SR-71 Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft served as the basis for the development of the SR-71, also referred to as the “Blackbird” or long-range,…
The A-4 CAS missions flown during the siege of Khe Sanh The 1968 Tet Offensive was part of a larger communist attack that mostly failed, despite being primarily a land…
When talking about the Lockheed Blackbird family, probably the most frequently asked Blackbird question is: How fast does it really fly? It is well known that the SR-71 Blackbird spy…
Cold War
How an ex-naval aviator, with his helicopter running low on fuel, was able to locate the aircraft carrier at night without any electronic transmission
‘On one (and only one) mission, however, I and my crew were fearful of running out of fuel and having to ditch,’ Vernon Wright, former Naval Aviator. The embarked aircraft…
Cold War
When a Tomcat went inverted a few feet above the ground after takeoff and both flaps and slats failed
‘Out of control, I reached for the “D” ejection handle between my legs. I grasped it but did not pull it, as I realized that being inverted, the ejection would…
The A-12 Oxcart was a super-secret, single-seater spy plane and was more secret and much rarer than the SR-71. The SR-71 was actually developed from the A-12. It is well known that the…
‘The Phantom was one of those planes where it seemed the faster it went, the faster it wanted to go, and the Hornet was not,’ said Travis Brannon, a former…
‘“Where are you, Hey Joe?” ‘“On your nose for three miles.” ‘Peering up through the eyebrow windows, two Tomcats roll inverted on their backs and pull as hard as they…
Cold War
The CIA injected the first pilot who bailed from the A-12 program with sodium pentothal after the crash for interrogation
Ken Collins appeared to be very drunk as the sodium pentothal was still in his system. His wife Jane was a very understanding woman, her husband couldn’t offer any explanation…
The SR-71 Blackbird made the trans-Atlantic flight to be featured in the Farnborough Air Show as a static display. This marked the first time the Mach 3+ spy plane was…
