Spy Planes

I glanced over this thread and didnt see Hill AFB in Ogden Ut mentioned. There is a SR-71 on display there in the museum.

 

There's a beautifully restored Do-335 at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (near Washington Dulles International Airport-IAD). It's my favorite plane in the whole place and I'm always amazed by how big it is.

Best,
Tom

PS There's an A-12 outside the entrance to the San Diego Air & Space Museum, opposite a Convair YF2Y-1 Seadart (of all things!)

 

I believe I read that this Do-335 is the only one left in the world - and most probably so is the SeaDart as only about 3 were ever built and one was lost.

 

The Sea Dart is a very neat plane to look at, that is the only one I have seen around. I don't think the Naval Flight Museum in Pensacola has one..... Lots of SRs around though.

Just off the top of my head I have seen:

A-12 at Boeing museum in Seattle
SR at Evergreen museum in Oregon
SRs of several varieties at Edwards AFB
A-12 in San Diego
SR long tail at AF Armament museum at Eglin

 

Yes. Several, as a matter of fact. Gary Powers was the only U-2 shot down by the Soviet Union though, and was most frustrating because it was scheduled to be the last U-2 flight over the Soviet Union...ever.

I suggest anyone interested in this stuff to read "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich. It's a history of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works and goes through the design and development of the U-2, SR-71 and F-117 and it provides a bunch of accounts from people besides Ben Rich (successor of Kelly Johnson) involved in those programs as well (pilots, engineers, etc). Very interesting stuff, and it is really incredible what they were capable of before all of the bureaucratic red tape got into the defense industry.

 

It would most certainly have been public. Also, there was not a missile or plane in existence that was capable of shooting down an SR-71 while it was operational. The Soviets launched hundreds if not thousands of SAMs at them without ever coming close.

 

Here is a good SR-71 story, some of you may have read before..certainly one of my favorites:

Written by Brian Schul - former sled (SR-71 Blackbird) driver

There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the
fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of
this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun
to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to
describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there
was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it
was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We
needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain
Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the
century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was
performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we
were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because
we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a
great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping
across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see
the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after
many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet.

I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There
he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us,
tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice
for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority
transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult,
too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire
flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part
of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I
still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground,
however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my
expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been
honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest
radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed
me that luxury.

Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the
radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him.
The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below
us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on
their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and
normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their
airspace.

We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for
a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: "November Charlie 175,
I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground."

Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether
they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One,
they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone
that made one feel important. I referred to it as the " Houston Center
voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on
this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct
voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since
then wanted to sound like that, and that they basically did.
And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in,
it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that
tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots
everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure
that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least
like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.

Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on
frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. "I
have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed." Boy, I
thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna
brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore
came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because
he sounded very cool on the radios. "Center, Dusty 52 ground speed
check". Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty
52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why
is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is
making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave
knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today,
and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his
new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with
more distinct alliteration than emotion: "Dusty 52, Center, we have
you at 620 on the ground."

And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand
instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that
Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done -
in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be
lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our
Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew
and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity
of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.

Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside
his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from
the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had
become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke:
"Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?"
There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday
request. "Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and
forty-two knots, across the ground."

I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate
and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation,
and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I
knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long
time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most
fighter-pilot-like voice: "Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing
closer to nineteen hundred on the money."

For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in
the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A.came back with, "Roger
that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You
boys have a good one."

It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable
sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal
airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and
more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a
crew. A fine day's work. We never heard another transmission on that
frequency all the way to the coast.

For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

 

That book is not a great read at all.......there's really no interesting stuff except for the HAWK battery initial stealth fighter test bit and the rest is very boring IMHO.

Brian Schul's SR-71 book is much better.

 

Thanks,what a wonderful story. I can just see the wide ass grins on all involved.

 

Hey Alex,

That was a fantastic story!!! I could actually imagine the smile on the ATC's face while trying to keep his "Houston Control" voice. That is classic. The Mid-Atlantic Region of the FCA spent the day at the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, VA on Saturday 7/11. I took this picture of an SR-71.

For more pics of the museum and some of the artifacts on display check out this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249950

Bill
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I think the Black Bird is one of the most incredible planes. I saw the one on display at the Boeing Musuem in the Seattle area and that was very cool. Also walked on board of the original Air Force One that Kennedy and Nixon flew on. That was really cool also.

 

That story made me smile and laugh. Good stuff.

 

A friend of mine was a fueler in the airforce back in the 60's/70's. He spent some time in the Pacific, Okinawa if I remember, and the SR-71 was based there. He said they were in stored in their bunkers with MP's around the perimeter. He would bring the fuel truck up, and there was a line painted on the tarmac. He would drop the hose at the line and then someone would come out and take it into the SR-71 while he waited at the fuel truck. When they were done, they would bring the hose back and he would then pick the fuel hose up and place it back in the truck. Said he didn't have enough security clearance to go inside the painted line.
Also told me another interesting story about the Pueblo and when it was taken hostage by Korea. Said this game of cat and mouse had been going on for a while and they just got caught. So a week goes by and they sent another spy ship into Korean waters deeper than the Pueblo. They also had F-4's on the line with crew in seat armed nuclear just waiting for the order to take off once this ship was taken as well. When that didn't happen they were given the order to stand down.

 

are you saying what I think you're saying? that they had a bait ship sent out to be captured as a prelude to nuking N Korea?

holy f.

something tells me, the Soviets knew about this and told them to not touch that other ship unless they wanted to be turned into a parking lot.

 

That is what exactly he said. He relayed that when the Pueblo was taken they scrambled fighters up but they never were given the order to take back the ship. So a week later they sent the second ship in and made sure it went in far deeper in Korea's territorial waters so they would be no excuse for them not to try and take this one. Only problem is that the North Koreans didn't bite. He said on the flight line were all the F-4's they could put up, armed nuclear with the crews waiting in the seats. (He said he along with others were never so busy since they had to fuel all those planes in a short time span to get them ready to go.) When the ship was not so much as bothered, and it stayed in their waters sailing around and around, finally it was ordered to leave the area then the crews of the F-4's were told to stand down. In retrospect, I guess we would not have any issues with Kim if they had been allowed to perform their duties. Just think of how the world would have changed...

 

Great story, I've seen it posted a bunch of times... BUT

There is one small detail wrong with it, Brian never heard the Cessna or the Beech driver.

They are on civil frequencies and the military planes are on military frequencies. The controller can hear both all the time, and he can "shotgun" broadcast on both civil and military frequencies at the same time, but the F18 and the SR-71 can't hear the Cessna and Beech, and they can't hear him.....

So all Brian could have heard is Center reading the speeds (which is possible if the controller was broadcasting on both), but never heard the shaky voice of the Cessna driver or the "superior tone" of the Beech driver. Not to say it didn't happen that way, but the only person who heard it all was the controller, and for sure the F-18 jock got his comeuppance,

 

During my career in the force, I was a crew/line chief for many years at Alconbury RAF England and back at Beale AFB CA, on the U-2/TR-1 aircraft and have many fun info stories from those times!!! Kelly Johnson was a genius in simplicity, and we always had Lockheed company reps around because so many maintenance issues didn't follow the "norm" or could be fixed like regular jet aircraft, for instance normally a panel screw should be long enough to protrude two threads through a nut plate because they are slightly tapered, but on a U-2 the screw could be just long enough to end up even to the nutplate, I know this sounds petty but with thousands of panel screws used here and there, weight is being saved by not having those two extra threads and on a U-2 less weight = more altitude!! this is just the tip of the iceburg, Boy I miss those good times and fine troops, Later Otter

 

I used to go to some great air shows at Alconbury when i was younger, i drove past only a couple of days ago as i dont live too far away. My brother still has a piece of the canopy of a Harrier that crash landed there

 

I like extra aircraft parts, they all have a story, but I also have special memories of Alconbury and the surrounding area, I lived in a small village called Warmington, played father Christmas for a couple years (in a groto made by the village woman) we had one pub and when the owner installed two TV sets the village kicked up such a fit, called it a poofed up bordello LOL, many homes had the thatched roofs and when I dressed as an executioner for halloween its the most action theyed seen in a long time and I was named "that crazy American" since I had a "fancy American Mower"(hand push John Deer) I would go ahead and catch a couple of the old widows yards when I was doing mine anyway and they loved this and would drop off the most excellent lemon curd (bread spread) you ever tasted, My family and I loved Warmington and its people and hopefully left positive feelings about bloody Americans when we moved on!!!! Otter

 

Yes, you can talk to controllers on UHF but in my experience flying for the military it is preferable to use VHF with civilian controllers. It's a good thing for other traffic to hear you and know what you are up to, you might try UHF if the VHF sucks but that is about it.

 

You ever run into Niel Jensen at Beale?

 

After a minute the name seems familiar but can't quite lock on, I ended up retiring as First Sergeant for AFCOMAC in 95 at Beale

 

I think he would have been there then. He left in about 2000. In U2'S. Big tall slow talking friendly blond headed guy from Minnesota. Probably not far below you in grade.

There was also a pilot named JJ. He was introduced to me as a U2 instructor pilot. Nice guy. Left the service in about 98 or 99.

 

Mark- In the olden days, AF fighters did not have VHF radios, including the F-4 and F-111, so it was all UHF. The Aardvark did carry an HF, too, but no use for ATC. The F-15 and F-16 carry both UHF and VHF, the latest models combined in one unit with Have Quick.

Taz
Terry Phillips