Ever wondered what the cockpit of a SR-71 Blackbird looks like?

Emp_Fab · June 2016

His was a U2.

As for the SR-71 pic.... those little yellow handles.... are they recoil starters like I've got on my lawnmower ?

ICBM · June 2016

The most awesome fact about the SR-71 is simply that it's faster than a missile. Just think about that… a large piloted aircraft with intercontinental range which is faster than a rocket with a warhead on top and not much else.

Roland · June 2016

I love the Lightning. Whatever the Americans may tell you it's still the world's fastest climbing jet fighter. Designed to intercept Russian Bears while they were still over the North Sea. So it had to scramble and reach their altitude in minutes. There's a nice example in the Manchester Science Museum.

Moominpapa · June 2016

Saw one of these up close at an air museum in the States. Absolutely gorgeous aircraft.

HAL9000 · June 2016

lasermonkey;1094586" said:
I got to attend some of their open cockpit events and sat on quite a few different aircraft.

It's amazing just how cramped some of them are. Maybe the most claustrophobic was the EE Lightning. Very little room to move..

I once asked an airline pilot about why cockpits are often quite cramped, even on something as large as a 747. The answer was that every switch, lever, knob, etc has to be easily reachable from the pilot's or co-pilot's seat whilst wearing seat belts, or possibly even whilst injured.

ThorpyFX · June 2016

ICBM said:

The most awesome fact about the SR-71 is simply that it's faster than a missile. Just think about that… a large piloted aircraft with intercontinental range which is faster than a rocket with a warhead on top and not much else.

absolutely awe inspiring.... however the engines are extremely dangerous to the aircraft. There were numerous incidents of the ramjets reversing the thrust in flight. one engine reversed whilst the other remained kicking out the back. the forces basically tore the aircraft apart.

My favourite aircraft ever though.

bazxkr · June 2016

Roland said:

I love the Lightning. Whatever the Americans may tell you it's still the world's fastest climbing jet fighter. Designed to intercept Russian Bears while they were still over the North Sea. So it had to scramble and reach their altitude in minutes. There's a nice example in the Manchester Science Museum.

There used to be a carcass of a lightning in a farmers field next to the A1 close to one of the RAF based probably Lincs.. I think it was a lightning anyway

HAL9000 · June 2016

bazxkr said:

Roland said:

I love the Lightning. Whatever the Americans may tell you it's still the world's fastest climbing jet fighter. Designed to intercept Russian Bears while they were still over the North Sea. So it had to scramble and reach their altitude in minutes. There's a nice example in the Manchester Science Museum.
There used to be a carcass of a lightning in a farmers field next to the A1 close to one of the RAF based probably Lincs.. I think it was a lightning anyway

I remember that. Definitely a lightning. It's been gone for some years now though.

mudslide73 · June 2016

HAL9000;1095337" said:
bazxkr said:

Roland said:

I love the Lightning. Whatever the Americans may tell you it's still the world's fastest climbing jet fighter. Designed to intercept Russian Bears while they were still over the North Sea. So it had to scramble and reach their altitude in minutes. There's a nice example in the Manchester Science Museum.There used to be a carcass of a lightning in a farmers field next to the A1 close to one of the RAF based probably Lincs.. I think it was a lightning anyway

I remember that. Definitely a lightning. It's been gone for some years now though.

I remember that too.

JezWynd · June 2016

Abandoned Lightning

Emp_Fab · June 2016

Dunno about 'abandoned', unless nature has reclaimed the airfield it's sitting on. I'd go more with 'crashed'. Possibly even 'shot down' judging by the holes at the front !

ICBM · June 2016

Emp_Fab said:

Dunno about 'abandoned', unless nature has reclaimed the airfield it's sitting on. I'd go more with 'crashed'. Possibly even 'shot down' judging by the holes at the front !

Used as a target on a military firing range.

lasermonkey · June 2016

There's an interactive Lightning cockpit here although it doesn't really convey the sense of everything being really close to you. I'm 6' 2" and although the seat is adjustable, it is certainly cosy!

I remember watching a programme about the Lightning and there was a bit about the first squadron converting from Hunters. There were no two-seaters at the time, so it was basically read the Pilot's Notes, a quick run through the instruments with the instructor and off you go.

One pilot told the story of his first take off. By the time he had retracted the undercarriage he was at 22,000ft. And probably half the fuel remaining too!

ICBM · June 2016

lasermonkey said:

There's an interactive Lightning cockpit here although it doesn't really convey the sense of everything being really close to you. I'm 6' 2" and although the seat is adjustable, it is certainly cosy!
I remember watching a programme about the Lightning and there was a bit about the first squadron converting from Hunters. There were no two-seaters at the time, so it was basically read the Pilot's Notes, a quick run through the instruments with the instructor and off you go.
One pilot told the story of his first take off. By the time he had retracted the undercarriage he was at 22,000ft. And probably half the fuel remaining too!

This is even more scary - a pilot who had never flown a jet before accidentally took off in a Lightning. Amazingly, he got it down again in one piece...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=676440

lasermonkey · June 2016

Yes, that's the actual Lightning at Duxford, and the one I sat in. The power from those engines is incredible. The rate of climb is something like 20,000ft/minute. That's almost four miles. Up!

cacophony · June 2016

when binbrook was the QRA station, if we had a scramble, the DOE had to go out and check the runway surface for burning and damage, such was the 'ooomph' coming out of the rear end of a 'frightning' when it did it's famous saturn five climb.seeing a 'Q' scramble in the dark on a cold winter's night is probably one of the most impressive things you can see...

Chalky · June 2016

Full throttle for 6 minutes in a Lightning and you could be over 10 miles up, doing about 1500mph!

In a glider as your fuel has run out.

If you get it back on the ground then you must book it in for a service. For every hour of flight it needed at least 50 man-hours of maintenance, or rather more depending on the flight regime.

Love the Lightning as a flying machine but as a real weapon it was almost useless.

peteri · June 2016

Funny the stories on cockpit room.

My grandfather was a Lanc pilot all through the war (pathfinders mainly).

Interesting story actually - he was a test pilot after the war and there was one of the early jets he was the first one to land, everyone else had crashed. Turned out the bangs he kept hearing (which made him land) were the turbine blades shearing off. He just got lucky and they were coming off as a pair and kept the engine balanced.

Anyway - my dad tried to join the RAF and be a pilot like his dad, passed all he needed to.

But at just over 2 metres tall - he could just about fit in the cockpits but couldn't get out quickly - and if he'd ejected instant Douglas Bader.

Not sure if there is more room today

Roland · June 2016

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3445/3198274292_faf8056816.jpg

Chalky · June 2016

UK had little concept of ergonomics for a long time, US cockpits were better laid out and bigger as the average high-protein diet US pilot was larger.

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Ever wondered what the cockpit of a SR-71 Blackbird looks like?

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