The need for speed!

[centuryseries]

Over 10 years now since she last flew...

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv321/quid21/climb.jpg

[wiltzei]

The Plane. At Mach 3+ speeds the J58´s ramjet section provided about 85% of total thrust and the steel would reharden during missions, theoritically providing unlimited airframe lifespan. Paints with specific composition burned of during missions made spies´work less easier. Perhaps we´ll see such features in MSF.

By the way, wasn´t the AS Blackbird released as freeware at some point?

[Ferry_vO]

The Plane. At Mach 3+ speeds the J58´s ramjet section provided about 85% of total thrust and the steel would reharden during missions, theoritically providing unlimited airframe lifespan. Paints with specific composition burned of during missions made spies´work less easier. ?

Interesting!


By the way, wasn´t the AS Blackbird released as freeware at some point?

The old Fs9 model was, but not the latest Fs9/X models:

Free: http://www.easyfly.co.nz/Freeware/index.php?dir=/USA

Payware: http://secure.simmarket.com/virtavia-lockheed-sr-71-blackbird.phtml

[stansdds]

The SR-71 was something special. I heard that one of the reasons it was retired was the lack of qualified ground service personnel. Word was that by the time the USAF could get someone qualified, their enlistment was close to ending and reenlistment rates were low.

[centuryseries]

From my understanding the technicians at Beale and Kadena were Air Force enlisted personnel, but the detachment at Mildenhall used Tech Reps from Lockheed Pratt and Whitney etc to oversee all the maintenance work - it being figured that quality control was a problem at Beale and Kadena.

The buzz word in 1990 was that 'Satellites'. I believe they killed off the program along with the progress made in UAV technology in that decade.

Still nothing beats the Blackbirds speed (at least not with a pilot in it, and not counting the Shuttle!).

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv321/quid21/jackson1.jpg

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv321/quid21/whataview.jpg

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv321/quid21/maxbank.jpg

[wiltzei]

I found real flight manual (http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/) from my bookmarks.

I´ve heard the AS/Virtavia SR-71 flies exactly by the numbers, is that so?

[centuryseries]

That is correct, to achieve Mach 3 and 80k feet in it you must use a real life climb schedule - the one I use is after achieving Mach 1.10 in a shallow dive from 30,000 I start a pitch up to intercept 450 KEAS and then maintain that speed using pitch to adjust all the way to 60,000 and then I follow a Mach schedule to Mach 3 and 70,000 where I then level out and peform a cruise climb at 100 feet per minute all the way to 85,000 or the next mission waypoint.

It is pretty challenging at first and can be very frustrating, but once you've mastered it you get a whole new feel for the pane, and an understanding of the reason the climb is described as 'threading a needle' with all the constant montioring of instruments.

They used the real flight manual to produce the flight model and I believe it is one of the best supersonic flight models for the SR-71 ever made for FS to date.

Its not a yank and bank aircraft and won't hit Mach 3 at sea level like some of them do in FS :salute:

[thunder100]

Over 10 years now since she last flew...



Some of my friends at Edwards and arround say that not all of them have been grounded !!!

Roland

[Bjoern]

Reminds me of that mission from Call Of Duty: Black Ops...

[centuryseries]

Some of my friends at Edwards and arround say that not all of them have been grounded !!!

Roland

Who knows but I seriously doubt that any organisation would have the funding and the will to keep such an expensive aircraft in flight ready status.

Funnily enough I've just gone past that level in COD Black Ops and thought that the graphics were pretty good, but it's let down heavily by the cinematic effects and realism lol but then who cares, its a shooter!:salute:

[Bjoern]

Funnily enough I've just gone past that level in COD Black Ops and thought that the graphics were pretty good, but it's let down heavily by the cinematic effects and realism lol but then who cares, its a shooter!:salute:

The only letdown was the weapons and tools selection. I could have lived happily with real 1960s weapons, but noooo...they had to grab all of their guns from present day.

The story and storytelling, however was the best I've ever seen in that series.

[wilycoyote4]

Always a unique sight from engine start to landing. A different FSX experience. Screeny from April 2008 north of Edwards AFB early in the morning. Alphasim 2008 SR-71A.

[thunder100]

Who knows but I seriously doubt that any organisation would have the funding and the will to keep such an expensive aircraft in flight ready status.

Funnily enough I've just gone past that level in COD Black Ops and thought that the graphics were pretty good, but it's let down heavily by the cinematic effects and realism lol but then who cares, its a shooter!:salute:


At least this engines are the only ones starting with a green flame-and also the take off burn with the "dot's" in it are unmistaken

Roland

And no intention to hijack/divert this topic

[centuryseries]

Its now coming up to twenty years since the remaining active aircraft were initially retired. How time flies, yet she still looks as mean as ever!

[kilo delta]

And so easy to fly even a child could do it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.A.R.Y.L.)! ;)

[Warrant]

And so easy to fly even a child could do it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.A.R.Y.L.)! ;)

Now that's a classic!

[centuryseries]

I miss those kinds of film, will always remind me of a childhood watching D.A.R.Y.L. and the Goonies, Flight of the Navigator, The Explorers, BMX Bandits the list goes on and on :jump:

[Warrant]

I miss those kinds of film, will always remind me of a childhood watching D.A.R.Y.L. and the Goonies, Flight of the Navigator, The Explorers, BMX Bandits the list goes on and on :jump:

Flight of the Navigator? Never seen that one.

Those were nice times with great movies.

[centuryseries]

If my memory serves me Flight of the Navigator had the yound boy from Neverending Story in it, and also a very young Sarah Jessica Parker in it working for Nasa as a tea girl :jump:

Had quite advanced special efects for its time, with a deforming spacecraft that looked just like a blob of melted solder, or mercury.