35 Replies to “April 30, 2018: Reader Tips”

  2. Written by Brian Schul—former sled (SR-71 Blackbird) driver.

    There were a lot of things we couldn’t do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane—intense, maybe, even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

    It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet.

    I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, buthe couldn’t match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace.

    We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot who asked Center for a read-out of his ground speed. Center replied: “November Charlie 175, I’m showing you at ninety knots on the ground.” Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spokein the exact same, calm, deep, professional tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the “Houston Center voice.” I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country’s space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that and that they basically did. And it didn’t matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.

    Just moments after the Cessna’s inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed in Beech. “I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed.” Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren.

    Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. “Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check.” Before Center could reply, I’m thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a read-out? Then I got it, ol’ Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He’s the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: “Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground.” And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of theradios. Still, I thought, it must be done—in mere seconds we’ll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.

    Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it—the click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: “Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?” There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request.

    “Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground.” I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: “Ah, Center, much thanks, we’re showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money.”

    For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A. came back with, “Roger that Aspen. Your equipmentis probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one.” It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day’s work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

      1. Agreed. I like stories like that. I think of it as “big fish in a little pond” syndrome.

      2. here here. or is that ‘hear hear’.
        watched still another documentary (I’m really into that as opposed to ‘big bang theory’ fluff.
        the pilots interviewed were all grey haired old timers, still speaking in the workaday tone about harrowing experiences at mach 3.
        and their role in winning the cold war. bravo ‘flyboys’ or is that term obsolete also?

    3. Kudos Rex. This is the classic Blackbird war story. Saved me the trouble of finding and posting it.

    4. That my Friend. was a great story…! one I will pass on to my Brother in law, flying 767’s for Emirates….
      He’ll get a good chuckle from that one…Classic.
      cheers,

  3. Cheryl Gallant M.P. – Talking with Tony Bernardo about C-71(2018)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtHrKYJRanM
    ———————————————————————————————-
    A combination of firearms registry and open season on arbitrary
    reasons(excuses) to deny or revoke firearms licences of the
    group of Canadians, 1/3 less likely to be involved in homicides/
    crime than the general public.

    By mid-Century the founders of Confederation would not recognize the form of government of the former nation-state of Canada.

  4. This would be epic. I can just see the lefties heads exploding all around the world.
    South Korean President Moon Jae-in said U.S. President Donald Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, a South Korean official said on Monday.
    “President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize. What we need is only peace,” Moon told a meeting of senior secretaries, according to a presidential Blue House official who briefed media.
    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/trump-should-win-the-nobel-peace-prize-says-south-koreas-moon/ar-AAwx0cx?li=AAadgLE&ocid=spartandhp

  5. .
    Years ago I bought the book written by Kelly Johnson who was the head engineer on the development of the SR71 …. fantastic story and book is still available ..

    title ….. KELLY : More than my share of it all
    author …. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson

    1. Don’t forget that Johnson headed Lockheed’s Skunk Works. Among its other achievements was the design of the U-2 reconnaissance plane.

  6. Designed 52 years ago, and it still holds all the altitude and speed records. An example, by the way of White achievement.

  7. Cabal Of Wealthy Donors Financing $50 Million Trump-Russia Investigation

    The House report states that in March 2017, Jones told the FBI about a project he is working on with Steele and Fusion GPS that is being funded to the tune of $50 million by 7 to 10 wealthy donors from New York and California.

    Jones also said that a “group of Silicon Valley billionaires and George Soros” were funding the project with Fusion GPS…

    http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/27/donors-50-million-steele-fusion-gps/

  9. Mohammed’s cannibals murder Mohammed’s cannibals.

    …-

    “Thousands of Canadians attend #TorontoStrong vigil for victims of deadly van attack” (globe)

    …-

    “Dozens dead in Kabul and Kandahar suicide bombings

    Children die in blast targeting Nato convoy in Kandahar hours after double bombing in Afghan capital leaves dozens dead including nine journalists”

    “A suicide attacker riding a motorbike blew himself up at about 8am local time among students in Shash Darak neighbourhood, central Kabul, according to the state-run Bakhar news agency.

    “A second bomber, posing as a journalist, struck within 20 minutes as media workers went to the area near the Nato headquarters and the US embassy to report on the first blast. At least 25 people were killed and 45 injured as the result of the twin attacks in the capital.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/30/kabul-explosions-hit-city-centre-attack

  12. In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 600 (60,000ft).
    The controller asked, “How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?”

    The pilot responded “We don’t plan to go up to it, we plan to go down to it.”

  13. Bolshevik Wynnetario.

    Lenin: “Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country .”

    …-

    Ontario Gridwatch: Wind 1.6 %.

    http://live.gridwatch.ca/home-page.html

    …-

    “It’s the $500 million wind energy lawsuit the Ontario Liberals can’t make go away — despite their very best efforts.”

    ” … after the government decided to cancel a contract with TransCanada to build two natural gas-powered electricity generators, senior staff destroyed documents to cover up their actions.”

    “Trillium Power releases new evidence alleging Ontario Liberals destroyed documents during $500M lawsuit”

    https://globalnews.ca/news/4175888/trillium-power-alleges-ontario-government-destroy-documents-lawsuit/

  14. Dinosaur Death Watch’s Rathergate.

    “*It’s a hell of a thing when the reporter becomes the story.”

    …-

    “*‘Brokawgate’?”

    http://jacksnewswatch.a2hosted.com/brokawgate/

    …-

    “March 3, 2011”

    “Dan Rather, Still in Denial: I Was Asked to Leave CBS for Telling ‘Uncomfortable Truth’ About Bush”

    “We’re headed toward seven years since Dan Rather disgraced himself by running a story based on phony Texas Air National Guard documents to ruin George W. Bush on behalf of that “war hero” John Kerry. Despite the liberal media’s acknowledgment that Rather misled the public, he has relentlessly presented himself as a pillar of truth and probity.”

    https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2011/03/03/dan-rather-still-denial-i-was-asked-leave-cbs-telling-uncomfortable

  15. A bit of trivia re: the SR71
    It was originally designated the RS 71 but when LBJ announced it’s existence he mistakenly called it the SR 71.
    Not wanting to correct a sitting president, the name was officially changed.

  16. PET POT Cemetery Report.

    ” … you have only one pipeline that brings you the majority of your gasoline — the Trans Mountain Pipeline.””

    …-

    “Justin Trudeau to make major announcement about Amazon in Vancouver” (globe)

    …-

    “Vancouver gas prices just broke a North American record set in LA in 2008”

    “… your supply constraint here is made no easier by the fact that you have only one pipeline that brings you the majority of your gasoline — the Trans Mountain Pipeline.””

    https://globalnews.ca/news/4176371/vancouver-gas-price-record-2/

  17. If women ruled the world…
    ——————————————
    But advocates at Canadian universities and colleges are trying to make period-related panic a thing of the past by offering free tampons and pads on campus, contending that access to menstrual products is not only a hygienic necessity, but an issue of educational equality.

    http://ottawasun.com/life/living/canadian-campuses-offer-free-menstrual-products-for-educational-equality/wcm/c695d65e-f36e-4c1e-9d93-13abbe639e28

  18. Stinkpole L.A. Wins Hosscar.

    “A shower might just give someone that confident feeling they need. They might be taking the bus or train to go to a job interview,” said Metro director and county supervisor Janice Hahn.”

    …-

    “L.A. Metro May Put Showers for Homeless People near Stations”

    “Providing access to adequate sanitation is a basic human right.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/california/2018/04/30/l-metro-may-put-showers-homeless-people-stations/

  19. “Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing. ”

    Two great stories by SR71 pilot Brian Shul, one about going slow and one about going fast.
    First one is about a very low speed pass over an airfield in England where they dropped out of the clouds in full afterburner power in front of a bunch of kids, and the second is showing an F18 driver what real speed is.

    https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-sr-71-blackbirds-most-spectacular-flyover-was-also-1719654907
    “As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point we weren’t really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane levelled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.”

    https://oppositelock.kinja.com/favorite-sr-71-story-1079127041

    “Just moments after the Cessna’s inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. “I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed.” Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. “Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check”. Before Center could reply, I’m thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol’ Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He’s the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: “Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground.”

    And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done – in mere seconds we’ll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.

    Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: “Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?” There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. “Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground.””

  22. Dinosaur Death Watch.

    …-

    ” The WHCD and 6 Other Ways the Media Revealed Its Moral Depravity Last Week”

    “Last week, the media stood by homophobic liar Joy Reid, dismissed allegations of misconduct against Tom Brokaw, gave Jake Tapper an award for fake news, used Michelle Wolf as a hate-avatar, destroyed an admiral with lies, and was caught colluding with the Deep State to overturn Trump’s election. ”

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2018/04/30/nolte-7-ways-dc-media-revealed-corrupt-soul-last-week/

    …-

    “Afghanistan: the 10 journalists who died in deadly day for media

    Nine killed while reporting on Kabul bombings, while BBC reporter shot dead in Khost province” (grauniad)

  23. *
    Canadian government pays for dangerous offender
    (he raped a three year old)… Adam Laboucan’s
    sparkly new breasts and vagina.

    Just something to think about… during that bleak,
    lonely and seemingly interminable wait to see an
    oncologist.

    waiting for unme to kiss a little tranny rapist
    scr@tum in three… two…

    *

  24. B.O’narcissist learns Mohammed ’bout takkiya*.

    Obama : “We have achieved a detailed arrangement that permanently prohibits Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. It cuts off all of Iran’s pathways to a bomb.” (Jamie)

    …-

    “Watch: Netanyahu – 100,000 Secret Files Prove Iran ‘Lied Big Time’ About Nukes”

    “TEL AVIV — In a dramatic press conference in Jerusalem aimed at the international community, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday unveiled a cache of secret files he says were obtained from inside a hidden Iranian site and clearly demonstrate that Tehran maintained a secret nuclear weapons program despite declarations to the contrary.

    Netanyahu explained that the structure of the U.S.-led international nuclear agreement was in part based on deceptive Iranian descriptions of its previous nuclear work. He said Iran’s failure to disclose its secret program while misleading the world shows the nuclear deal is “based on lies based on Iranian deception.”

    The Israeli leader presented evidence that Iran continued research for a nuclear weapons program even after signing the 2015 nuclear deal.

    “Iran’s leaders repeatedly deny ever pursuing nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu began. “Tonight I’m here to tell you one thing: Iran lied.””

    http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/04/30/netanyahu-100000-secret-files-prove-iran-lied-big-time-about-nukes/

    “*Takkiya” is the Islamic concept that allows Muslims to lie and deceive nonbelievers in order to advance Islam.” (answers)

  25. AGW Kills.

    “It’s time to dethrone Saint Suzuki.”

    …-

    “David Goodall: 104-year-old scientist to end own life in Switzerland

    Goodall’s decision is reigniting a debate about euthanasia in Australia where assisted suicide is illegal” (grauniad)

    …-

    “Suzuki, Canada’s ‘Village Idiot”

    “Suzuki’s political and academic record is marred with scandal and dishonesty.

    Suzuki once said that humans are “maggots” that “defecate all over the earth.” He called for an end to immigration, calling our program “disgusting” and insisting that “Canada is full.”

    He told McGill students that politicians who don’t meet his arbitrary standards of “climate activism” should be incarcerated. Forget about the rule of law — Suzuki challenged students to find a “way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail.”

    On just about every issue Suzuki weighs in on, he pushes a narrow ideology while sacrificing facts. He insists genetically modified food is dangerous, saying “any politician or scientist who tells you these products are safe is either very stupid or lying.”

    http://jacksnewswatch.a2hosted.com/suzuki-canadas-village-idiot/

Proudly powered by WordPress & Skyrocket Themes

MENU

Navigation