The pilot under whom the SR-71 Blackbird collapsed

49
The pilot under whom the SR-71 Blackbird collapsed

Test pilot Bill Weaver has flight tested all F-104 Starfighters and the entire family of Blackbirds - the A-12, YF-12 and SR-71.

On January 25, 1966, Bill Weaver and reconnaissance and navigation systems flight tester Jim Zwayer, flying SR-71 number 952, were to evaluate methods for improving high-Mach cruise performance by reducing aerodynamic drag. Bill Weaver talks about what happened during the flight in the book - SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of the Blackbird - The World's Highest, Fastest Plane.




We took off from Edwards AFB at 11:20 and completed the first part of the mission without incident. After refueling from the KS-135 tanker, we turned east, accelerated to 3,2 M and took up a flight level of 78 thousand feet (23 meters) - our altitude for cruising flight.

A few minutes after the start of the flight, the automatic air intake control system of the right engine failed, which required switching to manual control.

During supersonic flight, the air intake configuration on the SR-71 was automatically adjusted to slow the airflow in the duct to subsonic speeds. Typically, these actions occurred automatically depending on the Mach number.

Without such control, disturbances in the intake tract can cause the shock wave to be thrown forward, a phenomenon known as inlet unstart. This causes a sound similar to an explosion, leads to an instant loss of engine thrust and severe yaw of the aircraft. Such phenomena often occurred at this stage of aircraft testing.

As prescribed by the flight profile, we performed a sharp turn to the right with a bank angle of 35 degrees. The right engine immediately fired, causing the aircraft to turn further to the right and begin to climb sharply. I turned the control knob all the way to the left and forward. No answer. I immediately realized that the flight would be very exciting.

I tried to explain to Jim what was happening and that we needed to stay in the plane until we reduced speed and altitude. I didn't think the odds of surviving an ejection at Mach 3,18 and 78 feet were very good. However, due to the rapidly increasing overload, my words sounded distorted and unintelligible, which was later confirmed by the speech recorder.

The combined effects of system failures, reduced longitudinal stability, increased angle of attack during a turn, supersonic speed, high altitude, and other factors resulted in the aircraft's airframe being subjected to forces in excess of the capabilities of the stability control system.

Then everything happened as if in slow motion.

I later learned that the time from the onset of the event to the catastrophic loss of control was only 2-3 seconds. Still trying to contact Jim, I blacked out due to the extremely high G-force. Then the SR-71 literally crumbled around us.

From that moment on, I simply accompanied the wreckage in flight.

My next memory was the vague idea that I was having a bad dream. Maybe I’ll wake up and get out of this mess, I thought. Gradually regaining consciousness, I realized that this was not a dream, that this actually happened. This also caused anxiety because I would not be able to survive what had just happened in the dream. Therefore I must be dead.


When full awareness of what had happened came, I realized that I had not died, but had somehow been separated from the plane. I had no idea how this could happen. I didn't have time to eject. The sound of rushing air and what sounded like belts flapping in the wind confirmed that I was falling, but I didn't see anything. The front panel of my spacesuit was frozen, and I was looking at a layer of ice.

The suit was inflated, so I knew that the emergency oxygen tank included with the seat attached to my parachute harness was working. It not only supplied oxygen for breathing, but also created pressure in the suit, preventing my blood from boiling at very high altitudes.

I didn't appreciate it at the time, but the pressurized suit also provided physical protection from severe impacts and G-forces. This inflated suit became my own escape pod.

My next concern was to maintain my stability in the fall. Air density at high altitude is insufficient to control body position, and centrifugal forces can be such as to cause physical injury. For this reason, the SR-71's parachute system was designed to automatically deploy a small diameter stabilizing parachute shortly after ejection and seat separation.


Since I had definitely not activated the ejection system - and assumed that all automatic functions depended on the correct ejection sequence - it occurred to me that the stabilizing parachute may not have deployed.

However, I quickly realized that I was falling vertically and not tumbling. The little parachute must have opened and done its job after all.

Next problem: the main parachute, which was supposed to automatically deploy at 15 feet (000 meters). Again, I wasn't sure the auto-unfold feature would work. I couldn't determine my altitude because I still couldn't see through the icy faceplate. There was no way to know how long I had been out or how far I had flown.

I felt for the D-ring on the harness to manually release the parachute, but because the suit was inflated and my hands were numb from the cold, I couldn’t find it. I decided that I had better open the faceplate, try to estimate my height above the ground, and then find the ring.

As I reached for the front panel, I felt my fall suddenly slow down as the main parachute opened. I lifted the frozen faceplate and found that its mount was broken. Holding the plate with one hand, I saw myself descending through a clear winter sky.

The visibility all around was excellent and I saw Jim's parachute about a quarter of a mile away. I didn't think either of us could survive, so seeing Jim manage to jump out also lifted my spirits tremendously.

I also saw the burning wreckage of a plane several miles from where we were supposed to land. The area did not look attractive at all - a deserted high mountain plateau, dotted with patches of snow, and no signs of habitation.

I tried to deploy the parachute and look in the other direction. But with one hand occupied holding the faceplate and both of them numb from the cold temperatures at the high altitude, I couldn't control the lines enough to turn.

Before the destruction of the plane, we began to turn in the border area of ​​\u71b\u100bNew Mexico - Colorado - Oklahoma - Texas. The SR-15's turning radius was about 00 miles. And at that speed and altitude, I wasn't even sure what state we'd land in. But, since it was about XNUMX:XNUMX, I realized that we would spend the whole night here.

At about 300 feet above the ground, I pulled the NAZ kit's mounting handle and made sure it was still attached to me with a long cord. I then tried to remember what survival items were in that gear, as well as the techniques I was taught in survival training.

Looking down, I was amazed to see a fairly large animal right below me - it looked like an antelope. Apparently it was as surprised as I was, because it literally took off in a cloud of dust.

My first parachute landing in my life went very smoothly.

I landed on fairly soft ground, managing to avoid rocks, cacti and antelope. However, my parachute was still moving in the wind. I struggled to fold it with one hand while holding the still frozen faceplate with the other.

This moment about the “first landing in my life” seemed strange to me - how did the pilot never jump?

“Can I help you with anything?” – asked someone’s voice.

It seemed to me? I looked up and saw a guy in a cowboy hat walking towards me. A small helicopter stood nearby. The blades were spinning at idle speed.

If I had been at Edwards and told the search and rescue team I was jumping out over Rogers Dry Lake, they couldn't have gotten to me as quickly as that cowboy pilot did.

This gentleman was Albert Mitchell Jr., owner of a huge cattle ranch in northeastern New Mexico. I landed about 1,5 miles from his home and the hangar for his two-seat Hughes helicopter.

Surprised, I replied that I had a slight problem with the parachute. He walked over and lowered the dome, securing it with several stones.

He saw Jim and me go down and had already radioed the New Mexico Highway Patrol, the Air Force, and the nearest hospital.

Freed from the parachute harness, I discovered the source of the flapping strap noises I had heard as I descended. My seat belt and shoulder straps were still on me, attached and latched. The lap belt was torn on either side of the hips where the straps passed through the adjustment rollers. The shoulder harness was torn in the same way on the back.

It turns out that the ejection seat never left the plane. This yanked me out of it with incredible force, with my seat belt and shoulder straps still fastened.

I also noticed that one of the two cords that supplied oxygen to my suit had become disconnected, and the other was barely holding on. If this second cord were to become disconnected at high altitude, the deflated suit would provide no protection.

I knew that oxygen supply was critical to breathing and maintaining pressure in the suit, but I had no idea that an inflated suit could also provide physical protection. That the suit withstood enough force to disintegrate the plane and rip the heavy nylon seatbelts to shreds, and yet I escaped with only a few bruises and minor contusions, was impressive.

I was really glad to have my own little escape pod.

After Mitchell helped me with the parachute, he said he would check on Jim. He climbed into his helicopter, flew a short distance and returned about 10 minutes later with terrible the news: Jim was dead. Apparently, he broke his neck during the plane crash and died instantly.

Mitchell said his ranch manager would arrive soon to look after Jim's body until authorities arrived.

I asked for a ride to Jim's and, satisfied that there was nothing more that could be done, agreed to have Mitchell take me to Tucumcari Hospital, located about 60 miles to the south.

I also have vivid memories of that helicopter flight.

I didn't know much about rotorcraft, but I knew a lot about redlines, and Mitchell kept his speed at or above the redline the whole way. The little helicopter vibrated and shook much more than I expected.

I tried to reassure the cowboy pilot that I felt fine and that there was no need to rush. But since he had notified the hospital staff of our arrival, he insisted that we get there as soon as possible.

I couldn't help but think how ironic it would be to survive one disaster only to die in the helicopter that came to my aid.

Nevertheless, we made it to the hospital safely – and quickly. I was soon able to contact Lockheed's flight test department at Edwards.

The test team was first notified of the loss of radio contact and radar blips, and were then informed that the aircraft was lost. They also knew what our flight conditions were at that moment and assumed that no one could have survived.

I briefly explained what happened, describing the flight conditions before the crash quite accurately.

The next day, our flight was duplicated on the SR-71 flight simulator at Beale Air Force Base (California). The result was identical. Measures were immediately taken to prevent a recurrence of our accident.

Testing at altitudes above normal limits was abandoned, and problems with trim and drag were subsequently resolved by aerodynamic means. The intake control system has been constantly improved, and with the subsequent development of the digital automatic control system, problems with the air intake system have become rare.

The inability to see anything through the frozen front panel of the spacesuit was eliminated by adding a battery to the ejection seat design that heated the glass.

The investigation of our accident revealed that the nose of the aircraft was torn off along with the cockpit and crashed approximately 10 miles from the main wreckage. The pieces were scattered over an area approximately 15 miles long and 10 miles wide. Extremely high loads and g-forces, both positive and negative, literally threw Jim and me out of the plane.

Incredible luck is the only explanation for the fact that I got out of the disintegrating plane relatively unharmed.


Two weeks after the accident, I returned to the SR-71 and flew the brand new aircraft for the first time at the Lockheed Assembly and Test Facility in Palmdale, California.

This was my first flight since the accident, so the test engineer in the back seat was probably a little worried about my state of mind. As we roared down the runway and into the air, I heard an alarmed voice over the intercom:

- Bill! Bill! Are you here?

- Yes, George. What's the matter?

- God bless! I thought you had left us.

The rear cockpit of the SR-71 has no forward view, only small windows on each side, and George couldn't see me. Just as we made the turn, a large red light came on on the main control panel in the rear cockpit, saying, “Pilot has ejected.” Fortunately, the cause was an incorrectly adjusted microswitch.

A few words about the photo of the pilot.

The suit and helmet weighed approximately 22 kg and cost about 200 thousand dollars at 1960s prices. The very first versions of the suits were silver, then they were made from white Nomex (a fireproof material), and after 1978 their color became golden yellow.

The orange box next to the pilot contains a supply of liquid oxygen and serves to autonomously cool the suit until the pilot connects to the aircraft's cooling system.
49 comments
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  1. +16
    8 June 2024 05: 44
    Yes, even though the United States is our enemy, here is a simple, cool story of a miraculously surviving, simple test pilot!
  2. -1
    8 June 2024 06: 21
    Couldn’t it be possible to first run it on the stimulator, and then send people and equipment?
    1. +3
      8 June 2024 06: 48
      It is impossible to foresee everything.
      1. 0
        8 June 2024 17: 06
        But why!? Within the framework of the methods that Tesla spoke about, namely, using transient algorithms of positive extrema, you can create an optimized process. At the same time, I have already said a thousand times that the propeller, propeller and, as a derivative, all types of turbines have rotation speed limits when further application of power is useless. Therefore, even only on this aspect it is worth thinking about and creating a process without restrictions and scaling in terms of rotor radius and speed. And this is a new device in the process.
        1. +4
          9 June 2024 23: 54
          Sometimes gridasov communicates like a person, but in this case it is obvious that this nonsense is the product of a generator of pseudoscientific texts.
          1. 0
            10 June 2024 07: 29
            Your position does not explain all aspects of the process of destruction of an aircraft at high speeds. And this position depends on the method of logical reasoning and the analysis tools you use. They need to be changed because the obvious cannot be changed - it is reality. That's why it's difficult to understand me. Everyone should understand that both temperature and pressure are derivatives of variable electromagnetic processes, and then the perception will be deeper. And the mover as the basis of a new engine is a reality that I preserve for you, so that the countdown of the new impulse of development belongs to your society.
    2. 0
      8 June 2024 10: 08
      Probably on a simulator, and create similar conditions at the stand...
  3. +2
    8 June 2024 06: 57
    How did the spacesuit and the man withstand this? It was torn from the chair... No, anything can happen. I think that this is a little embellished in the story.
  4. +6
    8 June 2024 07: 32
    It is very surprising that the test pilot was jumping with a parachute for the first time. And yes, it’s interesting.
    1. +6
      8 June 2024 11: 11
      test pilot made his first parachute jump
      Most likely, the translation of the phrase “left the cockpit with a parachute” is incorrect. You obviously don't have to leave the plane you're flying very often.
      1. kig
        0
        2 August 2024 02: 56
        Quote: Bolt Cutter
        Most likely, an incorrect translation of the phrase “left the cockpit with a parachute”

        The phrase was My first-ever parachute landing was pretty smooth, so it is quite difficult to translate otherwise. You'll have to believe it, although it's surprising.
    2. +2
      8 June 2024 12: 34
      Yes, about the first parachute jump - it’s strange. Very. And of course the confusion with the ejection seat. He claims it never left the plane. Then how did he reach Earth?! I mean life support. Did he have an oxygen tank on his back? As for 3200 km/hour, I am sure that at such a speed a person should be torn to pieces. Somehow I doubt the veracity of this flyer.
      1. ANB
        +1
        9 June 2024 02: 00
        . He claims it never left the plane.

        Most likely, it meant that the seat did not eject normally. But the plane simply fell apart and the seat came off (along with the pilot)
      2. 0
        13 June 2024 18: 49
        3200 km/hour is 888.888889 m/s. High-altitude parachute jumps that break the sound barrier are very well known.
        Accordingly, it is understood that if certain technology is followed, it is possible to jump safely from very high heights and speeds, and in some cases you cannot jump any other way - for example, in the rarefied atmosphere of Mars, any jump will be supersonic simply based on its properties, and some means of rescue will need to be used for it.
      3. 0
        16 September 2024 18: 08
        It seems that there was a precedent of an M-31 pilot ejecting at a speed of M2,8.
    3. +2
      8 June 2024 12: 48
      Quote from: lukash66
      It is very surprising that the test pilot was jumping with a parachute for the first time. And yes, it’s interesting.

      George Bush Sr., when he was a torpedo bomber pilot, was shot down by the Japanese four times, but he never jumped out with a parachute.
      I had to compensate either at 80 or 90... :)
    4. 0
      16 August 2024 19: 24
      Most likely, he did not say that “it was the first time I jumped with a parachute in an emergency situation.” It is clear as daylight that pilots are not allowed to fly on their own without prior parachute training.
  5. +3
    8 June 2024 08: 33
    Essentially a hero! And the rancher is not bad either.
    Are there many of these left there now?
  6. 0
    8 June 2024 08: 38
    The obvious conclusion can be made that achieving hyperspeed remains only in dreams. Some lie - the crowd believes.
  7. -3
    8 June 2024 08: 51
    Already in those days it was necessary to understand that front air intakes could not be used. The pilot must be placed in a separate capsule and, moreover, an elastic one. The capsule must have aerodynamic shapes to ensure stable flight. In general, it must be a system of integrated solutions. And of course the effect of an explosion in the front axial part of the engine is understandable. Therefore, we are talking about a fundamentally new type of propulsion that excludes this and other physical effects.
  8. -1
    8 June 2024 09: 07
    The inlet unstart effect has an electromagnetic nature comparable to a unipolar process in a current-conducting medium, when in the axial part of the rotor there is an increase in tension from ionization or shock axial pressure flow of air and its moisture-containing component of the environment and this potential is not compensated by the centrifugal distribution of the magnetic flux, then breakdown occurs and circuit closure like lightning with high current and high voltage. Naturally, such a detonation explosion destroys the engine according to the algorithms, and a change in the vector of the pressure flow onto the body destroys it. The pilot was saved by a truly inflated space suit.
    1. +3
      8 June 2024 11: 47
      Hello, Gridasov! Glad to be back. Better write, how is Odessa?
      1. +6
        8 June 2024 15: 27
        Hello. The city seems to have died out. There are very few people, and especially men. As I always say, there is a hot war on the external front, but inside, Ukrainians are fighting with the authorities. Constant arrivals, of course, do not add comfort and people, at the first opportunity, flee from such pressure from within and from the circumstances of uncertainty. Of course, you can’t write frankly because the control is tight. Of course, those patriots who hated everything Russian are now thinking about where to run. And you can feel it. Those who have not yet escaped are waiting for the situation to go abroad. Luckily she's not far away. Although the path through Mayaki is very uncertain, as long as there is a bridge.
        1. 0
          8 June 2024 16: 25
          [quote]those patriots who hated everything Russian now for yourself[/quote]Well said - for yourself! laughing laughing
        2. +1
          11 August 2024 14: 52
          Some are trying to escape to .... Russia.
    2. +9
      8 June 2024 13: 47
      Naturally, such a detonation explosion destroys the engine according to the algorithms, and a change in the vector of the pressure flow onto the body destroys it. The pilot was saved by a truly inflated spacesuit.
      - you forgot to mention the influence of torsion fields on the flight dynamics of a supersonic aircraft. It's time to stop using hallucinogens.
      In this case, there was an ordinary surge in the air intake (not to be confused with engine surge). It occurs when the mass of air through the air intake inlet does not match the mass of air passing through the engine. To ensure that these masses match, there is an automatic adjustment system that controls the inlet cone or wedge of the air intake. The position of the wedge (for example, MiG-21) or cone (for example, MiG-29) regulates the flow area of ​​the air intake and, accordingly, the second mass of air through it. If this system works, then surging does not occur.
      When the air intake surges, the pressure in it periodically increases. As pressure increases, excess air moves the supersonic shock wave in front of the air intake and is released over its edge. The pressure drops and the supersonic shock wave returns to its place. Thus, when the air intake surges, the supersonic shock wave in front of it moves back and forth with a certain frequency.
      Due to the “walks” of the supersonic shock wave in front of the air intake when it surges, the system of shock waves throughout the entire wing is disrupted. A so-called asymmetrical flow around the aircraft arises, causing a powerful turning moment. Neither the automation nor the pilot is able to fend it off. The counting is not even for seconds, but for fractions of seconds. The plane almost instantly becomes sideways to the oncoming supersonic flow. In this case, the SR-71 was traveling at Mach 3,18. This is approximately 1000 meters per second or 3600 km/h. As soon as the SR-71 turned sideways towards the oncoming flow, it was torn like Tuzik’s hot water bottle, the cabin broke off and Billy was saved in it. Rare luck! If he got into the air flow at such a speed, he would turn out to be minced meat and no spacesuit would save him.
      1. +3
        8 June 2024 14: 13
        PS. The air density p23 at an altitude of 0,05 km is approximately 0,5 kg/m1000. Velocity pressure (kinetic energy of the air flow) has the formula q=23*po*Vsquare. At a speed of 25 m/s at an altitude of XNUMX km, this would be approximately XNUMX tons per square meter. Such pressure will roll anyone into a flat cake.
        1. 0
          8 June 2024 16: 56
          I don’t think it makes sense to calculate something with abstract reference values ​​when you can simply build an analysis based on the level of energy processes and create an optimized geometry. And this is a fact, you have a dead end, but we have a perspective with justification
          1. +2
            9 June 2024 06: 12
            ... when in the axial part of the rotor there is an increase in tension from ionization or shock axial pressure flow of air and its moisture-containing component of the environment and this potential is not compensated by the centrifugal distribution of the magnetic flux, then a breakdown and closure of the circuit occurs like lightning with a high current and high voltage.

            I’ll tell you as an electrician to an electrician. What you write about has nothing to do with electrical engineering or physics:
            1. The rotor is a round metal part. There is no air flowing inside it. Air passes along its perimeter between the compressor and turbine blades. In this case, the air flow is not twisted and moves in a straight line. For this purpose, the engine has fixed compressor and turbine guide blades, which are an indispensable component of the engine stator (its fixed housing). They serve to direct the gas flow at the required angle. Otherwise the engine will not work. An increase in electrical tension in this straight air flow is impossible in principle. Because any electrostatic potential difference will immediately short-circuit to the metal of the compressor and turbine. Therefore, in case of any engine failures, the potential difference of the air flow between any of its points will be equal to zero.
            2. Since the advent of the first jet engines in the 40s of the twentieth century, neither centrifugal nor axial distribution of magnetic flux has been recorded. Because there is nowhere for it (the magnetic flux) to come from in the engine. For magnetic flux to occur, a large current is needed. Such a current in the motor is impossible - see point 1.
            3. Lightning is a breakdown of a dielectric. The engine is a conductor. Lightning in a conductor, such as a motor, is impossible in principle. For lightning to occur, a potential difference of at least tens of kilovolts is required. There cannot be such a potential difference in the engine - see point 1.
            And where are your perspectives and justifications?
        2. ANB
          0
          9 June 2024 02: 12
          . approximately 25 tons per square meter. Such pressure will roll anyone into a flat cake.

          Check your calculations. 1 atm = 1 kg/cm2 = 10 tons/m2. 2.5 atmospheres is very decent. But it's not always deadly. Unless it's a shock load. Then yes.
          1. +3
            9 June 2024 05: 30
            Check your calculations. 1 atm = 1 kg/cm2 = 10 tons/m2. 2.5 atmospheres is very decent. But it's not always deadly.

            2,5 atmospheres pressing on a surface of 10x10 cm gives a force of 250 kg. For the chest this is probably not always fatal, but what if it is pressure on the stomach and throat? In addition, I did not say that in addition to the velocity pressure, the pilot in the spacesuit is also affected by kinetic heating.
            I don't see any subject for debate. Alas! Life has long put everything in its place. In the 80s, as part of the Buran space program, they tested a modification of the MiG-25 with an automatic landing system for Buran. In one test flight, a tragedy occurred - the cockpit canopy was torn off. The pilot died instantly. However, thanks to the automatic landing system, the plane with the dead pilot landed safely. Further from the words of an eyewitness:
            ...The sides of the pilot's seat that were exposed to the direct air flow seemed to have been cut off by a circular saw. The strong corrugated hoses with metal rings for supplying the air-oxygen mixture to the pressure helmet were cut down, as if some vandal had been treating them with a coarse file for quite some time. All the plastic parts of the pilot's cockpit are terribly melted, and the remains of the pilot's hands seem to have been sandblasted or hacksawed. The side surfaces of the helmet were also melted, and the plastic visor looked as if it had been thoroughly burned with a blowtorch. The aluminum parts of the suit seemed to have been hit by a gas torch, the metal was melted, and in some places it evaporated, burning leaving only a thin oxide layer...
            The pilot’s corpse, right in his spacesuit, was quickly taken to the autopsy room of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Expertise of the Military Medical Academy. The corpse had no shoulders or arms. The shoulders were cut off by the air flow, and the arms, judging by the characteristic damage to the remaining surrounding tissues, were torn out even earlier. Indentations on the body indicated that for some seconds the severed arms dangled like flags in the sleeves of the high-altitude suit, and flew off only after the plastic burned out and the thin wire woven into certain places on the shoulders tore.
            It’s a paradox, but the pilot’s head was in place. The helmet was tightly wedged into the remaining frame of the ejection seat, although what was below was quite badly damaged - the neck was stripped to the spinal column, on which dried pieces of once soft tissue remained, which had become very hard...

            And you say that 2,5 atmospheres is nothing.
            1. ANB
              0
              9 June 2024 09: 31
              And you say that 2,5 atmospheres is nothing.

              For statics - yes. It's like diving 25 meters. I worked with VVD. It's 180 atm there. Now this is serious.
              In your examples, I imagine the impact of the flow at that speed. But either it is more than 2.5 atm, or such an effect is not measured by pressure.
              That's what I wrote - check the calculations. Something didn't work out well. I didn’t intend to argue about the essence, because I agree.
              1. +3
                9 June 2024 12: 24
                When you dive, you do not instantly find yourself at a depth of 25 meters. You slowly (by aviation standards) descend, constantly equalizing the pressure inside yourself. The same thing when ascending. If you violate this rule, you get a barotrauma or your eardrums burst. When a pilot gets into a supersonic flow, he has no way to equalize the pressure inside himself. In addition, 2,5 atm presses on him from the front, and almost 0 from behind. He is really flattened and his arms and legs fly off. Because the impact is one-sided, and not squeezing like under water. Of course, this will be a rough comparison, but imagine a sea wave 1 m high. The pressure at a depth of 1 m is 0,1 atm. It is ridiculous to talk about such pressure when diving. However, such a wave can completely smear you with its impact on the beach. I must say that it is also not entirely correct to translate the aerodynamic force of 25 tons per square meter into static atmospheres at depth. These are, after all, physically different things. Nevertheless, I agree that the figure of 2,5 atmospheres is far from impressive.
              2. +3
                9 June 2024 13: 26
                Let me give you one more argument.
                A HURRICANE is a large atmospheric vortex with a wind speed of up to 120 km/h, and in the surface layer – up to 200 km/h.
                Let's take the coolest hurricane with a wind speed of 200 km/h or 55,6 m/s. Air density po at sea level is 1,2250 kg/mXNUMX.
                Let's calculate the velocity pressure using the already given formula q=0,5*po*Vsquare. We get some unfortunate 1893 kg per square meter. Or 0,1893 atm. This pressure corresponds to the pressure on the legs of a person standing up to his neck in water. Ugh and grind! However, during a wind speed of 200 km/h, the sky will seem like a sheepskin to you.
                1. ANB
                  0
                  9 June 2024 14: 31
                  Wow. "velocity pressure" is not equal to the concept of "pressure". Actually, I wrote at the end that if this is not pressure, then it seems to be true. In general, it was easier to immediately convert the forces that act on parts of the human body into kgf. And your examples would become clear.
                  1. +1
                    10 June 2024 11: 36
                    With a height of 180 cm and a weight of 80 kg, the human body area according to Mosteller’s formula will be 2 square meters. As I already said, the speed pressure at Mach 3,18 is about 25 tons per square meter. With such initial data, the force of the velocity pressure acting on the pilot’s body will be about 5-10 tons. This is quite enough to tear anyone to shreds along with an inflated spacesuit.
                    1. ANB
                      0
                      10 June 2024 15: 57
                      Here. Now everything is clear. That is, if the hand is pulled with a force of 1 ton of force, then it will definitely come off. :)
                      1. +2
                        11 June 2024 07: 49
                        Then another comparison came to mind. Soft frameless pools are now common. Depth 60-70 cm. Preschoolers splash in them all day long. It has been proven by practice that such a pool is absolutely safe. Let's do an experiment. Let's take a test subject... Just for God's sake, don't test it on yourself. It is best to catch a guest worker for this experiment. am We place the subject on the ground, lay a pool on him and pour water into it. 50 centimeters is enough. Breaking ribs will probably not be enough. However, the intestines will be squeezed into the chest and the person will suffocate. Now let’s pour 25 meters of water into the pool. It will crush not only the chest, but also the skull. It will be like an asphalt skating rink. However, it is still static. Supersonic flow is not static, it is kinetic energy. It won’t just flatten it, it will tear it into pieces.
      2. 0
        8 June 2024 15: 47
        You are very smart and I appreciate your explanation. However, I see everything in the distribution of magnetic force interactions. It’s just an anomaly that allows us to perceive physical processes a little differently. At the same time, my task is not to convince anyone of my own, but simply to show that there is an unusually different form of worldview. I repeat once again that your perception is at the level of aerodynamics and thermodynamics, and I am talking about electromagnetic processes and within the framework of algorithmic analysis.
      3. 0
        8 June 2024 16: 26
        The position of the wedge (for example, MiG-21) or cone (for example, MiG-29) regulates the flow area
        They got confused - the wedge is for the MiG-29, and the cone is for the MiG-21
        1. +1
          9 June 2024 05: 03
          Please excuse me! You are absolutely right! In a hurry, I decided to add examples of planes with a cone and a wedge to the text, but I clicked in the wrong place.
      4. 0
        16 September 2024 18: 12
        The speed was lower than 3600. The Mach number is 23800 less than at sea level.
  9. 0
    8 June 2024 13: 25
    The right engine immediately started

    It didn't turn on, but turned off.
    An immediate unstart occurred on the right engine

    in original.
  10. Fat
    +2
    8 June 2024 19: 12
    Definitely a very interesting story. Thanks for the translation.
  11. +1
    8 June 2024 19: 48
    “As soon as we made the turn, a big red light came on on the main control panel in the rear cockpit saying, ‘Pilot has ejected.’”
    The thoughts of technician Joe, who saw this message, are indescribable at this moment... ))) If I were in his place, I would most likely swear out loud))))
  12. -2
    9 June 2024 16: 11
    And the F-104, and the entire A-12 family, are a clear example of how Lockheed “milked” the US budget with its fantastic projects that have no practical application.
    1. -1
      16 September 2024 18: 27
      I see that the idea of ​​milking the budget on the site has become an obsession
  13. -1
    10 June 2024 00: 09
    Bill Weaver tells in the book - SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of the Blackbird - The World's Highest, Fastest Plane.
  14. 0
    16 August 2024 19: 34
    The path of a test pilot is thorny, thorny. And it's never smooth sailing. And the strategic reconnaissance aircraft SR-71 remained an unsurpassed machine for its time, although not without its shortcomings. However, there were no combat losses among these aircraft during their operation.