Invited by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, Carpenter spoke about this unique aircraft to a packed Kenney Hall in the Air Force Institute of Technology as part of the directorate’s quarterly military awareness event. These events were instituted several years ago to promote Air Force heritage, highlight unique accomplishments of Airmen and learn more about operations in today’s Air Force.
The “greatest accomplishment” of legendary aircraft and systems engineer Kelly Johnson in the storied Lockheed Skunk Works was created at the behest of President Eisenhower. After learning that new Soviet surface-to-air missiles could potentially jeopardize the U-2 Dragonlady, Eisenhower asked for a reconnaissance aircraft that couldn’t be tracked or shot down.
Johnson and his team created the SR-71 – the last aircraft designed with a slide rule – going from paper to first flight in only 32 months. Still the fastest aircraft to fly, its many records include flying from Los Angeles to Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., in 64 minutes at 2,193 mph.
While it is commonly called the Blackbird, Carpenter preferred the name “HABU,” which is the Japanese word for a particular type of cobra found on Okinawa.
“I was one of 85 pilots to ever fly the SR-71,” Carpenter said. “You had to be a volunteer and go through an astronaut physical” during the yearlong initial training.
Pilots initially wore a space suit from the Gemini program. Later updated SR-71 suits were borrowed for the first mission of the Space Shuttle Colombia.
The aircraft was made from titanium purchased from the Soviet Union through a “front company” and used silicone seals due to the 600 degree Fahrenheit average surface temperature.
“The silicone leaked so much the crew chiefs often wore raincoats to guard against the fuel,” Carpenter said.
While most of the missions were in the 4- to 6-hour range, some went considerably longer and all needed aerial refueling about every two hours.
“If you flew a tanker, you are my hero. I don’t think we ever missed a rendezvous with a tanker,” Carpenter said.
Although there was and is still nothing like it in the air, the SR-71 was expensive – $85,000 per hour – to operate. It was the lack of a datalink that Carpenter cites as a chief reason for its early retirement. On one mission over the Middle East, it took between 36 and 48 hours for the film to be removed from the aircraft, flown to Washington, processed and delivered to President Carter.
Still, the contribution to the security of the United States and the free world during the long Cold War is unquestionable.
Carpenter, who today serves as a docent at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, ensures future generations appreciate that contribution.
“Nothing about the aircraft is classified anymore, which is neat for me because I can talk about it,” he said.
About the Author