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Blackbird Pilot Trolling An F18 Hornet Pilot


Ceptorman

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Love stories like this.

There are some great ones about the Blackbird too.

It's a shame they don't still fly it. But I guess when the aircrafts frame expands at high speed and you have to refuel it as soon as it takes off, that might be a sign of problems. What a shame. :(

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As an USAF 455X0A (sp?)  trained Sensor Systems Specialist, I was qualified to work on all sensor systems in the SR-71 including infrared imaging systems. That plane was one baaaaaad boy. ;) Too bad I never actually got to work on one.

Edited by JL Sargent
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I recommend the book "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich.  There's lots of stories like this in it but even better stories of the talented engineers that designed these amazing planes and the engineering, political, and business problems they had to overcome so that these planes could get off the ground.  The book is over 20 years old now but oh so relevant to today.  Available used on Amazon.

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I recommend the book "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich.  There's lots of stories like this in it but even better stories of the talented engineers that designed these amazing planes and the engineering, political, and business problems they had to overcome so that these planes could get off the ground.  The book is over 20 years old now but oh so relevant to today.  Available used on Amazon.

Kelly Johnson was a brilliant man and was involved in the development of some awesome aircraft.

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There's another fantastic read called "Sled Driver" by Brian Shul. I'd advise anyone who is interested in reading it to try and get it on library loan though, as the copies sell at a ridiculous price. Shul was a pilot, and most of his writings he did from inside the cockpit of the aircraft, as are almost all of the pictures he took.

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There's another fantastic read called "Sled Driver" by Brian Shul. I'd advise anyone who is interested in reading it to try and get it on library loan though, as the copies sell at a ridiculous price. Shul was a pilot, and most of his writings he did from inside the cockpit of the aircraft, as are almost all of the pictures he took.

Is that the $700 book I think I recall?

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There's another fantastic read called "Sled Driver" by Brian Shul. I'd advise anyone who is interested in reading it to try and get it on library loan though, as the copies sell at a ridiculous price. Shul was a pilot, and most of his writings he did from inside the cockpit of the aircraft, as are almost all of the pictures he took.

Is that the $700 book I think I recall?

Sounds about right. I valued the book back in '14 and I think I found it from $500 on Amazon.

At the time I was still living on Maryville campus, so I decided to take a stab at checking if there were any copies around in the area that the school could pull. Managed to find a copy in Kansas City, and I had them ship it in for me to look over for a few weeks. It's not a huge book, but it's got some breath taking photos and some interesting narration.

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