Raja's Exocortex

SR-71 Blackbird

Brian Shul

Author Brian Shul on piloting the SR-71, brilliant talk. Excellent speaker, narrates his life of pain, recovery, following your passion and the absolutely pure joy and love of flying the most beautiful airplane in the world.

Quotes

  1. The power in the mind is far greater than the failing muscles in the body.
  2. Rule #1 Live is short and it's uncertain (it's not one or other, it's both). Rule #2 Pursue your passion now, don't want because of rule #1.
  3. "Build me an airplane they cannot shoot down". Eighteen months later, the SR-71 rolled out, the fastest, highest flying airplane ever built.
  4. This airplane was the guardian of freedom for twenty six years.
  5. The airplane was your basic street rod, sixties, go fast burn gas airplane.
  6. You will learn to do something if you are motivated.
  7. Two jets in Okinawa, two jets in the UK, and ten, eleven airplanes in Beale. That's it. Only 93 men in history flew this jet.
  8. If you went hunting with your 30 odd six rifle, that bullet exits the muzzle at 3,100 feet per second. This airplane would cruise with ease in a climb at 3,200 feet per second.
  9. We're doing a mile every two seconds, or a mile every second and a half if you wanted to a little faster.
  10. The jet would always go a little faster.
  11. Over 4,500 missiles were fired at this jet in 25 years and not one ever hit.
  12. You know colonel, if I got a picture of that, you could put that in your office and nobody would have that picture.
  13. From brake release to 26,000 ft leveling out at 450 knots is 3 minutes and 51 seconds. I think that's about 3 days in a Cessna.
  14. We're the only people in the world who get to do this. Why would I not?
  15. This is a picture you will never see because aerobatics over a refueling operation are pretty much illegal. But God! What a shot! Come on!
  16. This airplane grew four inches in flight due to the 900 degree Fahrenheit heat that built up in it.
  17. Don't miss the moment.
  18. The sky turns a deep dark cobalt blue and you are above all the weather that feared when you flew mortal planes.
  19. We used to call the plane The Sled as a nickname.
  20. What if they fire one of these "we don't know what they'll do" missiles? He said, "That's even better! We'll get launch data".
  21. I saw two sunrises and two sunsets that day.
  22. If it was in the news paper, this plane was probably involved.
  23. Don't ask me why we had rearview mirrors in the worlds fastest jet!
  24. You are not dreaming this, you are actually doing this.
  25. You got to realise at that speed, your turn radius is three states.
  26. We did Nebraska in four and a half minutes today. Ladies and gentlemen that's the best way to Nebraska, by the way.
  27. The rule was, we can train other pilots, you are expendable. Don't hurt the jet.
  28. Land at their airshow. Stand in front of the jet. You are a sky GOD!
  29. They were in awe of the airplane, it was like meeting the Pope.
  30. I have four inches of throttle left in my 57 Chevy.
  31. People always go "How fast will the jet go?". Let me tell you faster than the book says it will.
  32. This was the end of an era, we were never going see the likes of this kind of an airplane again.
  33. I would have taken more pictures that day, but my tears welled up in my eyes as I realized this was the last of a legend.
  34. Disney Land and an SR-71 up close.
  35. How quickly we forget our history.
  36. There's three jets lined up in this picture.
  37. The reason I could walk away... is because I did it fully.
  38. It's called the "LA Speed Story".
    1. Now I'm thinking "We bad!"
    2. And you knew it's the navy guy as he talked real slick on the radio.
    3. We want everyone to know what real speed is!
    4. We show you at six two zero knots across the ground.
    5. And a twelve year old was reaching for the mic button.
    6. At that moment I head a click of the mic in the back seat.
    7. Ladies and gentlemen Walter and I became a crew at that moment.
    8. It's just a pilot thing.
    9. Aspen three zero we show you at one thousand nine hundred and ninety two knots across the ground.
    10. Center, we're showing a little close to two thousand.
    11. The king of speed lived, the navy had been flamed and a crew had been formed.
    12. For a just a moment it was absolutely fun being the fastest guys in the block.
  39. I shoot pansies now.
  40. He could see the roof of the hospital that he laid in twelve years earlier.
  41. Some say much lower.
  42. It's as if all things had come full circle for that pilot.
  43. Imagination is more important than knowledge, and sky was truly not the limit.
  44. I want to thank my mom and dad for supporting every dream their wild kid ever had.
  45. I'm sorry if I cut into your lunch, I'm sure the food here is just spectacular.

Book

Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet

Richard Graham

Quotes

#TODO

Quotes

#TODO

Arnie Gunderson