For those that don't know, "The Sled" is the SR-71
Blackbird spy plane from the 1960s and still the
fastest airplane on earth. That we know of. I'm sure
the government has a few secrets yet!
In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71 Blackbird pilot
Brian Shul writes: "I'll always remember a certain
radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my
back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern
California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various
radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered
Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really
control us, they did monitor our movement across their
scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its
ground speed. "90 knots" Center replied. Moments
later, a Twin Beech requested the same. "120 knots,
Center answered. We weren't the only ones proud of our
ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18
smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty Five-Two
requests ground speed readout." There was a slight
pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground,
Dusty Five-Two." Another silent pause. As I was
thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I
heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming
from my back-seat...as at that precise moment I
realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we
were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen Two-Zero,
you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a
longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742
knots" (That's about 2, 004.658 mph for those who
don't know).
No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center
reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 600
(60,000 ft). The incredulous controller, with some
disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get
up to 60,000 feet?
The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We
don't plan to go up to it; we plan to go down to it."
He was cleared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The pilot was sitting in his seat and pulled out a .38
revolver.
He placed it on top of the instrument panel, and then
asked the navigator, "Do you know what I use this
for?"
The navigator replied timidly, "No, what's it for?"
The pilot responded, "I use this on navigators who get
me lost."
The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it
on his chart table.
The pilot asked, "What's that for?"
"To be honest, sir," the navigator replied, "I'll know
we're lost before you will."
----------------------------------------------------------------
When Hillary Clinton visited Iraq last month the Army
Blackhawk helicopter used to transport the Senator was
given the call sign "Broomstick One". And they say the
Army has no sense of humor.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6
miles."
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital
watches."
----------------------------------------------------------------
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the
tower to hold short of the runway while an MD-80
landed. The MD-80 landed, rolled out, turned around,
and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some quick-witted
comedian in the MD-80 crew got on the radio and said,
"What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by
yourself?" Our hero the Cherokee pilot, not about to
let the insult go by, came back with: "I made it out
of MD-80 parts. Another landing like that and I'll
have enough parts for another one."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There's a story about a military pilot calling for a
priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter
was running "a bit peaked." Air Traffic Control told
the fighter jock that he was number two behind a B-52
that had one engine shut down. "Ah," the fighter pilot
remarked, "the dreaded seven-engine approach."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A student became lost during a solo cross-country
flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on
radar, ATC asked, "What was your last known position?"
Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Taxiing down the tarmac, the 757 abruptly stopped,
turned around and returned to the gate. After an
hour-long wait, it finally took off. A concerned
passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the
problem?" "The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard
in the engine," explained the flight attendant, "and
it took us a while to find a new pilot."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Flight 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45
degrees."
"But Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can
we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when
it hits a 727?
Blackbird spy plane from the 1960s and still the
fastest airplane on earth. That we know of. I'm sure
the government has a few secrets yet!
In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71 Blackbird pilot
Brian Shul writes: "I'll always remember a certain
radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my
back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern
California 13 miles high. We were monitoring various
radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered
Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really
control us, they did monitor our movement across their
scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its
ground speed. "90 knots" Center replied. Moments
later, a Twin Beech requested the same. "120 knots,
Center answered. We weren't the only ones proud of our
ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18
smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty Five-Two
requests ground speed readout." There was a slight
pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground,
Dusty Five-Two." Another silent pause. As I was
thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I
heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming
from my back-seat...as at that precise moment I
realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we
were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen Two-Zero,
you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a
longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742
knots" (That's about 2, 004.658 mph for those who
don't know).
No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center
reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 600
(60,000 ft). The incredulous controller, with some
disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get
up to 60,000 feet?
The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We
don't plan to go up to it; we plan to go down to it."
He was cleared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The pilot was sitting in his seat and pulled out a .38
revolver.
He placed it on top of the instrument panel, and then
asked the navigator, "Do you know what I use this
for?"
The navigator replied timidly, "No, what's it for?"
The pilot responded, "I use this on navigators who get
me lost."
The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it
on his chart table.
The pilot asked, "What's that for?"
"To be honest, sir," the navigator replied, "I'll know
we're lost before you will."
----------------------------------------------------------------
When Hillary Clinton visited Iraq last month the Army
Blackhawk helicopter used to transport the Senator was
given the call sign "Broomstick One". And they say the
Army has no sense of humor.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6
miles."
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital
watches."
----------------------------------------------------------------
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the
tower to hold short of the runway while an MD-80
landed. The MD-80 landed, rolled out, turned around,
and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some quick-witted
comedian in the MD-80 crew got on the radio and said,
"What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by
yourself?" Our hero the Cherokee pilot, not about to
let the insult go by, came back with: "I made it out
of MD-80 parts. Another landing like that and I'll
have enough parts for another one."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There's a story about a military pilot calling for a
priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter
was running "a bit peaked." Air Traffic Control told
the fighter jock that he was number two behind a B-52
that had one engine shut down. "Ah," the fighter pilot
remarked, "the dreaded seven-engine approach."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A student became lost during a solo cross-country
flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on
radar, ATC asked, "What was your last known position?"
Student: "When I was number one for takeoff."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Taxiing down the tarmac, the 757 abruptly stopped,
turned around and returned to the gate. After an
hour-long wait, it finally took off. A concerned
passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the
problem?" "The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard
in the engine," explained the flight attendant, "and
it took us a while to find a new pilot."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Flight 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45
degrees."
"But Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can
we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when
it hits a 727?
