Forum: X-planes

Lockheed Blackbird Family



Search Search  Register Register  Private Messages Private Messages
guidelines Forum Guidelines
Post new topic   Reply to topic   Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
View previous topic Log in to check your private messages View next topic
Author Message
mustang65
PostPosted: Jun 11, 2010 - 07:39 PM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
Were was the periscope located on the Blackbird and did they have one facing forward on the plane too?
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
Sponsor
New postPosted: May 22, 2013 - 5:51 PM Back to top
F-16.net Sponsor





  Send private message  
 
That_Engine_Guy
PostPosted: Jun 11, 2010 - 11:56 PM Reply with quote Back to top
Elite 2K
Elite 2K


Joined: Dec 14, 2005 - 05:03 AM
Posts: 2198
Location: Under the engine somewhere.
Status: Offline
Not even the "trainer" A-12 (#60-6927) had a periscope from what I know... http://www.sr-71.org/photogallery/blackbird/06927/
Don't think any of the Blackbirds had periscopes... Shrug TEG

_________________
[Airplanes are] near perfect, all they lack is the ability to forgive.
— Richard Collins
 View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website  
 
Gums
PostPosted: Jun 12, 2010 - 03:57 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Elite 1K
Elite 1K


Joined: Dec 16, 2003 - 05:26 PM
Posts: 1439

Status: Offline
Salute!

Besides the bird cranium's links to the actual folks that flew the jets and designed them and maintained them, you can look at great stuff in the Dash-One.

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/

I only know two guys that flew the jet, but didn't hear anything about a "periscope".

Gums sends ...

P.S. The RCS of the Blackbird was much lower than most folks realize. Another thing was the fact that a slowly rotating, long-range radar antenna would only see the thing maybe 5 or 6 miles apart between sweeps. So auto-correlation didn't work. A JAX radar operator had a war story when he picked up a Blackbird one night. Don't know why he was using "raw" radar display, but said the blips were at least 6 or 7 miles apart. Estimated groundspeed was about 2400 knots. Ohh baby, ohhh baby!

_________________
Gums
Viper pilot '79
"God in your guts, good men at your back, wings that stay on - and Tally Ho!"
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
That_Engine_Guy
PostPosted: Jun 12, 2010 - 04:50 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Elite 2K
Elite 2K


Joined: Dec 14, 2005 - 05:03 AM
Posts: 2198
Location: Under the engine somewhere.
Status: Offline
Brother Gums to the rescue...

...after consulting the proper technical data... The SR-71 and YF-12s had "Rear View Periscopes" that gave some rearward visibility to the pilots in flight.

REF: http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/yf-12a-1/1/1-113.php

Thanks Gums, why didn't I think of that!?! Cheers TEG

_________________
[Airplanes are] near perfect, all they lack is the ability to forgive.
— Richard Collins
 View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Jun 28, 2010 - 04:50 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
It seems that the YF-12 was the only plane to have the rear facing periscopes but it would make more sense even on the Sr-71 for them to be facing forward instead.
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Jul 09, 2010 - 04:46 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
How long could the black bird fly at mach 3.3 if the CIT was below 427C. And why didn't they give the Blackbird a forward facing periscope instead?
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
Kryptid
PostPosted: Jul 09, 2010 - 10:52 PM Reply with quote Back to top
Senior member
Senior member


Joined: Aug 10, 2008 - 02:16 AM
Posts: 343

Status: Offline
Quote:

P.S. The RCS of the Blackbird was much lower than most folks realize.

I own a book, "Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach" by Dr. Daniel P. Raymer, which lists the A-12 as having an RCS of 0.014 square meters, which I find very impressive.

However, that makes me wonder if the USAF has some solid definition of what "low observable" means? Is there some given RCS requirement (i.e. no more than X square meters in such-and-such band radar)? Or is that classified?

_________________
Jesus is coming soon. Be prepared for Him.
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Jul 11, 2010 - 04:24 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
So can the SR-71 mach 3.2 without any problems since that was the design mach for the plane? But how long can it maintain mach 3.3 if the CIT were below 427C?
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Jul 18, 2010 - 02:10 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
How long could the Blackbird maintain Mach 3.2, and why were they only allowed to go to cruise at mach 3.17?
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
stobiewan
PostPosted: Jul 30, 2010 - 06:10 PM Reply with quote Back to top
Active Member
Active Member


Joined: Jan 14, 2010 - 12:34 PM
Posts: 173
Location: UK
Status: Offline
mustang65 wrote:
It seems that the YF-12 was the only plane to have the rear facing periscopes but it would make more sense even on the Sr-71 for them to be facing forward instead.


The Blackbird had decent enough forward vision to fly by - the periscope was installed to permit the crew to check out some areas of the aircraft that were otherwise out of sight. From my memories of SR71- Myths and Legends, which I don't have to hand, I believe this was after an early loss or near loss due to some control surfaces being damaged and the crew being unaware of this fact.

Fitting periscopes to aircraft for this reason isn't uncommon and I believe the Victor, Vulcan and also the Valkyrie were similarly equipped.

The only proposals for aircraft to have forward facing periscopes that I recall were the Thunderwarrior and the British fast bomber proposal - the AVRO 730 in the 1950's - both for similar reasons - the intended cruise speed was too fast for any existing transparent material to survive in flight.

Ian
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Aug 15, 2010 - 04:05 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
Yeah but today they have material that can withstand the heat.
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
Roscoe
PostPosted: Aug 16, 2010 - 06:42 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Elite 1K
Elite 1K


Joined: Jun 29, 2004 - 09:14 PM
Posts: 1279
Location: Las Vegas
Status: Offline
[quote="KryptidIs there some given RCS requirement (i.e. no more than X square meters in such-and-such band radar)? Or is that classified?[/quote]

Yes...and yes.

_________________
Roscoe

<b>"It's time to get medieval, I'm goin' in for guns"</b> - <i>Dos Gringos</i>
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
mustang65
PostPosted: Sep 08, 2010 - 02:57 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Enthusiast
Enthusiast


Joined: Sep 03, 2009 - 04:00 AM
Posts: 99
Location: Georgia
Status: Offline
How long can the Blackbird fly at Mach 3.2? Also if they were to put a forward facing periscope today we have transparent material today that can withstand the heat. They probably had the material in the sixties as well too.
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
Guysmiley
PostPosted: Sep 08, 2010 - 06:05 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Elite 1K
Elite 1K


Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM
Posts: 1496

Again with this?? "How long can the Blackbird"? Right now a Blackbird can fly precisely 0.00000 minutes at Mach 3.2.
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
aaam
PostPosted: Sep 08, 2010 - 06:19 AM Reply with quote Back to top
Senior member
Senior member


Joined: Aug 21, 2010 - 11:52 PM
Posts: 462

Status: Offline
mustang65 wrote:
How long can the Blackbird fly at Mach 3.2? Also if they were to put a forward facing periscope today we have transparent material today that can withstand the heat. They probably had the material in the sixties as well too.


How long? As long as there's fuel and lubricants.

Forward facing periscope? What do you gain?
 View user's profile Send private message  
 
Display posts from previous:     
Jump to:  
All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Post new topic   Reply to topic
View previous topic Log in to check your private messages View next topic