Space Shuttle launch

[The Violator]

I only wish I could have seen one in person.




Another great machine designed by Americans that got put on the shelf is the SR-71. Here is an except from a book I ordered after I read this online.


Major Brian Shul is the author of Sled Driver, a fascinating account of his experiences as a pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird.


One day, high above Arizona , we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. 'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was 'Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground,' ATC responded. The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, ' Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.' We did not hear another transmis sion on that frequency all the way to the coast.

[ohh EPiC FAiL]

i got to see a launch like 10-12 years ago, it was pretty sweet. the only problem is you had to be so far away that it would have been boring without binoculars.

[losikid]

Thats a neat excert, makes you wonder what the F-18 pilot was thinking afterwards

[Duuuuuuuude]

Originally Posted by losikid

Thats a neat excert, makes you wonder what the F-18 pilot was thinking afterwards

Probably that he wasn't as bad ass as he thought he was.

If any of you guys ever find yourself going through Kansas, be sure to check out the Cosmosphere. I love that place...packed full of stuff from all the space missions.

And a Blackbird.

Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center

[NoobCrawler]

I was just talking about this with my dad. So far, at least, not seeing one is my biggest regret in life. I would've loved to have seen a launch. The video was cool, nice find.