Looking for SR 71 BLACK BIRD STORY.

[gmanlight]

Read a story writtin by a pilot about flying a SR 71 and getting shot at with SAMS .

Read it on this forum a few years back. Great read.
Can anyone point me to it. Thanks.

 

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[FreedomUIC]

I would think that story might be made up. Sams at an SR-71? That bird flies so high and so fast that there isn't a SAM in the world
that could close to hitting it.

 

[Seadog72]

Here's one link to the story: The Famous SR-71 SAM Outrun Story | The Insomnia Sessions

Yes, we all know that the Blackbird could out fly a SAM, freedomuic, but apparently you forgot to tell your buddy Muammar...

 

[BDinutah]

Seadog, that's a great story, I believe it's correct, just because north Vietnam & Libya were slinging missiles doesn't mean they were going to hit anything, they didn't think a U2 could be shot down until it happened, things happen.

 

[piegrande]

That was a cool story. Loved it.

 

[cazisme]

A drunk or forgetfull mechanic shot one done with a wrench left in the ac duct over Oroville Pilot did'nt make it. Mechanic latter recieved dishonorable discharge I believe. It was about 15 -20 years ago.

 

[Seadog72]

BDinutah - I agree with your assessment. That's the point I was trying to make. People take stand off ranges or weapons capabilities for granted all the time. I guess all the SAMs fired at the coalition in Iraq is a good example. If you've ever looked at a radar screen, it doesn't say "that's an SR-71". If radar displayed types of planes, maybe that plane in Ukraine wouldn't have been shot down.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

While in Air force stationed on Kadena AFB in late 60's we had both SR-71 and U-2s on base. My job was developing and scoring the film taken from these planes. I was also able to watch them take off and land many times...... Watching the SR-71 take off was a treat..

 

[JrMack]

was at mindenhall afb England couple days 1982,,got close and personal tour by a fellow security police---just before leaving hanger---------seen fuel plane take off 10 min before sr71-----pretty cool at 100 feet away on take off

 

[Sir Gala Clad]

I was also able to watch the SR-71 (blackbird) aka habu land and take off, often.

One takeoff of the SR-71 at an airshow was spectacular as this agile aircraft did a low altude roll at an airshow in front of the crowd while departing on a mission. It was a last minute substitution for either the blue angels (iirc) or the thunderbirds whose demonstration had to be cancelled. It was a magnificant sight, I don't remember hearing anyone complain about the cancellation. a more somber event was seeing the last flight of an SR-71, when it landed on the runway in back of the Air Force Museum at Dayton Ohio, before I retired.

While in Air force stationed on Kadena AFB in late 60's we had both SR-71 and U-2s on base. My job was developing and scoring the film taken from these planes. I was also able to watch them take off and land many times...... Watching the SR-71 take off was a treat..

 

[Seadog72]

Every time I'm in DC, and I have time, always check out the Blackbird at the Smithsonian. It's so cool. All of the Smithsonian museums in DC are free - you'd think more people would take advantage of that but they're always full of foreign tourists who have no respect for America and our way of life.

 

[motel6.5]

I was attached to PACAF command,after returning from Korea 1968 as a security policeman, back to Hickam AFB I crosstrained into photography, worked at the base photo lab as a roveing photographer and a lab technicition.
We developed lots of hot film flown in from Vietnam,worked 24hrs sometimes.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I worked as photo interpreter for Air Force Intelligence. We had our on labs, we developed and printed all our own film. I loved it and learned a lot. We were allowed to use the lab to develops our personal film so I experimented a lot, stationed in Okinawa I had access to Canon, Nikon and other high dollar cameras at extremely cheap prices as the exchange rate on the Yen highly favored the US dollar then.

I developed, printed and interpreted film from SR-71, U-2, B-52, F-4, as well as other fighters, Huey gun ships and even satellites, the early satellites would drop their film in canisters towards earth and retrieve them as they floated on parachutes towards earth with airplanes before they reached the ground.

Since we were allowed to develop and print our own film I learned a lot about photography then.... Used to buy my own black and white film in 100 ft rolls and roll the film into my own 35 mm canisters. Color was too expensive then for me to buy in 100 ft rolls by myself on my military pay so would split the costs with my coworkers..

Those were good days...[emoji1] [emoji106]

 

[motel6.5]

We had 35m/2.1/4-3/14 formatt,Graphflex large formatt with detachable flash,Polaroid,camrea"s. As film arrived in I would always print a extra copy for myself if I liked the content. Always asked my boss Srgt. Miller if I could take it. Had to have a secret/top secret clearance to work in the lab, I had both from my previous job where I worked around Nukes,and other strange electronic places. I also worked base Projectionest at times showing propaganda films to new recruits. I was assigned to Apollo 13 when it toured Hickam, and President Nixon when he stopped at Hickam. I met a couple of Airman,who told me they guarded a Hanger at a other base that had a Flying saucer and dead Alien bodies inside. ...Best Days of My Life.










\

 

[motel6.5]

Photos go with my comments above.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

We had 35m/2.1/4-3/14 formatt,Graphflex large formatt with detachable flash,Polaroid,camrea"s. As film arrived in I would always print a extra copy for myself if I liked the content. Always asked my boss Srgt. Miller if I could take it. Had to have a secret/top secret clearance to work in the lab, I had both from my previous job where I worked around Nukes,and other strange electronic places. I also worked base Projectionest at times showing propaganda films to new recruits. I was assigned to Apollo 13 when it toured Hickam, and President Nixon when he stopped at Hickam. I met a couple of Airman,who told me they guarded a Hanger at a other base that had a Flying saucer and dead Alien bodies inside. ...Best Days of My Life.










\

My clearance was Top Secret SIOP ESI, your probably one of few who may know what that meant, although it can still be looked up.

I was able to fly on the B-52s many times.....

 

[motel6.5]

I don"t recall all those designations. I was authorized to about 10 various levels of access. Somewhere I have a card with my photo and the access levels with signatures of Air Force officers who gave me the unescourted entrys.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I don"t recall all those designations, my pass had about 10 different levels of areas I could enter without escourt. Some were rooms attached to Cape Canaveral, S.A.C., and other Commands. Their were rooms that were filled with electronics from floor to ceiling. Others were probably listening posts that had nothing but reel to reel recorders. Some were hangers with highly classified level civilian workers, and bunkers with Nuke weapons. When a Russian ship docked at Pearl Harbor with engine trouble, I was invited by a Navel Intelligence officer I knew to take a tour.The barracks I lived in on Hickam A.F.B. had bullet holes in the outside walls from the WW2 Japanese attack.
I flew in C130"s and C131 aircraft. I have photos of Russian spy ships,captured Vietnamese weapons,B52"s Bombing and dropping Agent Orange,Jeeps,etc.etc..The movie Apoco. Now drove me crazy I could not sleep for
weeks.End Of Rant.

Only areas I could not enter with out an escort was crypto.

SIOP-ESI meant Single Integrated Operational Plan - Extremely Sensitive Information... It was the United States general plan for nuclear war from 1961 to 2003....

 

[OldWest]

I really enjoyed reading these firsthand accounts about the SR-71. At one time I was a crew member of a Nike-Hercules missile battalion operations center in Germany. I believe the capabilities of the missile (SAM) were significant enough to either take out the Blackbird or at least give it a headache. I may be slightly biased. Blazing Skies!

On a more serious note, the aircraft is quite impressive. Here in Kansas, at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, they have an SR-71 hanging from the ceiling at an angle. I have been nose to nose with it. It is VERY COOL. The Cosmosphere has a website for those interested, and it is a great place to visit with many fine artifacts.

Living outside of Wichita, I have watched planes in the sky for decades now. I found it ironic that instead of flying I would learn how to shoot planes down. I lived on a small AF post and always gave the few AF pilots a hard time, like "We been watching you." and stuff. We even tracked cars on a road 10 miles away just for fun. Lots of laughs, and good old times. It was hard work, far from home, stressful and dangerous at times (perimeter guard). I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Soviet Union and China wouldn't accuse US of illegal flights over their territory because the didn't want to admit they couldn't shoot the Black Bird down..