wb9omc@ea.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) (10/09/90)
From: wb9omc@ea.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) >From: geoffm@EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) >>From: texbell!letni!digi!digi.lonestar.org!user1 ("USER1") [...] >>The oil is a solid at room temperature and must be heated by >>a blow torch in order to be put in the plane. >That can't possibly be true. If it was, the oil would solidify in the >engines while the plane sat between flights, and the engines themselves would >have to be heated somehow before they could be started. Oil doesn't have to >be solid at room temperature in order to have the resistance to breakdown >necessary at high operating temperatures. I've read quite a bit about the All of the references I have read indicate that while the stuff isn't actually solid at room temperature, it is gooey and stiff enough to be useless. I have read multiple references to oil heating being performed and if I can locate them, I will quote them at a later date. There are many extremely unusual things, hi-tech wise, on the SR71. For instance, the fuel JP7 doesn't start well (read as: at all) on its own and must be ignited with TEB which is (chemists help me here) tetraethylborane or something like that. In color photos of the startups, the green flash that occurs first is the TEB lighting off. On the ground, nobody worries about the fact the the SR leaks fuel prodigiously (from the fire hazard point of view) because it is so bloody difficult to burn the stuff. When the airframe heats up a bit at higher altitudes, the thing seals up nicely. It has been said that the heat treatment that the titanium gets at mach 3 airflows has a tendancy to actually strengthen the airplane, although I can't vouch for the accuracy of that. I *do* know that I have yet to read an article in which the number of hours on the airframes was considered to be a problem. So I would say that as far as technology on the SR's goes, don't scoff at too many things. This is, without a doubt, the single aircraft that has stretched technology the most in one leap (at least, for aircraft that we *know* about.....). Duane
spl@deakin.OZ.AU (Stephen Percy Larcombe) (10/10/90)
From: spl@deakin.OZ.AU (Stephen Percy Larcombe) |From: geoffm@EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) |>From: texbell!letni!digi!digi.lonestar.org!user1 ("USER1") | [...] |>The oil is a solid at room temperature and must be heated by |>a blow torch in order to be put in the plane. |That can't possibly be true. If it was, the oil would solidify in the |engines while the plane sat between flights, and the engines themselves would |have to be heated somehow before they could be started. Oil doesn't have to Solution: After returning from a flight, drain the oil from the engine, while it is still hot. Before starting again, heat the oil and pour it back in. Stephen
ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (10/10/90)
From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) Considering the recent interest in the SR-71, the local Big Lots store has gotten in a batch of plastic scale YF-12s. These are at a fairly large scale, and I believe made by Revell. The best thing is the price. $5 apiece! Check out your local Big Lots! I don't have all the details yet, as I happened to go into the store about 5 minutes before closing. The big difference I can see between the YF-12 and the SR-71 is that the front chines right below the canopy are aquared off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS !
ifaq570@walt.cc.utexas.edu (allen kitchen) (10/10/90)
From: ifaq570@walt.cc.utexas.edu (allen kitchen) Hello to everyone... but down to business. Here is a little first and second hand data on the Blackbird. Yes, the fluid in the engines ( I have a hard time calling it oil ) is so stiff it is for practical conversation a solid. Also the hydralic system on the bird is a nitemare. Yes, the plane leaks like a sieve until it gets hot and expands. It is easy to tell where the plane is... just follow the trail of jp-7. Yes, the fuel is hard to burn. In order to burn, the fuel has to have a catalyst. What the catalyst is I'm afraid I don't know. But noone has ever been burned by a jp-7 spill (except one occasion where LOX was spilled on it ) It is sad that they deactivated the SR 71. It was truly an inspired design. The locals in Okinawa called it "Habu" as it looked amazingly like the head of the local venemous snake. The name has stuck for some reason. It makes me wonder though, what kind of technology are we flying now that no-one knows about? There are places out in Nevada that they probably don't even tell the president about. I won't bring up any Hanger 18 rumours, but tell me how many hangers in Edward's AFB are strictly off-limits to anyone? ::disclaymore... it gonna wipem all out...:: allen
ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (10/11/90)
From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) |Considering the recent interest in the SR-71, the local |Big Lots store has gotten in a batch of plastic scale |YF-12s. These are at a fairly large scale, and |I believe made by Revell. The best thing is the price. |$5 apiece! Check out your local Big Lots! I don't have |all the details yet, as I happened to go into the |store about 5 minutes before closing. |The big difference I can see between the YF-12 and the |SR-71 is that the front chines right below the canopy |are aquared off. I went back into the store last night and had a closer look, including reading all the stuff on the box. The model is made by Testors (who also make an SR-71 kit), is a full 1/48 scale, and the price is $9.99 (OK, I goofed - still, $9.99 is doggoned cheap for a model this size - the $5 kits were the "F-19 stealth fight- ers" - laugh, laugh). I might end up buying the kit even though I don't build plastic models as a rule (if it don't fly in circles at 100 mph I don't build it 8-) ). According to the box, the last remaining YF-12 is housed at Wright Field, Dayton Ohio. The kit features operating doors for the missile bays. The missile bays contain the four AIM-47s that the airplane carries. The AIM-47s have big fins that are the full length of the body. The bays are located under the airplane somewhat under the cockpit. This answers one of my questions about the YF-12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS !
Otto.Makela@jyu.fi (Otto J. Makela) (10/16/90)
From: Otto.Makela@jyu.fi (Otto J. Makela) In article <1990Oct11.051337.661@cbnews.att.com> ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) writes: |The big difference I can see between the YF-12 and the |SR-71 is that the front chines right below the canopy |are aquared off. I built a 1:48 of YF-12A (I believe the A is supposed to be there, too) a few years back. Rather impressive looking, the whole thing is over 50cm in length. The YF-12A was the "fighter" version of SR-71, built probably mainly as an experiment and to support the new policy of no spyplane overflights (what, that's not a spyplane, that's a fighter). The main differences were that the front chines were squared off for the front-looking radar, the addition of the missile bays (how do they open those doors at 3.5+ ?) and a large stabilizer fin below the stern (folded up during takeoff/landing). The recon officer's position was equipped as a weapons officer's position. This information from a reasonably level-headed seeming book called "SR-71 Blackbird" by Signal/Squadron publications. Can't vouch for them, obviously. -- /* * * Otto J. Makela <otto@jyu.fi> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * */ /* Phone: +358 41 613 847, BBS: +358 41 211 562 (CCITT, Bell 24/12/300) */ /* Mail: Kauppakatu 1 B 18, SF-40100 Jyvaskyla, Finland, EUROPE */ /* * * Computers Rule 01001111 01001011 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * */