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A-11 Archangel
Lokidova interna oznaka za avione za CIA–u...Pronađoh i tekst u arhivu Njujork Tajmsa koji navodi da je, nezvanično, avion označavan i kao U-3.Citat:... Chronologically and technologically, the A‐11 is simply what was once called unofficially the U‐3, a drastically modified follow‐on to the famous Lockheed U‐2. Numerous high‐altitude reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union were made by the U‐2 until one was shot down in 1960, with consequences that shook Russian-American relations.
The new plane was originally intended for the same purpose of high‐altitude reconnaissance. Experts knew as long ago as 1958 that the development of Soviet antiaircraft missiles would sooner or later doom the U‐2 which had a ceiling in its original version of about 70,000 feet, and actually flew, in later versions, up to 90,000 feet. The U‐3 follow‐on, started in 1959 in the Eisenhower Administration, was intended for flight at about 120,000 feet and at higher speeds than the U‐2 was capable of making. In its original conception, it was to have been purely an unarmed reconnaissance aircraft... https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/02/archives/how-the-a11-was-born.html
Citat:On the morning of 29 July, 1968, my navigator, Jimmy Fagg, was not feeling well when we were having our preflight steak and eggs breakfast at the Personal Support Detachment. Butch Sheffield, returning from leave, walked in and mentioned he needed flight time and he would gladly substitute for Jimmy. “The flight was going well. We had just finished refueling and were accelerating thru approx 2.6 Mach and 65,000′, leaving Louisiana heading West. (ed.: usually a 40 minute flight to Sacramento)
First indication of a problem was when the right engine “unstarted”. However, this was more serious than a routine inlet unstart.
“I heard a Big Bang and immediately had a big red light (ed: there are no small red lights) I looked through the rear-facing periscope not a contrail.
“Understand, when the inlet is unstarted, the aircraft is experiencing severe aerodynamic buffeting, making it difficult to read instruments until we slow to about Mach 2. Right engine is shut down. I ask Butch for the Engine Fire and the Descent checklist. I declare “Emergency” with Air Traffic Control center, “descending and diverting to Carswell AFB”. Then I tell Butch to “be ready to bail out”, who responds with, “Oh S***”! (Butch had punched out of an SR once before April 13 1967 ) and was not anxious to repeat the experience.)
“Butch says, “I wish I had my checklist” (What Butch meant was that he had Jimmy Fagg’s checklist, not his own. Every crew member marks up his checklist with useful margin notes, obviously of great personal value. As a stand-in, Butch was wishing he had his own annotated checklist rather than Jimmy’s, captured on the aircraft’s audio recorder). The roughness is now gone and the machine is flying smoothly with normal control. I tell Butch that I would just as soon stay with her as long as we have good control. Butch concurs (although, the check list says that if Fire Light does not extinguish…Bail Out). The problem remains, Fire Light is still On, flying on one engine, the smoke has diminished, but is it smoke, fuel spray (we are dumping as much as possible prior to landing) or contrail? I don’t want to land with a fire and Butch concurs. Still difficult to tell if we are trailing smoke due to overcast, poor light conditions, and looking through the periscope is like looking through the barrel of a 22 rifle.
“We elect to request a fly-by with the tower to tell us if they can detect any smoke or fire. The Fire light is still ON. Tower says we look OK. Landing was uneventful. We taxi to and into a designated hanger, stopping inside, shut down the left engine and the hanger doors are closed. We complete the “shutdown checklist”…unbuckle our harness and stuff, but no one comes to help us out of the airplane. We at least need a ladder! Butch says the crowd is over by the right wing. Finally, a couple of considerate colonels come to our rescue and advised us, “you may want to see this”. We shuffled around to the right side. The outboard forward section of the nacelle had been blown out, taking with it a portion of the wing leading edge. Obvious severe fire damage. Not much of the engine was left in the nacelle…you could see daylight. Lockheed used this accident as testimonial for titanium airframes. Conventional construction could not have survived the intense heat from the fire…the right outboard wing would have failed rather quickly.” Written by SR 71 pilot Ben Bowles.
Linda Sheffield
Citat:Let’s see who can count all of the drip pans under this SR 71? This is a photo that you never see … when the SR 71 is locked up in the hangar.
This photo was sent to me by Russ Maheras, who received permission to have his picture taken with this SR-71.
Toward the end of the program, they loosened up the security. I don’t know if this was toward the end or the middle, but it’s unusual. The leaking is not a mistake made by anyone in particular Certainly not the mechanics nor the designer. It was simply before it’s time and before anyone could create a sealant around the fuel tanks to keep it from leaking the SR 71s never stopped leaking.
Linda Sheffield
