Habubrats SR-71
@Habubrats71 • 29,482 subscribers
Air Force Brat. Writer. The only female aviationgeekclub contributor. My Father, Butch Sheffield, flew the SR 71. Book out 3-31-26 “Ohio to Supersonic”. 🇺🇸✝️
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![Why did the SR-71 crew members not worry about being shot down? Among other reasons the United States fighter pilots couldn’t even find them do you think the Russians could? The "Eagle Bait" missions were training exercises where the SR-71 Blackbird acted as a high-altitude, high-speed target for U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles and Navy F-14 Tomcats. [1, 2] According to SR-71 pilot Dave Peters, these simulation runs over the Nellis Air Force Base training area led to a hilarious realization about why the fighters kept missing them: [1, 2] •The Missing Jet: Fighter pilots grew frustrated and huffy on the radio, accusing the SR-71 crew of being "no-shows" when they couldn't find them on radar—even when everything was shut down and the Blackbird crew radioed their exact coordinates. • •The Speed Gate Limit: The mystery was solved when pilots realized the F-15's APG-63 radar had a speed gate (a filter designed to screen out ground clutter and invalid returns) capped at 1,500 knots. • •Warping Past Unseen: While the F-15 radar filtered out anything traveling faster than 1,500 knots, the SR-71 was casually cruising along at 1,850 to 2,000 knots, rendering the Blackbird completely invisible and nonexistent to the Eagle's systems. • •Pre-Planned Setups Required: While the F-14 Tomcats could track them better, neither fighter could successfully engage the Blackbird unless the SR-71 crew gave them explicit advance details on their route, speed, time, and altitude to set up a pre-arranged intercept Linda Sheffield •](https://image.24vids.com/tw-2106441382948749356/amplify_video_thumb/2106441355207528448/img/2_vE1S0koi_a4Sz7.jpg)
Why did the SR-71 crew members not worry about being shot down? Among other reasons the United States fighter pilots couldn’t even find them do you think the Russians could? The "Eagle Bait" missions were training exercises where the SR-71 Blackbird acted as a high-altitude, high-speed target for U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles and Navy F-14 Tomcats. [1, 2] According to SR-71 pilot Dave Peters, these simulation runs over the Nellis Air Force Base training area led to a hilarious realization about why the fighters kept missing them: [1, 2] •The Missing Jet: Fighter pilots grew frustrated and huffy on the radio, accusing the SR-71 crew of being "no-shows" when they couldn't find them on radar—even when everything was shut down and the Blackbird crew radioed their exact coordinates. • •The Speed Gate Limit: The mystery was solved when pilots realized the F-15's APG-63 radar had a speed gate (a filter designed to screen out ground clutter and invalid returns) capped at 1,500 knots. • •Warping Past Unseen: While the F-15 radar filtered out anything traveling faster than 1,500 knots, the SR-71 was casually cruising along at 1,850 to 2,000 knots, rendering the Blackbird completely invisible and nonexistent to the Eagle's systems. • •Pre-Planned Setups Required: While the F-14 Tomcats could track them better, neither fighter could successfully engage the Blackbird unless the SR-71 crew gave them explicit advance details on their route, speed, time, and altitude to set up a pre-arranged intercept Linda Sheffield •
Habubrats SR-71120,057 Aufrufe • vor 20 Tagen
The Russians helped us win the Cold War by selling us the titanium we needed to build the A-12 and later the SR-71. They further helped us by dismissing the importance of one of their own mathematical wizards having written down a formula that explained how the F117 would work to evade all radar. Thank you, Russia. America appreciates it so much. Linda Sheffield “Ohio to Supersonic”
Habubrats SR-71407,009 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
After the Gulf War I took Ben Rich ( Head of the Skunk Works) into the Pentagon to see Air Force Brigadier General (B/G) Buster Glosson. Buster had been the person who assigned aircraft to the targets during the 1991 Gulf War. Buster told us the story of how each night he would expect several F-117’s not to return to base because they had been shot down. He had assigned the F-117’s the hardest targets in downtown Baghdad. He said that he never had seen an F-117. He knew little about them. Each night, when all the F-117’s returned unharmed, he would say to himself, thank God, that stealth stuff must really work. The more he talked the more emotional he got, finally, tears came to his eyes. Ben stood up and hugged him; Ben had tears in his eyes too. I will never forget that moment. Whenever I hear people, run down the so called; “military-industrial Community,” because they work so close together, I think of what I saw; the man who provided the machine (F-117) that saved the flyers lives while destroying the most highly defended targets in the history of man. And the man who had put the pilot’s lives on the line, hugging and crying, because they had together won the war while saving the lives of those put into harm’s way. Written by Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield.
Habubrats SR-71776,323 Aufrufe • vor 2 Jahren
This is how fast an SR 71 is. Eldon Joersz was selected along with his RSO George Morgan, to fly for the international speed record in 1976. This was in part for the bicentennial celebration of the United States. George Morgan had texted me that they should have made 2100 mph, they missed the mark by 7 miles. When they were going out of the gate, they had an unstart. That’s a momentary pause in the engine that literally causes the engine to stop for a few seconds. George was disappointed that they didn’t make it to 2200 but they opted not to start over and keep going. For many years how fast the airplane flew and how high it could fly were top secret. Even today there are rumors that it could go Mach 4and could fly into Outer space. NOT TRUE. 🚀 Linda Sheffield
Habubrats SR-71202,965 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
I think it was the 1982 or 83 Toronto Airshow. I was a participant, we took an SR-71 and three crews went. One crew flew it in. One crew flew on the second-day airshow. And the third crew which was myself flew just a couple of flybys the third day of the airshow and then actually flew the aircraft back to Beale Air Force Base. So, when I came back into the Sacramento area and I was descending to land at Beale, we had a lot of fuel. We had to work on the holiday and I asked the backseater You want to make an approach at Sac Metro? And he said Can we do that? And I said Why not? Murray, Rosenberg SR-71 Pilot
Habubrats SR-7178,549 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
Did you know that the Cubans shot down and killed an American pilot in 1962? Because our enemies could shoot down the U2, we had to have an SR 71 who proved over and over again that it could not be shot down. We need to remember Rudy Anderson. Also flying these missions was Major Buddy Brown who later flew the SR 71. Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. was the only combat casualty during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, killed on October 27 when his U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba by Soviet-supplied missiles. As a seasoned U-2 pilot, his reconnaissance mission provided vital intel, but his death escalated tensions near the brink of nuclear war.  Key Details About Major Anderson's Death: •The Mission: On October 27, 1962—known as "Black Saturday"—Major Anderson was flying a U-2F Dragon Lady from McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, on a reconnaissance mission over Banes, Cuba. •The Incident: Soviet personnel in Cuba fired two S-75 Dvina (SA-2) surface-to-air missiles, one of which exploded near his plane, killing him instantly. •Impact on the Crisis: His death brought the U.S. and Soviet Union closer to war, but it also prompted U.S. leaders to stop fighting and start negotiations to end the crisis. •Awards: He was the first recipient of the Air Force Cross, awarded posthumously for his bravery.  Major Anderson's death was a turning point, as it caused both sides to realize they were nearing an uncontrollable conflict, resulting in the start of secret negotiations immediately afterward.
Habubrats SR-71104,475 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
The SR-71 Blackbird converts supersonic air to subsonic speeds using a movable, conical "spike" in the engine inlet that generates a series of shock waves, slowing air from over Mach 3 to roughly Mach 0.4 before it reaches the compressor. This process, crucial for the J58 engine, transforms high-speed, low-pressure air into high-pressure air at a manageable speed, generating a majority of the total thrust. Mechanism for Slowing Air •Inlet Spike Position: The sharp, cone-shaped spike moves up to 26 inches backward as the aircraft accelerates, optimizing shock wave alignment. •Oblique Shock Waves: At supersonic speeds, the spike produces a series of angled oblique shock waves that slow and compress the air. •Normal Shock Wave: A terminal shock wave forms at the inlet mouth, effectively slowing the air to subsonic velocity. •Variable Geometry: The inlet computer automatically manages the spike position and bypass doors to prevent "inlet unstart"—an immediate loss of thrust caused by shock wave misalignment.  Benefits and Components •Pressure Conversion: The inlet acts like a "garden hose in reverse," where the reduction in speed is converted into massive pressure increase. •Subsonic Compression: The engine itself is a turbojet, which can only function on subsonic air. •Bypass Air: Excess air is bled off and reintroduced at the exhaust, adding more efficiency and thrust.  •YouTube : How the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird works by Amimagraffs
Habubrats SR-7171,946 Aufrufe • vor 6 Monaten
The SR 71 could takeoff with a full tank of gas. It was called a rocket ride. But to do so they needed to do a yo-yo. The last official Air Force flight was in 1990 .SR 71s were reinstated briefly in 1996. The Air Force generals were jealous of the SR 71 they wanted the money for their own special projects. That’s why it was retired. The U2 is still flying the SR 71 should be also.
Habubrats SR-7180,899 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
At Hill Air Force Base you can see the one and only SR-71C along with F117 and the U-2.
Habubrats SR-7124,328 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
This is Linda Sheffield in her father‘s cockpit. This is just one of the 20 SR 71s that Butch Sheffield flew in (he flew all of the SR 71s.) Dave Burns a maintainer is talking to me about what the RSO did. This video was taken Father’s Day 2025 in Oregon. I am sitting in the 971.
Habubrats SR-7145,252 Aufrufe • vor 7 Monaten
A Father’s Day treat for all Strategic Air Command is a 1955 Cold War film starring James Stewart and June Allyson, directed by Anthony Mann, that showcases the U.S. Air Force's bomber force. Stewart plays a professional baseball player recalled to active duty as a B-36 bomber pilot, balancing his military service with his civilian life and marriage. The film, shot in VistaVision and Technicolor, is known for its spectacular aerial photography
Habubrats SR-7127,284 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
