DOCSLIB.ORG

PDF (AE107 SR-71 Case Study 451-567)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
PDF (AE107 SR-71 Case Study 451-567) I ...."' "'0 0 0 0 <( Q.,. N "ef.ilockheed Advanced Deve/opl116nl Company ADP ORGANIZATION .. CHIEF SKUNK MANUFACTURING QUALITY ASSURANCE ENGINEERING PROGRAMS I j ADMINISTRATION FLIGHT TEST FLYING OPERATIONS ANALYSIS tTEST PILOTS DATA ACQUISTION TRANSPORTATION DATA PROCESSING FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERS AVIONICS TEST FLIGHT MANUALS 24 DA 0002 05 II 91 nu ~ L, ·,., ,.,.• act:s , ta· ' t . 11,.,. t ffl snJtitrt ·a,·.\·c·:' '. •,inrW&f ·~ ....~•~-=~ ...:-1 . ·· ,,"•1:•-t,~-~~-~•lae:.t~«91:&i1t't ,,, ,H· f:tiJr ·1 d(i:?f-f- ., :P· ··•·· .. •!i' - 24 DA 0002 OS ..,\ i,&i1~1Wi!iO?_r·,:.:.,,.,:: .~:AA!\.. "'· .+ , . "'=iJ', Jed A... _,Ced Development Company FLIGHT TESTING - USAF PROGRAMS , IPHASE TESTING - CIRCA 19511 I CATEGORY TESTING - CIRCA 1958 I I JTF/CTF - CIRCA 1951 AIRWORTHINESS SUBSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT TEST - AFR 80-14 ESTABLISHED - CONTRACTORTEST PILOTS AND EVALUATION DT&E/OT&E TESTING AIRWORTHINESS - CONTRACTORTEST PILOTS II CONTRACTOR COMPLIANCE OPERATING - USAF TEST PILOTS - USAF TEST PILOTS CHARACTERISTICS - USING COMMAND PILOTS (PRIMARILYRESPONSIBLE Ill DESIGN REFINEMENT - SUBSYSTEMPERFORMANCE FOR OT&E) - CONTRACTORTEST PILOTS - CONTRACTORTEST PILOTS (USAF CONTROL IN 1963) IV PERFORMANCE & STABILITY - USAF TEST PILOTS II SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT TEST AND - PRODUCTIONAIRCRAFT EVALUATION SPEC COMPLIANCE V ALL WEATHER - WEATHER - USAF TEST PILOTS - CONFIGURATIONREFINEMENT - PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT - MAINTENANCE VI FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT - LOGISTICS USAF OPERATIONALPILOTS - CONTRACTORAND USAF TEST PILOTS - SOME USER COMMAND PILOTS/PER- - USAF TEST PILOTS SONNEL - USAF MAINTENANCE PER- - INCLUDES MISSION EQUIPMENT SONNEL 111 SYSTEM OPERATIONAL TEST AND VII OPERATIONAL SUITABILITY EVALUATION & - USER COMMAND VIII - USING COMMAND . -¥il'ttD,;.71/ ·1 i,l': ,tfl·., ( 24 DA 0003 05 17 · 91 IIG r:: ( 'c..(., .'- __, I I I !i!ii!ii .. ~Lockheed Advanced Development Company BLACKBIRD FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM 26 APR A-12 7 AUG "RECORDS" II 1 MAY 1 YF-12A <1 •··•,···1,,muSZ:.1n1.. ,.. '•·•···,· ..< ..,.,.~;n/ ... s 22 DEC SR-71 i/:!:11=;1;;;::::::::/:;:1:,;:;:1::i:i:::::::l:::::9:~1:~:~:9,~Y::.,!::;:::::::;:::::::?-:'·,:,.,:::_:::.:-:):,.,:=.,_, 1 JULY 1 ,:!ii!Ji1iiiiill/:lil;liii)il!;i;i/il1i:J/lill//l//'i~i~:.g:ijx,.,,1.,:,,/i:/::!iiiiii:i;:::i::::::::':,=,:=-, 1: V( ___,.___r 24-0A 0004 05 17 91 1111 ..... bi:n .... • r: :r ""=U'Loch Advan.._ J.Jevelopmen/ Company SA- 7 I FLIGHT TEST'S EARLY INVOLVEMENT l·N PROGRAM • SYSTEM/SUBSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT - FUEL SYSTEM MOCK-UP - FLIGHT CONTROLS/HYDRAULICS - IRON BIRD - FLIGHT SIMULATOR (RYE) - ENGINE DEVELOPMENT • DRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL AND CHECKLISTS • TEST PLANNING - PLANS - INSTRUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS - EXTEND ANALYSIS CHARTS > 2.0 MACH - ALTITUDE/GAS - ALTITUDE/EAS - -y ~ 1.4 24-DA 0005 05 17 91 IIG -£:, '-"! u1 ~Lockheed Advanced Development Company SR-71 FLIGHT CREW SELECTION & TESTING • FLYING BACKGROUND • TEST EXPERIENCE • PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • TRAINING "­-.. U) 24 OA nnn,:;: nc: "In nt ,.,.. Ci'. ~ ?H ................. --- •.c•_.,.___.,. _ __........,, ........~~· ............~ .... --------- =f.rL ed A <1DeVe/o/Jl118nl Company SR-71 FLYING. OPERATIONS • GLOBAL FLIGHT TEST PLANNING • ATC COMMUNICATIONS • TANKER RENDEZVOUS • INLET SYSTEM DEMANDS • CHASE 24 DA 0007 05 17 91 IIC, . -........... (11 .,.__...-,' I - -...,.,.:.»c.,=,-.,_- __.,,,,. ;;,;.,---·, .•.:·._ -:-:· "" '.-.:::::::.:::,·::.."_._,-.:c.-c,·.,,.,,J::.:r-"'-··'-"'-=~•-=-•-,.,~~"f"""'."':'"--:: ·:. -----~- ____m: .......... - =iJ'Lockheed Actvanced Development Company SR-71 FLIGHT TEST • TEST PHILOSOPHY - USE MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS AS GUIDES TEST DESIGN FLIGHT PROFILE FIRST - MAKE OFF DESIGN EXCURSIONS WHERE APPROPRIATE - CONFIRM MISSION READINESS I' Lrt ~ 24· DA 0008 OS IT 91 IIG ~ •----------...~-•--........--•~•,.~w._.·..•--·----...----- ~- ,7tJtXI Advanced Development Company CATEGORY I 24 DA 0009 05 II 91 IIG --S:, ~ -0 \ :!i,}Lockheed AdvanCed Development Company SR-71 CATEGORY I FLIGHT TEST VALIDATION ITEMS • PERFORMANCE • STABILITY AND CONTROL • STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY • SENSOR PLATFORM SUITABILITY ~ a 24 OA-00IO 05-17 91 IIG ,_,...... ~--·~-.,... ... -A. ...... ~---- ....... ---~- ··•. ..•• ....... ••.. ~ ···-~--- ,_1..;i•• ..~ .Jl-lL?_ ~• - .• • ., ,, . ,,r,j~r.}..... .:,_,;i:·•·. .. .. "'=CfLockheed Advanced Development Company SR-71 FLIGHT TEST ~ ·._:: \1Q&~/t::'.:. 22 DEC S/N 2001 1 1 9 64-17950 :111!ll;llillillilll!iliijf~E~~~R~0V8Xt~:.~~~ Ji·tM~iij~ili;A CATEGORY I S/N 2002 1 64-17951 ::i111:1i!ii!!ii//;i\::II}i\:fiii:=1::,i:~\1fs~-~-~itir~1~~-~~:P:_·:•·..:'::_. 25MAR 25JAN S/N 2003 1 64-17952 I!'.!!=:t:]l:i::;l!!;::,1:Ji~~~i:::!i:'.:i\i_.:'i::=. ------------------------------4JUNE S/N 2004 64-17953 CATEGORY II 10 FEB S/N 2005 64-17954 24 DA 0011•05·20·91 CU _[ 0--.. ----·-··---~--- -- -- - . ~Lockheed Advanced Deve/ofJ1116nfCompany SR-71 CATEGORY I FLIGHT TEST TEST SUMMARY • AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE - AIRSPEED CALIBRATIONS - - SUBSONIC - - TRANSONIC - - 2.0 AND 2.8 MACH (SPOT CHECKS) - AIRSPEED RANGE - - 135 KEAS - MIN. - - 500 KEAS - MAX. - - 3+ MACH - MAX. - CLIMB PERFORMANCE - - CONSTANT EAS ACCELERATIONS - - SINGLE ENGINE - - DIPSY-OOODLE ,- -\-.., 24 OA 0012 OS 11 91 Ill. l, ______________ .. , .... ~~• •• , ,_.,.,._.,. • •• .,..,.._., I .... ,. ••.• ..,..~\-(~-f....,. ~ I 0•1•1 ~nrrtt' ;-.,.·• •.·..-,~1-·~1_.:......'.......::.....:.>...:· ~.L 'ed A, :<i DeVe/opmenl Company SA l CATEGORY I I-LIGHT TEST TEST SUMMARY , ,, (CONTINUED) • AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE (CONT'D) - SUBSONIC CRUISE - - SPEED RANGE 0.7 TO 0.9 MACH - - ALTITUDE RANGE 20,000 TO 33,000 FEET - SUPERSONIC CRUISE (2.0 TO 3+ MACH) · • STABILITY AND .CONTROL - SAS ON/OFF - NOSE TILT CONFIG. • STRUCTURAL LOADS - 80% TO 2.6 MACH/450 KEAS - 2.8 G SYMMETRICAL - 2.2 G ROLLING PULLOUTS 24 -DA 0013 05 17 91 IIG f""" 0-· CJ ~Lockheed Advanced DeVelopmBnt Company SR-71 CATEGORY I FLIGHT TEST TEST SUMMARY (CONTINUED) • VEHICLE SYSTEMS - FUEL SYSTEM - AIRFRAME - AIR REFUELING - HYDRAULIC SYSTEM - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - COMMUNICATIONS - FLIGHT CONTROLS - ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL LANDING GEAR/DRAG CHUTE - INLET CONTROL SYSTEM - PROPULSION • SENSOR SYSTEM TESTING - NAVIGATION INTERFACE - RADAR - CAMERAS MAP PROJECTORS - INFRARED ,--. 6' - ELECTROMAGNETIC - 24 DA 0014 05 17 91 JIG -r '· • ~ • • ,... ..,.,., • .._ r ., •• 'l\'-;-1~ .... a ,n ...~lf'N""'-,l· • .. ,,,~H, ~/ ?ed ; ea Development Company SR-71 PROGRAM "UNSOLVED OPPORTUNITIES" , .. • TEMPERATURE RELATED ~ FUEL TANK SEALING - INLET SYSTEM STABILITY AND CONTROL/SCHEDULING - HYDRAULIC SYSTEM LEAKS - DATA ACQUISITION SENSORS • OTHER - E'NGINE FOREIGN (& FAMILIAR) OBJECT DAMAGE (FOD) - NACELLE EXHAUST NOZZLE MAINTENANCE 24 llA 0015 05 11 91 IIG r- :_" (J"", v-\ -·--··· - . __.: _:;_. - - ... ;!j;f Lockheed Advanced Development Company SR-71 FLIGHT TEST • DATA ACQUISITION CHALLENGES - TEMPERATURE - TRANSDUCER COOLING - - IN PLACE - - MOVE INTERNALLY - TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS - - REFERENCE JUNCTIONS - POSITION TRANSDUCERS - - USE VEHICLE HARDWARE - STRAIN GAGE INSTALLATION I'- ,/~••, -~\ !1 24· OA 0016 05 17 91 ll<i .•• :: :-.U11...;.·.~·...--...:.1'J :-: 1/liii&'ir '!!:~l'lt':lt"li'. • ~·•'"' ~LIJ __., 1eed Advanced Deve/op1116ntCompany .. CATEGO.RY II 24 DA 0011 05 II 91 llll ~ ~ ~ -········ ······--·····-·--····-. ·-·-·•-·- -- .. - -----·--··•·-···-. Wlockheed Advancecl Development Company SR-71 CATEGORY II FLIGHT TEST • PERFORMANCE - GROUND PROCEDURES - - STARTING - - TAXING - TAKEOFF - - GROSS WEIGHT EFFECTS - - LIFTOFF SPEED - CLIMB SUBSONIC o 250,400 AND 450 KEAS o MIN/MAX A/B o MILITARY POWER TRANSONIC o 0.9 MACH TO 450 KEAS o 28,000, 30,000 AND 32,000 FT. o DIPSV-DOODLE r- s\ 74 .nA nntA M 11 •• un ~ --- w. eed Aalfdl1Ced Development Company SR-71 CATEGORY II FLIGHT TEST " (CONTINUED) • PERFORMANCE (CONT'D) - SUPERSONIC CLIMB - - 400, 425 AND 450 KEAS - - CONSTANT MACH - - 2.0, 2.8, 3.0, 3 + - - REDUCED POWER. - SUPERSONIC CRUISE - - CONSTANT ALTITUDE/MACH (2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.0 & 3 +) - - AFT BY-PASS DOOR SCHEDULING EFFECTS - - RPM TRIM EFFECTS - - C.G. EFFECTS - DESCENTS - - NORMAL - - SINGLE ENGINE 24 DA 0019 OS 17-91 IIG i I ----._, "(f\ ....£:'I r ~Lockheed Aµvanced Deve/ofJIT1t1nlCompany SR-71 CATEGORY II FLIGHT TEST TEST SUMMARY (CONTINUED) • STABILITY AND CONTROL - LONGITUDINAL STABILITY - - STATIC - - DYNAMIC - - SPEED EFFECTS MANEUVERING STABILITY - LATERAL DIRECTIONAL STABILITY - HANDLING QUALITIES - - TAKEOFF - - CLIMB - - SUPERSONIC CRUISE -- DESCENT - - AERIAL REFUELING - - APPROACH AND LANDING --t=:. ~ 24 DA 0020 05 17 91 IIG E) Hiiiiffr:o rt et: ":f ··• •. ·•· ,t --------------·------.... ---·-·•···· ___ ...,_,,....,. ,.,._..,._.....,. __,at,, ~nnn1a::1nl" ·-·· ~ wed Auvanced Development Company Sh-~/1 CATEGORY II FLIGHT TEST TEST SUMMARY (CONTINUED) • SYSTEMS EVALUATIONS - OPERATIONS/MAINTENANCE VIEWPOINT - AIRFRAME - LANDING GEAR/DRAG CHUTE - HYDRAULICS FUEL SYSTEM - - OPERATION - - IN-FLIGHT REFUELING - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FLIGHT CONTROLS - ENVIRONMENTAL/CONTROL - COMMUNICATIONS/NAVIGATION - CREW SYSTEMS - SENSOR SYSTEMS 24 DA 0021 05 17 91 IIG --h, ..> 1 I'·" .,.,_.:_.,·.. .· ;r, ·. ,;· · ·"::\h/·-;·,~~•:\-~r:r/ ..~•:1.~.~:~~-:-;'""~~:-· •~;./(f;_, .:.-.·-...:.,:.•.: . ,,:. ..-t,•~.-~.:1i:·:.~~·-1·-:-: ;,:,•. ,:a·/ _.,-.'J~.·/t '.' •'•; · ·•i LOCKHEEDSR-71 BLACKBIRD ~ Crusing speed: Mach 3 Service ceiling: 85,000-plus ft. (25,900 m) Maximum speed: classified Normal range: classified Empty weight: classified Number produced by Lockheed: classified D For 24 years, top decision-makers, including the president of the United States, relied on photographic and other data gathered by SR-71 Blackbirdsduring supersonic
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download Chapter 155KB
    Memorial Tributes: Volume 8 BEN RICH 200 Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Memorial Tributes: Volume 8 BEN RICH 201 Ben Rich 1925-1995 By Willis M. Hawkins Ben Rich died on January 5, 1995, after a full career as an engineer, a designer, and an effective and cherished executive. I first knew Ben when he joined the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank back in 1950. He came to us from the University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles, with a master's degree in mechanical engineering. At the time, I was in charge of the Advanced Design Organization under the Deputy Chief Engineer C. L. "Kelly" Johnson, and we were working on our first Mach 2+ Air Force fighter proposal, which became the F-104. Ben was assigned the task of analyzing the aerothermodynamic performance of the power plant with little or no existing state of the art for supersonic inlets. It is a testament to Ben's understanding of this specialty that the inlet configuration was classified by the Air Force and the details obscured in Air Force-released pictures of the airplane for a number of years. The Lockheed "Skunk Works," which had originated during the design and development of the original P-80 prototype "Lulu-Belle," was being reactivated at about the time that the F-104 was conceived. Its specific purpose was the secret development of the U-2, and Ben was ''borrowed" by Kelly Johnson to help on that program. His "temporary'' assignment became his career. Under Kelly, Ben pursued his specialty of aerothermodynamic analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • United States District Court District of Columbia
    Case 1:20-cv-01932 Document 1 Filed 07/17/20 Page 1 of 63 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 441 4th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, Plaintiff, v. EXXON MOBIL CORP., 5959 Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, TX 75039, EXXONMOBIL OIL CORPORATION, 5959 Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, TX 75039, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, Carvel Civil Action No. ________ van Bylandtlaan 16, 2596 HR The Hague, The Netherlands, SHELL OIL COMPANY, 150 N. Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77079, BP P.L.C., 1 St. James’s Square, London, SW1Y4PD, BP AMERICA INC., 501 Westlake Park Blvd., Houston, TX 77079, CHEVRON CORPORATION, 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA, CHEVRON U.S.A. INC., 6001 Bollinger Canyon Rd., San Ramon, CA 94583, Defendants. NOTICE OF REMOVAL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT Defendants Exxon Mobil Corporation and ExxonMobil Oil Corporation (collectively, “ExxonMobil”), hereby remove this action, currently pending in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1332(a), 1332(d), 1441(a), 1442(a), and 1453(b), and 43 U.S.C. § 1349(b)(1). To the extent any part of Plaintiff’s causes of action can be construed as non- federal, this Court has supplemental jurisdiction over them under 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a) because they form part of the same case or controversy as those causes of action over which the Court has Case 1:20-cv-01932 Document 1 Filed 07/17/20 Page 2 of 63 original jurisdiction.
    [Show full text]
  • Midland Mirror
    MIDLAND MIRROR Vol. LXXXIII MIDLAND SCHOOL LOS OLIVOS, CALIFORNIA 93441-0008 FEBRUARY 2015 NO. 1 Greetings from Midland! By Will Graham, Head of School he year 2015 brings with it an exciting milestone in Midland TSchool’s evolution: a master campus plan for Midland’s buildings and grounds has been developed. Historically, campus improvements and repairs have been tackled as urgent needs demand. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive plan for the care and function of the campus. As the result of Midland’s accreditation and strategic planning process, the board of trustees recognized that the school must become more proactive when tending to the needs of the campus, the living yards, and faculty housing. In 2012 Midland’s board of trustees created a strategic plan and formed a campus planning committee. They charged the group with “creating a long range plan that surveys existing conditions, establishes priorities, and proposes guidelines for further development of Midland’s campus.” The board has worked diligently over the past three years to address this significant long-range planning issue. After careful consideration of the goals and objectives of the strategic directive, Midland selected the firm, Walker/Macy, of Portland, Oregon, to help the school guide the planning process. Walker/Macy has decades of experience helping schools plan for the future of their campuses. It studied Midland’s founding principles and history, its unique culture, the needs of the community members, and the natural The campus plan includes ideas for renovating and repurposing Midland’s iconic barn. Continued on page 2 Rich Arts Artfully Remodeled he Kay Rich Arts building benefitted from substantial easily share digital images and information.
    [Show full text]
  • 64997 Frontier Loriann
    SPRING/SUMMER 2010 akes Off y Project T ace Histor e Aerosp RM Th T STO ERFEC THE P TING T PAIN PAS THE ING VEY SUR The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens FROM THE EDITOR SENIOR STAFF OF THE HUNTINGTON STEVEN S. KOBLIK UNDER THE RADAR President GEORGE ABDO Vice President for Advancement JAMES P. FOLSOM Marge and Sherm Telleen/Marion and Earle Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens N THE 1970 S, LOCKHEED’S HIGHLY CLASSIFIED SKUNK WORKS KATHY HACKER operation began developing what became known as the F-117 Stealth Executive Assistant to the President fighter. Under the supervision of Ben Rich (see photo, at bottom), engi - SUSAN LAFFERTY neers at the Burbank outfit designed a plane with flat panels that could Nadine and Robert A. Skotheim Director of Education Ideflect radar signals. The project itself remained top secret well into the 1980s, SUZY MOSER although by then Southern California had become widely acknowledged as the Associate Vice President for Advancement center of the aerospace industry, employing more than a half million people. JOHN MURDOCH In “Taking Flight” (page 10), historian Peter Westwick says that “Southern Hannah and Russel Kully Director of Art Collections California as we know it would not exist without aerospace.” He writes about ROBERT C. RITCHIE W. M. Keck Foundation Director of Research The Huntington’s new Aerospace History Project, a collection that includes Ben RANDY SHULMAN Rich’s archive as well as the personal papers and oral histories of other corporate Assistant Vice President for Advancement leaders, design engineers, and manufacturing engineers that together give scholars LAURIE SOWD perspectives “from corporate boardrooms to engineering bullpens to the shop Associate Vice President for Operations floor.” Until now, the historical impact of the industry had gone largely unnoticed ALISON D.
    [Show full text]
  • Summer Issue the PIPER
    Vol 63, No. 3 Official SILVER WINGS FRATERNITY Newsletter Summer Issue 2020 Copyright © 2020 Silver Wings Fraternity Aviation Scholarship Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved July-Sept 2020 Summer Issue Editor’s Column The MOST Influential Aircraft Will Jensen IN AVIATION HISTORY We lived through a lot this year. Coronavirus, quarantine, rioting in the streets including business de- THE PIPER CUB struction, inability, or unwillingness of many elected officials to do their elected jobs, not to mention cancel- lation of Sun & Fun and Oshkosh. The whole of Silver Wings Fraterni- ty has been canceled this year in- cluding our membership lunches, greeting old friends and new, even our Convention. Except, perhaps, for Slipstream. We looked back through history for some subjects to hold your interest, perhaps to even do some research or reading on your own. So, hail to the Piper Cub, the most significant aircraft in aviation history according, at least to Flying Magazine. A workhorse in training pilots—over 430,000 Pilots in WWII— for anti-submarine tracking, artillery spotting, tank busting, bazooka firing, even shooting down the last Germain aircraft on Photo by D. Miller the day the war ended. So, all you Bonanza, Cessna, Mooney, Likely there is no aircraft that’s been in or Yankee American pilots, just remember your first solo and your place in history. Likely in a J-3 Cub. continual flying for some 90 years. An aircraft in use by the military of 21 differ- Then, some of our hopefully not forgotten heroes like Eddie ent countries, in general aviation and for Rickenbacker adrift on a raft, or Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the “Babe Ruth of aero engineering and Ben Rich, his successor commercial use for everything from towing who created “Stealth” and pushed up the ceiling of aerospace advertising banners to gliders.
    [Show full text]
  • Alan Brown Interview by Peter Westwick, 15 November 2010
    Alan Brown interview by Peter Westwick, 15 November 2010. WESTWICK: We're here with Alan Brown on November 15th, 2010 in his home in Watsonville, California. Probably the best way to get started is just briefly to go back to the beginning, as it were. You're from England originally. You mentioned you started in the industry in 1945, but how did you get to that point? BROWN: I was born in 1929. By the time I was about eight years old it was 1938 in England, and war was imminent, and that was pretty much known to everybody; Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia. All the kids in that age were airplane nuts. Everybody I knew, we'd all go around going r-r-r, like that. I think that even by the time I was eight years old, rather surprisingly, I knew I wanted to be an airplane designer. WESTWICK: Not a pilot but a designer? BROWN: No, I never really had a strong interest in wanting to fly these airplanes, but I certainly was very interested in designing and building them. My father was a good engineering type, and he started me off building model airplanes probably when I was about six. WESTWICK: This was with balsa wood and rubber bands? BROWN: Yeah, balsa wood, rubber-band powered airplanes. We would fly them in the field behind our house. So I had parental interest in it, which influenced me. My friend across the street and I were both airplane crazy, it turned out. During the war, which was 1939 to 1945, of course, for the Brits, our hobby was getting on our bicycles on weekends and riding out to local Royal Air Force airfields, and hiding behind the hedges, watching for airplanes, and writing the registration numbers down in our little books, and stuff like that.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lockheed UFO Case
    The Lockheed UFO Case By Joel Carpenter Kelly Johnson and the U-2 Lockheed: Star Company Those who have relived the Cuban Missile Crisis through films like Thirteen Days and books like Dino Brugioni's Eyeball to Eyeball, or who have experienced the tension of the shootdown of a US spyplane over the USSR in Michael Beschloss's Mayday, are familiar with the vital role that the Central Intelligence Agency-sponsored U-2 played during the Cold War. The remarkable, high-flying covert strategic reconnaissance aircraft provided the means by which US intelligence analysts were finally able to pinpoint and quantify the Soviet strategic threat to the West. By dispelling an early myth of Soviet nuclear superiority known as the Bomber Gap, it helped reduce pressures to escalate the arms race, and to this day it continues to span the globe on vital intelligence-gathering missions, treaty verification overflights, and environmental sensing tasks. The U-2 has a unique place in UFO history as well. It was first test flown at Groom Lake, a secret airbase deep inside the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada nuclear test range. Groom Lake, or "Area 51," has become inextricably intertwined with fantastic rumors of "captured UFOs," "reverse-engineered alien technology" and endless other exotic ideas. While maintaining silence on such matters, the CIA has officially stated that the U-2 and its successor, the 2,400 mph A-12 OXCART, were themselves responsible for UFO reports in the 1950s and 60s. Given its stellar aerospace achievements, it's fitting that Lockheed's company logo has always been a winged star, and its aircraft and missiles were traditionally named after stars or celestial phenomena: Orion, Vega, Polaris, Constellation, Starfire, Starfighter.
    [Show full text]
  • Lockheed SR-71
    Lockheed SR-71 An SR-71 in flight The Lockheed SR-71 Type A, unofficially known as the Blackbird, is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by Lockheed's Skunk Works (also responsible for the U-2 and many other advanced aircraft). The legendary "Kelly" Johnson, in particular, was the man behind many of the design's advanced concepts. The SR-71 was one of the first aircraft to be shaped to have an extremely low radar signature. The aircraft flew so fast and so high that if the pilot detected a surface-to-air missile launch, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate. No SR-71 has ever been shot down. History Although the predecessor A-12 first flew in 1962, the first flight of an SR-71 took place on December 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, in January 1966. The United States Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on January 26, 1990, because of a decreasing defense budget and high costs of operation. The USAF returned the SR-71 to the active Air Force inventory in 1995 and began flying operational missions in January 1997. The planes were permanently retired in 1998. The SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft throughout its career. From an altitude of 80,000 ft (24 km) it could survey 100,000 miles²/h (72 km²/s) of the Earth's surface.
    [Show full text]
  • Skunk Works Rotman Magazine
    SKUNK WORKS: HOW BREAKING AWAY FUELS BREAKTHROUGHS In the world’s most innovative companies, ‘Skunk Works’ has become the standard for running top secret projects with elite special teams. by Matthew E. May IF YOU HEAD NORTH FROM LOS ANGELES ON INTERSTATE 5, hang a Skunk Works is, and has been since its inception under Kelly dur- right on the Antelope Valley Freeway toward Palmdale and the ing World II, Lockheed’s top-secret Advanced Development Pro- Mojave Desert, and cut east past the Antelope Valley Coun- gram. try Club, you’ll run into the Sierra Highway, off which you can Kelly Johnson ran Lockheed’s innovative entity for nearly 45 see Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works building, not far from Air years, from its inception in 1943 to 1975, when he turned the reins Force Plant 42 and Edwards Air Force Base. You’ll know you’re in over to his longtime right-hand man, friend, and protégé, the late the right place because you’ll see a white building with a cartoon Ben ‘Stealth’ Rich, whose memoir Skunk Works remains the de- skunk on it — the Skunk Works logo. finitive thesis on the Lockheed program. As you drive around, you’ll see a good bit of barbed wire, a It was the appearance of Germany’s first jet fighter planes in high concrete wall, and plenty of ‘No Access’ signs. You’ll see an the skies over Europe that prompted the U.S. War Department F-104 Starfighter on display near the main entrance off Lockheed in 1943 to knock on the door of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Way and pass Kelly’s Way, named for Lockheed’s legendary chief headquartered in Burbank, California, next to the Burbank air- engineer, Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Books Skunk Works: a Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed and the Story of Webster's Third: Philip Gove's Controversial Dictionary and Its Critics]
    Book review M M Park Mal Park Published 92 Victorian Bar News 83-5 (Autumn 1995) M alcolm Park ABSTRACT: description of two creative men and their work products – innovative top secret US military aircraft and the current edition of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. KETWORDS: Lockheed – Merriam-Webster – Webster’s Dictionary – product development – research and development – aerospace – aircraft design – secret military design – manufacture – spy plane – stealth aircraft technology – U2 – SR 71 – Blackbird – radar evasion – F 117 – skunk works – design innovation – literary publication – Editor-in-Chief – controversy – criticism – dictionaries – prescriptive – descriptive – word usage – meaning – style – grammar Malcolm McKenzie Park Skunk Works: a personal memoir of my years at Lockheed by Ben Rich (with Leo Junos) Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1994 pp 370 including index The story of Webster’s Third: Philip Gove’s controversial dictionary and its critics by Herbert Morton Cambridge Univ Press, New York, 1994 pp 332 including notes and index • • • [1] These are not biographies of two notable twentieth century Americans although, of necessity, biographical detail is included. [2] Gove was of old New England stock while Rich was a naturalised Jewish immigrant whose British family arrived in California from the Philippines several months before the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the entry of the USA into WW II. The teenage Rich worked alongside his father in a Los Angeles machine shop and his delayed commencement of tertiary education saw him relinquish his intention to study medicine and instead graduated as a mechanical engineer in 1949. For Gove the delayed entry of the US into the war permitted him to complete his Ph D thesis where his post-graduate research was conducted in wartime Britain during 1939-40.
    [Show full text]
  • Alumni History and Hall of Fame Project
    Los Angeles Unified School District Alumni History and Hall of Fame Project Los Angeles Unified School District Alumni History and Hall of Fame Project Written and Edited by Bob and Sandy Collins All publication, duplication and distribution rights are donated to the Los Angeles Unified School District by the authors First Edition August 2016 Published in the United States i Alumni History and Hall of Fame Project Founding Committee and Contributors Sincere appreciation is extended to Ray Cortines, former LAUSD Superintendent of Schools, Michelle King, LAUSD Superintendent, and Nicole Elam, Chief of Staff for their ongoing support of this project. Appreciation is extended to the following members of the Founding Committee of the Alumni History and Hall of Fame Project for their expertise, insight and support. Jacob Aguilar, Roosevelt High School, Alumni Association Bob Collins, Chief Instructional Officer, Secondary, LAUSD (Retired) Sandy Collins, Principal, Columbus Middle School (Retired) Art Duardo, Principal, El Sereno Middle School (Retired) Nicole Elam, Chief of Staff Grant Francis, Venice High School (Retired) Shannon Haber, Director of Communication and Media Relations, LAUSD Bud Jacobs, Director, LAUSD High Schools and Principal, Venice High School (Retired) Michelle King, Superintendent Joyce Kleifeld, Los Angeles High School, Alumni Association, Harrison Trust Cynthia Lim, LAUSD, Director of Assessment Robin Lithgow, Theater Arts Advisor, LAUSD (Retired) Ellen Morgan, Public Information Officer Kenn Phillips, Business Community Carl J. Piper, LAUSD Legal Department Rory Pullens, Executive Director, LAUSD Arts Education Branch Belinda Stith, LAUSD Legal Department Tony White, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, LAUSD Beyond the Bell Branch Appreciation is also extended to the following schools, principals, assistant principals, staffs and alumni organizations for their support and contributions to this project.
    [Show full text]
  • A-12, YF-12A, & SR-71 Timeline of Events
    A-12, YF-12A, & SR-71 Timeline of Events June 2010 1 May 1956 Pratt & Whitney contract to develop engine(JT9) for CL-400; J-58 (JT 11D-20) is 80% size of JT9 (SME)1 May 1956 Pratt & Whitney contract to develop engine(JT9) for CL- 400; J-58 (JT 11D-20) is 80% size of JT9 (SME) 5 Jul 1956 First Soviet Union U-2 over flight flown by Carmine Veto. Surprise as Aircraft seen on radar and film shows advanced SAMs being deployed around Moscow(BC) Summer 1957 CIA Director Bissell apprises President Eisenhower of growing risk to U-2 over flights. President directs a study group for a collection replacement(BC) 24 Dec 1957 First J-58 engine run (BB) 21 Apr 1958 First mention of Archangel (became A-12) in Kelly Johnson's dairy (LSW) 23 July 1958 Kelly Johnson presents his Archangel concept to Edwin Land’s committee on High Speed, Mach 3,, and flying at 90,000ft vehicle Summer 1958 Bissell commission reports back to President. Space not ready for collection – Corona project still not successful. Manned replacement required with three advanced characteristics: Mach 3 flight, flying above 80,000 ft, and America’s first stealth aircraft President gives go ahead for study competition(BC) September 1958 Skunk Works studying various configurations starting with Archangel- 1, Archangel-2 eventually just called A-1, A-2 Etc December 1958 President Eisenhower approves funding for further R & D on the U-2 successor. Bissell asked Convair & Lockheed to turn in detailed proposals Summer 1959 President Eisenhower approves program 29 Aug 1959 CIA accepts Lockheed A-12 design (LSW; BB) 3 Sep 1959 CIA ok's project "Oxcart" studies (LSW) Nov 1959 A-12 mock-up undergoes RCS testing at Groom Lake, NV (SME; LSW) 30 Jan 1960 CIA approves funding for 12 Lockheed A-12s (SME; LSW; BB) Feb 1960 CIA proposes to Lockheed to begin search for 24 pilots for A-12 Sep 1960 Work begins to enlarge and lengthen runway at Groom Lake, NV Jan 1961 Kelly Johnson sends proposal to Dr.
    [Show full text]