Aviation BS and Photo Thread

AH HA -- one of my babies -- wish I knew the tail number - maybe one of my "super 6"! I flew on (31,32,34,35, 38, and 39) Old birdies still doin their great things after all of these years

 

...^^^... I had a very short stay on Okinawa Island on the way to RVN to be on the ship USS Okinawa (LPH Ship with helicopters) with USMC BLT 1/3 ..... while on the Island of Okinawa, I saw a SR-71 take off twice from Kadena AFB in 1967.

It was still a secret plane then and people were not allowed to view it ... but (1 time) I was on the runway beside a helicopter and the MP's did not see me.

Very cool to watch that time (especially that close) and VERY LOUD at takeoff.

Another time, I was in the main area and they also rolled a large canvas in front of all of the high chain link fences ... in front of the main area and NO cameras were allowed in that area at take off.

I think that Kadena AFB was the main base for the SR-71 for spying in SE Asia ?

 

AvGas is getting expensive. It's $5.40 at my home-drome now, so I washed the plane so it'll be sitting pretty in the hangar until I can afford to fly it again.

 

Possibly could have also been an A-12 as in 67 it was the crossover period from the A-12 to the SR-71.

I remember my father telling me a story being at the Lockheed factory in Burbank one evening. From his vantage point he was on the "landside" section of the facility and could see a tail outline (U-2) sticking out behind a hangar. He said the aircraft was airborne and in a steep pitch before the end of the hangar. This was where they manufactured the U-2 and A-12 so the "hangar" was most likely a manufacturing facility building which can be longer than an average hangar. I wish I had gotten all his memories down on paper.

 

Strongly considering a speed mod on the Cardinal....Just trying to decide how many AMUs (aircraft monetary units) I want to spend for a conservative 4% increase in cruise speed.

 

Some Nor Cal fun, only few more weeks until the move to Alaska... going to miss California flying.

 

Alaska flying is way better.

 

I love flying everywhere, but Alaska is like non other, absolutely love it!!

 

But Alaska flying, oh my. Tailwheels, floats, and skis!

 

I’ll BOLO for a thread title @PFL_Customs Alaskan Aviation Pics or something along those lines

Not really related but… 1964 no less.
https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/1505189858817495041?s=21

 

You are correct about the SR-71 being "based" at Kadena. Not sure the exact year it was established, as a main "OL" (operating location). Their "main" home was Beale AFB in Ca.
For the operations of the SR. Their main shop/hangar was right across the road on the flight line from our maintenance shop for our RC 135M's. When one happened to be outside working on the flightline and all flight activity stopped (you could sense this as there was a lot of flight activity at Kadena during this time) - you knew a SR was about to take off, as they would go back and forth on the runways looking for "FOD". This was the "foreign object disposal" teams. They were doing a very careful check of the runways for small stuff that could get sucked up in the SR's engines. A bit later one would be taxiing out to take off with a crew on board and a extra crew in a support truck. If the original crew had so much as a stomach ache, they would swap crews. YES -BOTH of them! They flew as a pair ONLY. When I was on Kadena 70-71 the APs/MPs. would sit and watch the ends of the runway and expose anyones film from their camera., if they saw you taking pics.
If you were one of the crew flying on "our" planes (RC-135) on one of our 2 daily missions on that day, you were told (only just before you were to board)there would be a "habu" flight in the area we would be flying that day. They actually showed us in our preflight briefing the SR's actual flight path over the SEA area!
Knowing that info was crazy/classified in itself thinking back on it now. Of course we would sit out "there" and record everything and anything the SR would "light-up" while he was doing his thing! His Speed -- amazing-- he would get down to the same area and back (refueling twice =slowing down to tanker speed) in about 2 hours or so. I would take us 3 -4 hours just to get there (or back). This was the same area.

If you want to hear direct from a pilot who flew them and who has a great back story to go along with the bits about the aircraft. Take the time to listen to this guy -you will enjoy it. He has one incredible story to tell -- Notice his burn scars to his face and arms. Enjoy!
THIS IS A GREAT LISTEN/WATCH -trust me - long but well worth your time

LLESA Author Series | "Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet" by Brian Shul - YouTube

 

I spent a year in Alaska when I was active duty, fell in love with it and actually where I learned to fly back in 2009, this winter I finally made the jump and me and the wife are stoked to be up there.

 

Dude imagine flying around the world solo in a cessna 180.....

 

What is that in the top picture? I live in Nor Cal and I've never seen anything like that.

 

Its a monk retreat place in middle of no where.... Best position I could give you is between Lake Sanoma and Fort Ross.

 

It's the Odiyan Retreat Center.

 

Yes that one, its an amazing place from the air!

 

Looks pretty cool. Your picture and the rough location made it pretty easy to find on the internet. Never even heard of the place before but had the exact name and location in about two minutes.

 

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...^^^... Great story and history link from the past

I am 100% sure it was a SR-71 .... saw it twice and one time was kind of close. I was standing by a UH-1 with the XO of a rescue unit there. The other time I saw it from distance was near the front area and I only saw it when it was climbing above the fence. It loud and you could see those burners as it climbed.

I didn't know the layout at Kadena very well and I was actually at Camp Hansen for a few days on my way to RVN.
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