.
- incision 14y ago
  Absolutely, I found it incredibly inspirational to read about those guys riding the bleeding edge of technology - inventing and adapting as they went along. They basically built something from the future.
  - chernevik 14y ago
    With a native grasp of aero / astro, can't imagine they had a lot of CAD or simulation horsepower. I have to think its a great story of fundament mastery.
    - justin66 14y ago
      As Ben Rich describes in Skunk Works, the SR-71 was designed using slide rules and drafting instruments and tested in a wind tunnel that could only run at night because of how much energy it used. IIRC it was the early stealth stuff (an SR-71 launched drone and then the F-117) that ushered in the use of computers.
      - 001sky 14y ago
        Also amazing, was the materials engineering. SR71 ushered in the use of widespread Titanium in the airframe, which was needed to stand up to the heat (friction) at Mach 3+. Because of the severe heat-cycling, the engineers ultimately figured out an unorthodox solution to manage thermal expansion: The fuselage panels were manufactured to fit only loosely on the ground. Proper alignment was only achieved when the airframe heated up and expanded several inches. Because of this, and the lack of a fuel sealing system that could handle the thermal expansion of the airframe at extreme temperatures, the aircraft would leak JP-7 jet fuel on the runway. At the beginning of each mission, the aircraft would make a short sprint after takeoff to warm up the airframe, then refuel before heading off to its destination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird#Airframe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird#Airfra...

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

electic 14y ago

An amazing story.

sondh 14y ago

This is interesting for so many reasons, very good book (both in stories and writing). The most useful bit probably when he explained why the suit inflated, exactly like the way Baumgartner's balloon inflated earlier today when it reached the upper atmosphere.

InclinedPlane 14y ago

Some other interesting moments of aeronautical derring-do: Imagine piloting an unpowered aircraft with no wings which could best be described as a "flying bathtub" and by "flying" what is meant is "falling". This is the M2-F{1,2,3}, designed to test lifting body aerodynamics and unpowered landings, much of this research helped in the design of the shuttle orbiter. But in 1967 pilot Bruce Peterson was involved in a spectacular crash that was later used in the opening of the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man, he survived: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jvGJhJINlc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jvGJhJINlc Also consider the X-15. Unlike the SR-71 the X-15 didn't cruise around at high speeds it just accelerated to very high speeds using a rocket engine and then glided. These aircraft, dropped off the wing of a B-52, these aircraft would eventually travel up to nearly mach 7 and over 100 km altitude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 Also it's worth considering that the Space Ship One rocket powered sub-orbital space plane gets up to around mach 3 on ascent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne Or, consider the Apollo 10 spacecraft, which reentered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of nearly 40,000 kph after returning from the moon (over ten times the highest recorded speed of the SR-71).

bigthingnext 14y ago

The "skunkworks" is one of my favorite concepts. Look at what they were able to achieve. Truly amazing.

sylvinus 14y ago

He mentions that it was his "first ever parachute landing", but I can't imagine a SR-71 test pilot wouldn't have been trained in parachute landings. Any idea why?

disillusioned 14y ago
I imagine he's simply stating that this was his first-ever ejection-seat landing. It's not like they kick you out of a plane in a chair with a chute attached to it to train.
liotier 14y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvB5AE6HlE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvB5AE6HlE describes "Aircraft Ejection & Parachute Training, ADC Life Support Training School, 1968, US Air Force" - so we can infer that since ejection and parachute training did happen in times contemporary to this account, and since test pilot is a high risk activity (especially back in the time when test pilots were actually pushing the flight envelope instead of just validating numerical models), the author did receive that training. But even for test pilots, ejection is a rare and traumatic event : finding oneself landing with no injury at all after a high speed ejection is very lucky - the design of the B-58, XB-70, F-111, Space Shuttle and some of the B-1A prototypes with an escape crew capsule is a consequence of that, though it seems that the weight and space tradeoff has fallen out of favor. Apart from speed, the mere impact of the charge that propels the seat is enough to cause spinal injury, even if the pilot managed to get his spine in perfectly upright position before ejecting.
- shin_lao 14y ago
  Actually, I think today's procedure is that a pilot is retired after two ejections because of the induced trauma.

wazoox 14y ago

If you like this sort of books, don't forget to check "X-15; extending the frontier of flight": http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aero_x15_detail.html http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aero_x15_detail.html

Gravityloss 14y ago

Here's a video of another high speed Blackbird breakup, from a D-21 drone release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyC2urCl_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyC2urCl_4 The debris just keeps on going because of the huge momentum and thin air at those speeds and altitudes.