US Navy pilot owned...

Reminds me of this other "true story":


Actual radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations, 10-10-95.

#1: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision

#2: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to South to avoid a collision

#1: This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

#2: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course

#1: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ENTERPRISE, WE ARE A LARGE WARHSIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!

#2: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

Originally Posted by tricky

Its actually (turdus) turdus merula.

As with most animal classifications the genus is repeated as the first part of the species name.

The genus turdus is actually robins (blackbirds and thrushes are the same family) and covers about 50 different species of birds.

damn that's my new years resolution not to be a pedantic git broken

You know how to put an end to poking fun at H*ndas don't ya?

Okay give me Black Poplar (native)

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

The fuel was actually slightly gell-like for the SR-71 to try and minimise leakage when on the ground. They also can't get out of the things for like 2hrs or summin after they land as the fuselage is so hot they have to wait for it to cool down a bit!!!

As for the original post, its a good story, but I doubt it is true for a whole bunch of reasons!!

Not too sure about that as IIRC the camera packs were removed almost before it stopped rolling.
it was also met and refueled by KC135 tankers before landing

Originally Posted by Vfr400

Not too sure about that as IIRC the camera packs were removed almost before it stopped rolling.
it was also met and refueled by KC135 tankers before landing

Dunno about the camera packs, but they would be held underneath??? and presumably removable by machine??!

As for the can't get out for a coupla hours, perhaps we should look into it to validate it, but its just one of them little facts I picked up as a kid (like the Gel fuel). My dad was/is a keen plane enthusiast and we spent many a summer day going round airshows ... and obviously as a boy I was very interested in the SR-71 so cool facts like that stuck!!!

I dont think the aircraft would be that hot after landing, its going to have been subsonic for a good while previous to that, as it would take a while to decelerate from Mach 3 down to say 200Kts for it to land... thus would have had ample time to cool down.. plus it wouldnt matter anyway, they have ladders brought to the aircraft to climb out, so they wouldnt really have to clamber on the aircraft itself anyway...

plus the pilot from the X-15 never had to wait to climb out.. and that went a tad faster than a Blackbird to say the least...

After a quick bit of Google-FU - http://www.marchfield.org/sr71a.htm

{snip}

Heat generated during flight can reach over 1000 degrees F. temperatures that cause the fuselage to expand in flight. After landing, ground crews cannot go near the aircraft for over 30 minutes. Once the plane has cooled, it literally seeps fuel on the ground until it flies again. The flight crew wears special self- contained space suits to protect them during flight and to ensure survival during a high altitude ejection. Temperatures inside the cockpit reach 200 degrees and 550 degrees on the windscreen. To heat their food they simply held it against the windscreen. A pair of complete suits cost approximately $185,000.

The fuel was very stable and not likely to catch fire.
Said you could put a match in a bucket of the fuel and it would go out!!!

They could never seal the fuel tanks at low temps because it has to seal at high temps. And this is why it leaked.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

Temperatures inside the cockpit reach 200 degrees and 550 degrees on the windscreen. To heat their food they simply held it against the windscreen.

Hang on... So they have to wear spacesuits as the air temp's approaching boiling point, but they heat their food on the screens then eat it... How? Am I being dense?

Originally Posted by northwind

Hang on... So they have to wear spacesuits as the air temp's approaching boiling point, but they heat their food on the screens then eat it... How? Am I being dense?

bloody quick i would think and what a crapper if they wanted a salad

Originally Posted by northwind

Hang on... So they have to wear spacesuits as the air temp's approaching boiling point, but they heat their food on the screens then eat it... How? Am I being dense?

Ever been in a sauna?? Its dry heat, not water they are in ... 93dec C is quite plausable ... the Sauna down my gym sits at ~110deg C ... so can imagine taking lid off and eating at 93DegC isn't a big problem ... I'd want to put my space lid back on after a while to cool off mind