This story is from Maj. Brian Shul (USAF ret.), SR-71 pilot. It's funny

Ha!

Quite a story teller. Cool that they were probably the fastest humans on the planet anywhere at that time.

H&K-Guy

Really sad they retired those planes.

Didn't the SR71 set speed records on the day it retired?

If you have never seen his entire presentation take a look. It's about an hour long but worth your time.




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wigZsFypdyI

I've watched that whole presentation a half dozen times and it never gets old. Definitely worth your time.

It was a cool plane. Remember seeing one at the Dayton air show long ago. They had it roped off with guys with M-16's guarding it.

Interesting fact was that although it was shot at with sam missiles a few times, it was never shot down. However, I believe that half the fleet had crashed on their own do to how fragile it was.
Having an unstart in one of the engines at speed would cause the plane to rip in half.

My son-in-laws grandpa flew them. He sometimes volunteers at the Air Museum in Dayton, where he lives.
I called him and asked him to take a bunch of us on a tour of the museum. I had been to there before, but with him as a guide, it all was 100 times better.
He said when they would get new gloves to fly those in, the gloves would have fuzz on them and they would just touch the fuzz to the cover on the cock pit and they fuzz would melt off.
When asked what the top speed of those were,
he said it was still top secret and he could not divulge it. But, I gathered that 2000 was not top speed.

Absolutely awesome. Thanks for posting.

That was awesome thanks for posting.

I love them. Gramps was an aerospace engineer, I got so many posters of them and all the planes as a kid. That one was always one of my favorites though. Such a pretty bird, nothing like her.

Here's a pic of the one at Udvar-Hazy my GF took, one of my favorite pictures she's taken.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Skins2881,

Cool video. Haven't seen that version before - thanks for posting.

As mentioned above, spending an hour or so watching Brian Shul's presentation is well worth your time. He makes you feel as if you're in the cockpit alongside him.

Michael

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TMats:
This story is from Maj. Brian Shul (USAF ret.), SR-71 pilot. It's funny

That was the best story I have heard in a long time.
Thanks.

PC

Had to post again... I just watched the whole hour long presentation. Lying here in pain after my third major back surgery, I guess it kinda puts things into perspective. It's hard not to feel better after watching and taking it in.

Really glad to read that it made you feel better, d-f. Hope you're up and around soon--and pain free.

I wasn't able to determine who did such a wonderful of putting together the video to accompany Major Shul's presentation. They sure did a wonderful job though.

I have heard that story many times, and read it in his book, but that telling of it is so much better!

"...a 12-year-old grabbed the mike..." ...and I lost it! I'll have to explain my outburst of laughter to my girlfriend, but she won't understand.

Just spent the last hour watching the Lawrence Livermore Lab video. Fantastic! Thank you for posting it.

Thank you for posting this. I found it very much worth watching his whole presentation. Incredible story. I was always a fan of the aircraft, I am grateful for this man's service and his efforts to preserve some of the history of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks to both of you for posting.

That story is a legend in pilot circles, but it was great hearing it from the pilot himself.