SR-71 Blackbird Pilot Trolls Arrogant Fighter Pilot

Oxman

Oxman

Well-Known Member
I found this on LinkedIn. Fun read.

http://tribunist.com/technology/sr-...rogant-fighter-pilot-with-ground-speed-check/

This may be the single greatest aviation story ever told, it’s about the iconic SR-71 Blackbird whose full operating specs are still classified to this day. The story, from the now out-of-print book Sled Driver by former SR-71 jockey Brian Shul (available used on Amazon for just $700). Here’s the ultimate aviation troll:

There were a lot of things we couldn’t do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment......

SR71-1024x536.jpg
 
Cptnchia said:
Actually, I got the aircraft wrong. He was doing U-2s. Only took a few beers to lubricate the proper neurons. Mea Culpa.
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Hacker15e said:
What's he been doing the last 20 years?
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I was wondering that as well. The last active duty SR-71 pilot retired from NWA a long time ago. He holds the current transcontinental speed record when he parked it for good at Dulles. As a side note he tried to give me a local area check out in a RF-4C but we aborted when we had smoke in the cockpit just prior to taking off.

Back to the story. Can any Hornet drivers confirm that you have a VHF radio in addition to UHF? None of the planes I flew in the AF had VHF radios.
 
Springer said:
I was wondering that as well. The last active duty SR-71 pilot retired from NWA a long time ago. He holds the current transcontinental speed record when he parked it for good at Dulles. As a side note he tried to give me a local area check out in a RF-4C but we aborted when we had smoke in the cockpit just prior to taking off.

Back to the story. Can any Hornet drivers confirm that you have a VHF radio in addition to UHF? None of the planes I flew in the AF had VHF radios.
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For the longest time, a single or dual UHF radio was seemingly standard in mil tactical-type jets, from the T-38 to the 117, to the F-4 and F-15. F-16 came out with UHF/VHF capability, and A-10 always had UHF/VHF as well as FM radios (separate radio heads) to talk to the Army. Nowdays, two or more radios are the norm, and each individual radio head can do UHF/VHF/FM and even SATCOM itself, as well as Have Quick and secure.

I would imagine the Hornet has both, as many civil fields as I see them at, but @///AMG would know for sure.
 
I hear our Viper brothers on VHF all the time. When we play in the restricted areas comm's are UHF.

Our newer Hawks have multi band, like Mike said. We have the capability to chat on a lot of different frequency bands.

@MikeD I assume your Pavehawks have the ARC-231 backup head? The engineer who came up with that needs to taken behind the barn...
 
Hornets def have VHF. I worked 4 of them into TEB a month ago for their Giants overflight.

@MikeD just seeing them at civil fields doesn't mean anything cause all ATC facilities have UHF as well.
 
Springer said:
Back to the story. Can any Hornet drivers confirm that you have a VHF radio in addition to UHF? None of the planes I flew in the AF had VHF radios.
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Not sure about the 1980s, when Shul's story must have taken place, but post-9/11 and the use of most fighters in the "NOBLE EAGLE" air defense mission, VHF radios were added to just about every US fighter.

Before that, the Eagle was UHF and HF only.
 
Cptnchia said:
Actually, I got the aircraft wrong. He was doing U-2s. Only took a few beers to lubricate the proper neurons. Mea Culpa.
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There are several of my former U-2 squadronmates hired there in the 2014/2015 timeframe, all good peeps.
 
Like others have said, heard the story a million times, along with the "take your best shot" story over Iranian airspace. This was the first time I ever read it from the horses mouth, though. Thanks for posting!
Anybody ever hear the one about a blackbird going super sonic over a base in Germany after a request for a flyby? Almost stalled it while looking for the base in marginal vis, word was he firewalled it after scaring the bajeebers out of himself and ended up giving the best flyby ever.
Great story by the teller!
 
NovemberEcho said:
@MikeD just seeing them at civil fields doesn't mean anything cause all ATC facilities have UHF as well.
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But not all civil towers have UHF at some of the smaller Class D fields that I've seen them at, or at least not a published UHF workijng freq, leaving me with the impression that if they're there, they'd have had to be talking to ATC on VHF, hence the thought.
 
bucksmith said:
Anybody ever hear the one about a blackbird going super sonic over a base in Germany after a request for a flyby? Almost stalled it while looking for the base in marginal vis, word was he firewalled it after scaring the bajeebers out of himself and ended up giving the best flyby ever.
Great story by the teller!
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Both stories came from the same guy. He wrote a book, printed a few copies, hand signed them and then sold them for some outrageous price.

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-sr-71-blackbirds-most-spectacular-flyover-was-also-1719654907
 
FlyingAccountant said:
Both stories came from the same guy. He wrote a book, printed a few copies, hand signed them and then sold them for some outrageous price.
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Shul actually shot some fantastic photos during his time with the Blackbird, and that's the real attraction of Sled Driver. Before cameras were everywhere and access to military programs was very rare and very limited, he was able to bring views of the airplane that had never been seen before.
 
Sorry have been mainly away from the Internet in tahoe celebrating the wife's 34th bday. Anyway, all models of the F/A-18 are equipped with dual ARC-210 radios. Said radio is capable of switching between UHF, VHF, maritime, and HQII and secure channels/freqs. So yes, Hornets are VHF capable. I normally use VHF approach and tower freqs when operating at civilian fields so that I can hear the whole conversation, not just the one sided repeater of ATC VHF comms that you get using UHF. Since it was mentioned, F-16A/B's that I fly have one pure UHF radio (comm 1) and one pure VHF radio (comm 2), so switching becomes a little more tricky if you are in formation with a tactical interflight VHF freq already in use. I think modern F-16C/D have dual ARC-210 or the equivalent, as described with the Hornet/Super Hornet/Growler
 
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