SR-71 Blackbird's ground speed check story

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/sr-71-blackbird-pilot-tells-story-behind-famed-ground-speed-check/

by simonebrunozzi • 6 years ago

34 12 6 years ago

theaviationgeekclub.com

mech4222• 6 years ago

This story is older then I am, but I upvote it every time cuz I think its just hilarious :-)

blakesterz• 6 years ago

Right, me too. It's like The case of the 500-mile email, it just never gets old.

https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail.html

"We can't send mail more than 500 miles," the chairman explained...

mech4222• 6 years ago

oh yeah...

Maybe we should bring out the BOFH files too...

The world could probably use a good chuckle right now :-D

edit: submitted the BOFH archives:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25735221

sampo• 6 years ago

This and other stories are in a book Sled Driver by Brian Shul. You can easily find copies around in the web.

ThisIsTheWay• 6 years ago

+1, all of the stories are amazing. Here is a link to another story, which talks about the slowest Shul ever flew the SR-71.

https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/speed-is-life/

throwaway0a5e• 6 years ago

In case anyone is wondering, an SR-71 makes slightly less thrust than two F15s (i.e. one B1) so that should help you imagine how loud an SR-71 with the throttle pinned is.

toomuchtodo• 6 years ago

Shul telling the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyHH9G9et0 ("Major Brian Shul relays the true story of a ground speed check with Los Angeles Center, while piloting the SR-71 Blackbird over Southern California.")

schmookeeg2• 6 years ago

My favorite "snarky summary" of this every time it gets posted to reddit aviation is:

Cessna: How fast

Tower: 6

Beechcraft: How fast

Tower: 8

Hornet: Yo how fast bro

Tower: Eh, 30

Sled: >mfw

Sled: How fast sir

Tower: Like 9000

Sled: More like 9001 amirite

Tower: ayyyyy

Sled: ayyyyy

elliottlan• 6 years ago

Is it just me or is this version heavily redacted while destroying the punchline by pasting it in bold at the top?

Or is this version heavily embellished: https://www.reddit.com/r/SR71/comments/2dpmw7/the_sr71_speed...

schmookeeg2• 6 years ago

Not just you. No idea why Dario needed to edit the original down.

Your reddit link is the one I think of as the canonical, but I've never bought Shul's book, so couldn't say with certainty. :)

SR-71 Blackbird's ground speed check story

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