Is the LA speed Check story true?
That story is often told but is generally considered apocryphal. There is too much wrong with it procedurally. It’s funny, but not likely a conversation that actually happened. Not saying it’s impossible that he made it up or embellished, but it seems likely that it actually happened.
Has any SR-71 been shot down?
At sustained speeds of more than Mach 3.2, the plane was faster than the Soviet Union’s fastest interceptor, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, which also could not reach the SR-71’s altitude. During its service life, no SR-71 was ever shot down.
Was the SR-71 reliable?
The SR-71’s “reliability was an issue, and 12 out of 32 were lost to accidents,” CNN reported. “It took an army of people to prepare the aircraft,” Merlin said.
Did Chuck Yeager ever fly in space?
As we know Chuck Yeager never became an astronaut.
What is the most interesting story about an SR-71?
He forced a strong right turn and the aircraft came to a halt, unharmed. SR-71 RSO (Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Colonel Frank Stampf’s most interesting story took place flying out of Okinawa.
What really happened to the SR-71 Blackbird?
This story has been kicking around the internet for awhile, but man oh man oh man is it worth a read. Test pilot Bill Weaver was flying an SR-71 Blackbird on an experimental evaluation flight when a malfunction at Mach 3.18 caused the plane to literally tear apart.
Did you ever discard the SR-71?
As inconceivable as it may sound, I once discarded the plane. Literally. My first encounter with the SR-71 came when I was 10 years old in the form of molded black plastic in a Revell kit. Cementing together the long fuselage parts proved tricky, and my finished product looked less than menacing.
Where did the SR-71 fly during the Vietnam War?
The SR-71 served six presidents, protecting America for a quarter of a century. Unbeknownst to most of the country, the plane flew over North Vietnam, Red China, North Korea, the Middle East, South Africa, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Libya, and the Falkland Islands.