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aviation

No cockpit requires as much focus as a Habu’s

by Till Daisd December 22, 2023

“The SR-71 Blackbird knew when your eyes started to wander to the spectacle of earth from 85,000 feet; that’s when something would go wrong,” Curt Mason, owner of Project Habu website

The SR-71 Blackbird collected intelligence in some of the most dangerous environments in the world during its service. For almost 24 years, the SR-71 held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world. It could cover 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from 80,000 feet.

Because of the severe temperatures, altitudes, and speeds at which it was designed to operate, the SR-71 became the first aircraft built entirely of titanium, since the friction generated by air molecules passing on its surface at Mach 2.6 would have melted an aluminum frame. Its engineering was so advanced that new tools had to be created in order to build the SR-71.

The SR-71’s mission was to take pictures and detect electronic surveillance using its sensors to safely navigate near the enemy’s boundary. All of that and more were managed by the Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO).

Due to the Blackbird’s exceptional capabilities, “No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s, and in frustrating irony, no cockpit offers a better view,” says Curt Mason, owner of the Project Habu website who kindly shared the unique photos in this post with us.

“There was no time to look out the window. The plane knew when your eyes started to wander to the spectacle of earth from 85,000 feet; that’s when something would go wrong. There was much to monitor. The many “steam gauge” instruments reflect a bygone era, giving the pilot information ranging from heading to compressor inlet temperature, each dial representing a critically important system.

“Even though this cockpit was operated through 2,854 flight hours, it looks brand new. That’s because it was only ever flown using the gloved hands of a crew member wearing the essential high-altitude pressure suit. Every control is large enough to be adjusted with those bulky pressure suit gloves.

“You sit atop your throne, the SR-1 ejection seat, which carries a rare 100% success rate. To operate the circuit breakers, you must reach beside and behind your seat, outside your field of view, through the pressure suit helmet. To make sure you actuate the correct breaker, you count down the rows and columns by feel.”

Mason concludes;

“March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, is kind enough to display SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open. This gives us a rare peek inside the world of the Blackbird, allowing us to look inside something that was formerly top secret and reserved only for a privileged few crew members. These photos were captured using a camera extended into the cockpit via monopod. At no point did I or my equipment come in contact with the artifact.”

Photo by Curt Mason / Project Habu and U.S. Air Force

Check out Habubrats and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Facebook pages for further Blackbird photos and stories.

December 22, 2023 0 comment

History

This Japanese H8K flying boat that tried to collide with a US Navy PB4Y but crashed

by Till Daisd December 21, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Lt Graham Squires reduced power to avoid overshooting the flying boat, but as he was about to cross over the H8K, its pilot pulled his aircraft up sharply in an attempt to crash into the PB4Y

During World War II, air combats between large, four-engined aircraft were a comparatively rare occurrence. Allied and Axis bombers had few opportunities for such encounters, but there were clashes between maritime patrol aircraft. These aerial engagements are unique in the annals of air warfare. Patrol aircraft most often faced enemy single- and twin-engined fighters, but there were occasions when rival maritime machines encountered each other during their patrols.

According to Edward M. Young’s narrative in his book H6K “Mavis”/H8K “Emily” vs. PB4Y-1/2 Liberator/Privateer Pacific Theater 1943-45, the majority of these clashes occurred over the wide Pacific Ocean. Aggressive PB4Y Liberators, the US Navy’s name for the B-24, shot down 15 Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) Kawanishi H6K “Mavis” and H8K “Emily” flying boats without losing a single one between August 1943 and the end of the final combat in May 1945—a remarkable record.

These amazing pictures from December 30, 1944, show a H8K crashing after it was attacked and struck by a PB4Y’s guns.

That morning, while on patrol off Formosa, Lt. Graham Squires and his crew, flying a PB4Y from a VPB-117, saw a H8K. Squires and his crew were flying at 6,000 feet on a westerly course between two layers of cloud over the South China Sea, southwest of the southern tip of Formosa. When the top turret gunner alerted the aircraft to an “Emily” flying at its “three o’clock” position, about eighteen miles to the southeast, the PB4Y was just below the upper layer of clouds.

On December 30, 1944, Lt. Graham Squires and his crew from VPB‑117 engaged an “Emily” southwest of southern Formosa. The PB4Y‑1’s search radar had been used to locate the flying boat in the cloud. The Liberator’s
gunners set the H8K’s No. 3 engine on fire, and possibly the
No. 2 engine as well. (80G‑311301, RG80, NARA)

Squires quickly climbed into the clouds to avoid being spotted by the flying boat. Making effective use of the cloud layer, Squires had closed the range to just six miles when the “Emily” crew spotted the approaching PB4Y. The flying boat immediately turned and headed back in the direction of Formosa, with Squires in pursuit, diving into the lower cloud layer to escape. The radar operator on board the PB4Y quickly found the “Emily” on his AN/APS 15 radar scope and directed Squires toward the enemy aircraft, which had descended below the lower cloud layer and dived down toward the ocean, pulling out at 150ft. Squires closed the range and leveled off above the H8K at 200ft.

Although the PB4Y was still out of 0.50 cal range, the “Emily’s” dorsal and tail 20mm turret gunners opened fire but scored no hits on the Liberator. Coming in quickly, the PB4Y’s bow turret gunner shot out the dorsal turret, then set the No. 3 engine on fire. The top turret gunner also hit the “Emily” moments later. Squires reduced power to avoid overshooting the flying boat, but as he was about to cross over the H8K, its pilot pulled his aircraft up sharply in an attempt to crash into the PB4Y. Squires slammed the throttles forward and pulled the Liberator up and over the “Emily,” missing the Japanese aircraft by just 25ft.

The mortally wounded H8K, from the 801st Kokutai, fell away to starboard and crashed into the ocean.

H6K “Mavis”/H8K “Emily” vs PB4Y-1/2 Liberator/Privateer is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by NARA

December 21, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

When a F-4 pilot had diarrhea on board his Phantom II over North Vietnam

by Till Daisd December 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘When he later returned to the ship after his mission, he spent a long time cleaning his cockpit seat after he had abandoned his flight suit and showered, of course,’ John Chesire, former US Navy F-4 Phantom II pilot

A common and serious medical condition that afflicted numerous U.S. troops in Vietnam was diarrhea. Jet jockeys were less likely to get it than helicopter pilots and others flying props off mainland airbases, especially those operating out of Thailand or carriers who only picked it up during in-country R&R.

If you had it, you wouldn’t laugh about it, and the people they served with were more understanding.

What is it like to have diarrhea in the cockpit as a fighter pilot?

John Chesire, former US Navy F-4 Phantom II pilot, recalls on Quora;

‘TINS (This is no s**T)

‘A good friend of mine and a highly decorated pilot launched in an F-4 for a strike mission over North Vietnam. I was down in the ship’s CIC listening to the strike radio. Shortly after launch, my friend contacted the ship, stating he had to abort the mission and go land at Da Nang. The ship wanted to know the nature of his ‘emergency’ to which he replied as “personal.” Eventually, he was granted permission to abort his mission and proceed to Da Nang.

‘Then shortly thereafter, he called the ship again. He said he was not now going to Da Nang. It was “too late.” He was now continuing on his mission. When he later returned to the ship after his mission, he spent a long time cleaning his cockpit seat, after he had abandoned his flight suit and showered of course.’

Chesire concludes;

‘Never happened to me, but came close once or twice. Stuff happens.’

Photo by U.S. Navy

December 20, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

Soviet Tu-16 Badger bomber buzzing the USS Essex aircraft carrier before crashing into the sea

by Till Daisd December 19, 2023

written by Till Daisd

After making four passes over the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex, a wing of the Tu-16 Badger clipped the sea on the final pass, resulting in a crash that left no survivors

Colonel Andrey Pliyev’s Soviet Air Force Tu-16 Badger-F buzzed the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) in the Norwegian Sea on May 25, 1968. After four passes, a wing of the Tu-16 clipped the sea, causing it to crash without any survivors. Parts of three bodies were recovered by the US.

According to the video in this article, the bomber appears to vanish into the sunny haze of the horizon following the initial low flyby, but it later reappears. And as it does so, it seems to slow down as it soars further lower. Because it is flying so slowly and low, it seems to be nearly parallel to the carrier’s deck as it passes.

At the 27-second mark, the video pauses, maybe to indicate the point where something went wrong. The Tu-16 banks up and vanishes momentarily once more into the haze but in the opposite direction. It comes back into view, flying perpendicular to the aircraft carrier on the horizon this time. The video then cuts to show the sailors and airmen on the carrier’s deck, obviously focused on what’s happening at sea. A column of heavy, dark smoke is visible in the distance.

A second Tu-16 can be seen flying around at the end, presumably trying to figure out what happened to the other plane.

Former USS Essex crew member Stephen Garbarini was present at the accident. He recalls: ‘I was there on the flight deck. I was an aircraft electrician in VS 34. I remember him coming over the flight deck from starboard to port, flying a couple hundred yards, and appeared to have stalled, hitting his starboard wing tip, cartwheeling, and exploding. We were launching planes and had helos up as plane guards; they went right over to the crash site to see if they could help to no avail.’

Another ex-USS Essex crew member recalls: ‘I was there and watched the entire thing while working on the flight deck. I was a helicopter mechanic in HS-9 at the time. When it overflew the flight deck, you could feel the heat and smell at jet exhaust. After the flight deck overfly (starboard to port), he continued to fly away from the ship at low level. He gained a little altitude and started to make a left turn, leveled back out, lost altitude, and just when it looked like he was going to make a controlled ditching his left wing dipped and hit the water, and then he cartwheeled in a ball of flame.. Our helicopters were in the air already and made a beeline for the crash, hovered in the smoke but no one survived.’

Footage from The National Archives in Washington.

December 19, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The F-4 pilot that outran an F/A-18 Hornet and zoomed in at 82,125 feet per minute

by Till Daisd December 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘When the Hornet maxed out at Mach 1.6 (didn’t make its max), I was approaching Mach 2 and closing rapidly,’ Travis Brannon former F-4 Phantom II pilot with the US Navy

To replace the F-4 Phantom II and A-7 Corsair II, the US Navy created a multi-mission aircraft after the Vietnam War that could do air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. The lightweight craft chosen was the YF-17 because of its adaptability to aircraft carrier operations. In collaboration with Northrop, McDonnell Douglas built the F/A-18 Hornet strike aircraft. The US Marines and US Navy, respectively, were the recipients of the initial aircraft. USS Constellation (CV-64) received the first Hornets to be deployed in 1985.

Positive fleet reports emerged early on, showing that the Hornet was incredibly dependable—a significant improvement over its F-4 predecessor.

However, the legendary Phantom II, with its top speeds exceeding twice the speed of sound, was still faster than the then-new Hornet, as Travis Brannon, a former F-4 pilot with the US Navy, recalls on Quora.

‘When the F/A-18 was being developed at Pax River, Maryland, every flight had a plane with them whose mission was “safety chase”, in case there was an issue with the Hornet and support and/or SAR were needed.

‘I was assigned a safety chase in an F-4 because the mission was to verify that the Hornet could go from Mach 0.9 to its max speed of Mach 1.8 in the amount of time McDonnell Douglas had promised.

‘We started at 50, 000 feet at Mach 0.9, and on signal, both of us went to full afterburner. The Hornet was able to initially out-accelerate me and pull ahead by about a quarter of a mile. However, 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.

‘When the Hornet maxed out at Mach 1.6 (didn’t make its max), I was approaching Mach 2 and closing rapidly. Just as I was about to even with him, the Hornet pilot, who was responsible for navigating, started a hard left turn without warning.

‘A fighter pilot, when faced with an overshoot, instinctively pulls his nose up to trade airspeed for altitude and decrease the amount of overshoot, so I did that as I started my turn to the left with him. At about 45 degrees nose-high, I realized that since I was nearly going Mach 2, my vertical speed was Mach 1.4. I looked at my altimeter, and the big needle was actually spinning. I was climbing at 82,125 feet per minute!

‘I rolled inverted to stop my climb at 62,500 feet, but not before I noticed I could now see two horizons, both remarkably curved. One was the normal one we all see at the beach: blue-green ocean and robin-egg blue, but the second one was robin-egg blue below, and the most spectacular, dark, iridescent blue of space. So lucky to have seen it!’

Brannon concludes:

‘I would have had to shut the engines down at 75,000 feet to prevent them from overheating. That would have caused me to lose my cockpit pressure and since I was not in a pressure suit, I have blown up like a toad, instant pulmonary edema, and probably death.’

Photo by U.S. Navy

December 18, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

RAF didn’t buy the Tomcat despite the F-14 being the only aircraft meeting UK’s defense needs.

by Till Daisd December 17, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The possibility of acquiring an RAF F-14 Tomcat was considered. Purchasing used models from the US Navy or possibly Iran could have been one way to reduce the bill

The development of Soviet long-range patrol and bomber aircraft during the Cold War required a fleet defense fighter capable of engaging high-altitude bombers that were well beyond visual range. Grumman’s response was the F-14 Tomcat. With the long-range AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missiles mounted on them, F-14s were able to engage enemy targets more than 90 miles away. Grumman created the F-14’s extremely efficient variable-sweep wing, which allowed it to fly at a variety of airspeeds, in response to the need for an interceptor to be able to go at a high speed while carrying this heavy ordnance.

Several countries had evaluated the F-14 Tomcat by the late 1970s, but none of these evaluations led to a sale. Considering the aircraft as a substitute for the F-15 Eagle, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Japan all chose the McDonnell Douglas fighter with a single seat.

The F-14 was in widespread use by the US Navy and was also in limited service in Iran, so the Grumman fighter’s story was probably going to be dull as it lacked the F-4 Phantom’s remarkable sales and variants.

According to Doug Richardson’s narrative in his book Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) was once considered a possible customer. The British MoD considered the F-14, F-15, and F-16 in response to the growing expenses of the proposed Tornado Air Defense Variant (ADV). It concluded that only the F-14 would meet Britain’s defense needs; the F-15 lacked the two-seat cockpit and facilities required for interception in the face of massive ECM, and the F-16 was simply too small. Tornado appeared to be the better option, especially considering the estimated cost of Tomcat.

An additional issue was the ADV project’s sluggish timescale. In the late 1970s, less than 100 fighters were defending the UK; one newspaper put it this way: “The Few have never been fewer.” The British Press seemed surprised by the minuscule size of the UK’s run-down defenses. Maybe they believed that the lengthy series of defense “reviews,” which is a polite way of saying “cuts,” that governments had imposed on the British armed services were merely theoretical exercises.

The possibility of purchasing an RAF Tomcat was discussed once more. Purchasing used ones from the US Navy or possibly Iran would have been one way to reduce the cost. Inquiries were made, but the MoD was keen to dismiss these as unauthorized, and the work of low-level officers once appeared on the pages of the daily newspapers. A few weeks later, Grumman asked the defense editor of Flight International, a British weekly magazine, if he thought the RAF was interested in Tomcat, while at an airshow. The company had to decide if it would be worthwhile to invest a lot of time and energy to pursue a potential sale. ‘It’s funny you should ask me that—I was about to ask you the same question!’ he replied. ‘The fact that you are asking me answers it, I think.’

The RAF’s dire situation was front-page news for a while, but finally, it faded into obscurity. The “fighter gap” would only persist for a few more years as Tornado ADV would likely enter service in 1982 or even 1983. In 1979, a Conservative politician assured Richardson that there would be no slippage from the ADV timeline. The government would consider purchasing US fighters if Panavia was unable to deliver the goods on schedule. He may have believed that the threat to ‘buy US’ could be used to keep the ADV program up to speed, but that was not the case. Maintaining timescales is not something that Europe’s ailing aircraft manufacturers are very good at.

The only US fighters ordered in the interval were a batch of ex-US Navy F-4J Phantoms, which were brought into service to make up for the stationing of Spy-engined Phantoms in the Falklands following the 1982 battle with Argentina. By June 1985, Tornado was still not in squadron service.

Photo by Digital Combat Simulator and Cpl Paul Saxby Crown Copyright

December 17, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The SR-71 afterburner blowing apart during an air show

by Till Daisd December 16, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The main image in this post, taken at Andrews Air Force Base at an Air Show in May 1984, shows the SR-71 Blackbird #960 right afterburner blowing apart

The post’s main image, of an SR-71 #960 right afterburner blowing apart, was taken in May 1984 at an air show at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB), now known as Joint Base Andrews. Here are a few quotes taken from a May 14, 1984, Washington Post article.

‘A highly sophisticated Air Force spy plane that was on public display here Saturday caught fire yesterday as it took off from Andrews Air Force Base, authorities reported.

‘The pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird shut down the burning right engine of the high-altitude reconnaissance jet and brought the airplane, which carries a crew of two, safely back to the runway, an Andrews spokesman said.

‘[…] The cause of the fire could not be learned last night. Officials said that it will be investigated by the Air Force.

‘The plane has been here at least since Friday morning, according to an Andrews spokesman, but authorities said they did not know just when it arrived from Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, Calif., where it is attached to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. Although its missions and activities are still shrouded to a great extent in secrecy, the black-painted SR-71 was one of a number of aircraft parked on the ramp at Andrews Saturday for inspection at the air show, attended by an estimated 370,000 persons.

‘Visitors were permitted to approach to within about five feet of the needle-nosed 107-foot 5-inch long airplane, which has a wingspan of 55 feet 7 inches.

‘A spokesman for the Strategic Air Command, which operates the SR-71s, said the craft, manufactured by Lockheed, can fly “higher and faster than any other planes in our inventory.” He said they can climb to above 80,000 feet and reach three times the speed of sound.

‘The plane, said to carry a wide variety of information-gathering sensors along with cameras, was taking off shortly after noon yesterday when, according to a witness, the engine on its right side “burst into flames.”

As previously mentioned, Blackbird #960 (SR-71) was involved in the accident. Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) Butch Sheffield was informed by Kelly Johnson that the SR-71 was structurally unsound. This very identical airframe nearly crashed once before.

It was flown once in the 1970s by Butch Sheffield and Ben Bowles, and again in the 1980s by Dave Peters and Ed Bethart.

Then it had another accident in 1984. This SR-71 managed to avoid death three times. Currently, the 960 is visible from the outside of Castle Air Force Base in California.

Check out the Habubrats and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Facebook pages for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by John Olp shared by Mike Relja

December 16, 2023 0 comment

History

Legendary German ace Adolf Galland tells his last combat mission, and a P-47 pilot remembers the dogfight in which he shot Galland down

by Till Daisd December 15, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘A hail of fire enveloped me. I could hardly hold her in the air. I had only one wish: to get out of this ‘crate’ which now apparently was only good for dying in,’ Adolf Galland

One of the most important members of the Luftwaffe in World War II, Adolf Galland flew 705 combat missions and participated in both the Defense of the Reich and the Western Front. He was credited with 104 aerial victories, all against the Western Allies, and survived being shot down four times.

Galland commanded Germany’s fighter squadrons during the futile defense effort against Anglo-American bombing assaults in 1943–1944. He was dismissed of command in January 1945 despite his capable and resourceful leadership, since he was held responsible by Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler for the slow fall of the German air defenses in 1944. He was soon given permission to form Jagdverband 44, his own squadron of Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters.

Galland was about to fly his last mission with this unit. Indeed, as reported by Robert Forsyth in his book Me 262 Northwest Europe 1944–45, Galland’s aircraft was shot down on April 26, 1945. He took off from Riem at 11:30, leading a formation of 12 Me 262s from JV 44, all of which were carrying R4Ms, to combat B-26s from the 17th BG, which were aiming for the ammunition dump at Schrobenhausen and the recently evacuated jet base at Lechfeld.

Galland made the mistake of forgetting to flick off the second safety switch for the rockets as he approached the bombers, presumably due to the distraction of defensive fire, even though five Marauders were reported shot down. His aircraft was struck by machine gun fire as it moved through the bombers and started to trail smoke.

Just after midday, P-47s from the 27th and 50th FGs dived down from a higher altitude to help the Marauders, firing their machine guns as they pursued the rapidly dispersing aircraft. 1Lt James J. Finnegan led the 10th FS/50th FG’s “Green Flight.” He recalled:

‘I remember it well because it was the first time I saw operational jets. We had been briefed on them because they had been expected and used since October 1944. Yet, like a lot of intelligence we received in those times, nothing ever materialised.’

Finnegan was about to have a rude shock. Seconds earlier he had watched in astonishment as two ‘darts’ streaked through the bomber formation just as two Marauders exploded in flames, at which point the ‘darts’ broke away to the left and right, respectively.

‘Somebody yelled “Jet Bandits!” over the intercom’, Finnegan remembered. ‘There was no doubt in my mind what they were; I had never seen anything move that fast’.

He then spotted what appeared to be a damaged Messerschmitt:

‘I kept the ‘bandit’ that turned left in my sight and watched the bombers from my 11 o’clock position. I told my Flight I was going down after him, turned on my back in a split S manoeuvre and caught him in my gunsight. Although the Me 262 was a great deal faster than the Thunderbolt, nothing could out dive it, and I had the advantage of height. I pulled the big nose up so it obscured the jet, held the trigger for about a 1½–2 second burst, dropped the nose and saw strikes on the right wing root. The ship pulled abruptly left and disappeared in the clouds. I claimed an Me 262 as ‘damaged and probable’ and thought no more of it.’

Galland described how:

‘A hail of fire enveloped me. A sharp rap hit my right knee, the instrument panel with its indispensable instruments was shattered, the right engine was also hit – its metal covering worked loose in the wind and was partly carried away – and now the left engine was hit. I could hardly hold her in the air. I had only one wish: to get out of this ‘crate’ which now apparently was only good for dying in. But then I was paralysed by the terror of being shot while parachuting down. Experience had taught us that we jet fighter pilots had to reckon on this. I soon discovered that after some adjustments my battered Me 262 could be steered again and, after a dive through the layer of cloud, I saw the Autobahn below me. Ahead lay Munich and to the left, Riem. In a few seconds I was over the airfield. Having regained my self confidence, I gave the customary wing wobble and started banking to come in. It was remarkably quiet and dead below. One engine did not react at all to the throttle, and as I could not reduce it, I had to cut both engines just before the edge of the airfield. A long trail of smoke drifted behind me.’

The Me 262 bumped to a halt with a flat tyre as Galland threw open the canopy and clambered out awkwardly, just as Allied fighter bombers had begun a strafing run over Riem. He was about to fall into the ‘shelter’ of a bomb crater when he was welcomed by a timely mechanic riding a semi tracked Kettenkrad tow vehicle. The Generalleutnant limped gratefully over to it and the little vehicle rumbled off to safety with Galland trembling and shocked on the rear seat. It was, effectively, the end of his war, and JV 44 had only a few days of operations left.

Me 262 Northwest Europe 1944–45 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force, Noop1958 and German Federal Archive via Wikipedia

December 15, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The SR-71 Blackbird crew, who flew a mission to the North Pole the night before Christmas in order to spy on the Soviets

by Till Daisd December 14, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘The next morning as the family sat around the table having breakfast before school, I thought to myself, no one would believe where I was last night, the North Pole right before Christmas?,’ Colonel Richard Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird RSO

The SR-71, unofficially known as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on Dec. 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., in January 1966.

Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour.

Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), flew a night mission to the North Pole in 1969 on the eve of Christmas. This is the Night Before Christmas as told by a Habu.

Late In 1969, shortly after I was crewed with Bob Spencer, we were tasked to fly a night mission to the North Pole. Night missions were very rare in those days because of St. Martins crash (summer of 1967) at night when navigation system failed. We were one of the most experienced SR crews and we were told that the Russians were doing something with our submarines at night at a station they had built on the ice near the North Pole.

Butch-Sheffield-Pre-flight — Butch Sheffield Pre- flight

It was believed that our Side Looking, High Resolution Radar System could gain valuable intelligence by spying on the unsuspecting Russians in the middle of the night. I found out a few years ago what the Russians were doing, setting up acoustic sensors so they could track our submarines under the ice cape.

We launched from Beale at night, flew north to Alaska and refueled over the central part on a Northern heading. Once we were full of fuel, we lit the afterburners and climbed to about seventy five-thousand feet heading north to the ice station. The tanker was briefed to continue to fly north in case we lost an engine. There was no place to land and our emergency procedure was to turn around 180 degrees and do a head on rendezvous with the tanker on one engine.

As we departed Alaska heading North with the after burners blazing, I looked out the window at the barren land and ice. I could see well because of star light. We had no moon that night. The thought came to my mind, “this is really risky business,” and if anything goes wrong they will never find us. Nothing went wrong, I turned on the Side Looking Radar (SLR), looked at the location and took the images. Returned to Alaska and refueled from the tanker and returned to Beale.

The SLR had a great resolution plus the speed of the SR traveling three thousand feet per second caused the antenna to believe it was much longer. The SLR could image out to eighty miles to the side of the SR so if the site was manned they would not hear our sonic boom. The CIA found out that the station was not manned during the worst part of winter. When not manned, the CIA landed a few people by parachute to find out what was going on at the station. They found everything to include code books. The men were recovered by being snatched up into a low flying aircraft.

This event has been documented by book and a movie.

The night of the mission, the family had gone to bed at the regular time. I got out of bed, went to the flight line, flew the mission and returned home to the bed. The next morning as the family sat around the table having breakfast before school, I thought to myself, no one would believe where I was last night, the North Pole right before Christmas?

Check out the Habubrats Facebook page and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and NASA

December 14, 2023 0 comment

History

US Naval Aviator discusses why the A-4 Skyhawk wasn’t a very good fighter

by Till Daisd December 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘Yes, the A-4 Skyhawk was agile. However, it takes more than agility to make a good fighter,’ John Chesire, former US Naval Aviator and TOPGUN graduate

2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft were produced by Douglas between 1954 and 1979. Known by their loving nicknames, “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite, and Scooter were built small to be cheap and to fit more of them on a carrier. Skyhawks were maneuverable, powerful attack bombers with exceptional altitude and range capabilities and a unique degree of armament capability made available to the US Navy, Marines, and allied nations.

Furthermore, even though the legendary A-4 was intended to be a simple, light-weight Navy carrier attack aircraft, the Skyhawk performed a variety of tasks, including aerial refueling, nuclear strikes, and acting as an adversary aircraft. Why wasn’t the A-4 Skyhawk employed as a fighter during the Vietnam War since it was maneuverable enough to act as an adversary aircraft with the US Navy?

‘Yes, the A-4 Skyhawk was agile. However, it takes more than agility to make a good fighter,’ John Chesire, former US Naval Aviator and TOPGUN graduate, explains on Quora.

‘The A-4 was designed as an attack aircraft and not a fighter. Its forte was air-to-ground. It was never designed for the air-to-air role of a fighter. It did, however, have a gun and the capability of carrying Sidewinders, but it really lacked a fighter’s radar and a complete air-to-air weapon system. Nor did it have the speed like an F-4, an F-8, or the F-105. Furthermore, it lacked an afterburner, which is a necessity for any true fighter aircraft.

‘The reason that the A-4 was used as an adversary training aircraft for TOPGUN and fleet pilots was not because it was a good fighter. It was because its tight turning radius simulated the tight-turning MiG series aircraft. It was useful in that it taught F-4 pilots to avoid a turning fight with them and rather use some of the F-4’s advantages against the A-4.’

Chesire concludes;

‘While a rookie might have trouble fighting an A-4 with an F-4, it was an entirely different story with a well-trained F-4 driver. Using the F-4’s advantages, the A-4 was most always easily defeated. It was a great attack aircraft and a great training device, but it was not a great fighter, even though it had a tight turning radius.’

Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Joe Parsons / U.S. Navy

December 13, 2023 0 comment

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