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108 lines
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108 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
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The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
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Perhaps one of the most ellegant aircraft of recent times is the
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Lockheed SR- 71A Blackbird. It's unique shape means that it is easily
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identifiable, if it is seen that is. With altitude records of 85,000
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ft, and a top speed of Mach 3.17 means that people rarely have the
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chance to see it.
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It should be noted however that the Blackbird is far from a new plane,
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the initial contract was awarded to Lockheed in 1954, as a successor
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to the ageing U-2. The project was financed greater after the need
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for a replacement was emphasized by the shooting down of Francis Gary
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Powers on Mayday 1960 over central Russia. The design team headed by
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Kelly Johnson knew that conventional aluminium couldn't be used for
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this plane as it wouldn't withstand the stresses and temperatures
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envolved with sustained Mach 3 flight. Indeed over the engine fins,
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the temperature can rise to an amazing 1050 degrees Fahrenheit. It
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was decided to use titanium, which at the time was very difficult to
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extract and very expensive. However this didn't discourage the design
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team. Firstly the plane was designed as an interceptor, but on
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further design work it was found improbable to carry weapons with the
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amount of fuel required for long fast flights. Power is supplied to
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the Blackbird by the innovative J-58 Pratt & Whitney continous bleed
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turbojet engines. These in themselves were an engineering feat.
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Specially designed nacelles and highly complex fuel system lead to
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these engines developing an incredible 32,500 lbs thrust with full
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afterburn, which is used on the majority of flights. However this
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doesn't come cheap and the Blackbird eats 8,000 gallons an hour of
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special JP-7 high temperature fuel. The Blackbird is effectively a
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flying fuel tank with the most sophisticated spying computers in
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existence. As it flys by at Mach 3+ it certainly isn't difficult to
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spot the Blackbird.
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On account of its capabilities the Blackbird is said to have been used
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on many of the worlds flare points including Greek/Turkish conflict,
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and Vietnam. These planes will continue to prove very useful to the
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U.S.A.F, even if it is just in its capacity as a showpiece. It
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doesn't blend in with the rest at airshows. Certainly the Blackbird
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is a technical achievement perhaps unmatched in military aircraft
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since the Spitfire. Also it is relatively hidden to enemy radar, at
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its top speed of Mach 3.17, it only occasionally occurs on a radar
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screen as a fast moving dot, or maybe it is identified by the
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occasional sonic boom. However with the introduction of infra-red
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radar and very high speed missiles, the Blackbird is under greater
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threat, but these systems are so expensive and relatively useless that
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the Blackbird will certainly be around for a few years to come. The
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'stealth' project in development at the moment is unlikely to knock
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the SR- 71 out of service in the near future, because the technology
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it needs to use is still somewhat in the future and completely
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untested.
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Some of the more interesting facts about the plane have occured from
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the Mach 3 flight that it endures:
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The pilots are all volunteers, and have to wear space suits similar to
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those worn by space shuttle crews and valued at around $100,000. They
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are internally refrigerated. The length of the Blackbird increases by
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1 foot when in flight at Mach 3+.
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The engines are removed and cleaned after every 200 hours flying. The
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fuel tanks are cleaned and re-sealed after 200 hours, and despite this
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they still leak when they are cold. The oil used to lubricate the
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engine, is solid for a good deal of the early flight, and only becomes
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liquid after the temperature reaches 84 F. Also the cockpit window
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gets so hot, that the crew can heat tubes of food against the window
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by holding it there, the temperature can reach 400 F. The tyres are
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inflated to 400 psi with nitrogen to avoid bursting due to the heat
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changes. While at sustained Mach 3 flight, the end of the fuesalage
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glows red hot continuously.
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The Blackbirds operate on occasion from Kadena, Okinawa, U.S.A and
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Mildenhall, Suffolk, England, and they have an individual hangar at
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Beale Airforce base in California, where they are all based. The
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number of Blackbirds isn't known exactly, but is thought to be about
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24. This'll certainly give a new meaning to the saying:
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'Four and twenty Blackbirds.......'
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-----**The End**-----
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An insight into one of the wonders of Aerospace, written by Micro Brat
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(c) 1987. The SR-71A usually makes an appearance at the Farnborough
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and Mildenhall airshows in England each year.
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
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Rat Head Ratsnatcher 510-524-3649
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 415-567-7043
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
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Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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