The SR-71 crew that gave the finger to the French Air Force

| September 8, 2021

Blackbird spy plane

The SR-71 Blackbird has always been one of my favorite American aircraft. They are just amazing pieces of post-war engineering. Still the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever made, the stories that come from the crews of these magnificent birds always entertains. It’s rare that a new story comes out, but I saw this and hadn’t heard it before.

From The Aviation Geek;

One of the most entertaining stories about flying the Blackbird comes from Lt. Colonel William Burk Jr., who shares about a particular mission he flew [according to SR-71 pilot Stormy Boudreaux, Tom Henichek was Burk’s RSO for that mission] over Lebanon back in 1982 in the book Skunk Works by Ben Rich.

‘In the fall of ’82, I flew from Mildenhall on a mission over Lebanon in response to the Marine barracks bombing. President Reagan ordered photo coverage of all the terrorist basis in the region. The French refused to allow us overfly, so our mission profile was to refuel off the south coast of England, a Mach 3 cruise leg down the coast of Portugal and Spain, left turn through the Straits of Gibraltar, refuel in the Western Mediterranean, right turn into Lebanon and fly right down main street Beirut, exit along the southern Mediterranean with another refueling over Malta, supersonic back out the straits, and return to England.

‘Because Syria had a Soviet SA-5 missile system just west of Damascus that we would be penetrating (we were unsure of Syria’s intentions in this conflict), we programmed to fly above 80,000 feet and at Mach 3 plus to be on the safe side, knowing that this advanced missile had the range and speed to nail us.

‘As we entered Lebanon’s airspace my Recon Systems Officer in the rear cockpit informed me that our defensive systems display showed we were being tracked by that SA-5. About 15 seconds later we got a warning of active guidance signals from the SA-5 site. We couldn’t tell whether there was an actual launch or the missile was still on the rails, but they were actively tracking us. We didn’t waste any time wondering, but climbed and pushed that throttle, and said a couple of “Hail Kellys.”

‘We completed our pass over Beirut and turned toward Malta, when I got a warning low-oil-pressure light on my right engine. Even though the engine was running fine I slowed down and lowered our altitude and made a direct line for England. We decided to cross France without clearance instead of going the roundabout way.

‘We made it almost across, when I looked out the left window and saw a French Mirage III sitting ten feet off my left wing. He came up on our frequency and asked us for our Diplomatic Clearance Number. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to stand by. I ask my backseater, who said, “Don’t worry about it. I just gave it to him.” What he had given him was “the bird” with his middle finger: I lit the afterburners and left that Mirage standing still. Two minutes later, we were crossing the Channel.’

If you’ve not heard the SR-71 speed check story, buzzing the Sacramento Airport tower, or my personal favorite, the time an SR-71 nearly crashed on a group of kids in England take a look.

Category: Air Force, Cold War, War Stories

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Sarge

Once again proving the French are number one.

Hatchet

“Don’t worry about it. I just gave it to him.” What he had given him was “the bird” with his middle finger”.

Phuque you, Français! Bird is the Word..

sj

Awhile back I was working the Paris Air Show when the DoD/USAF decided to do a low level fly by of a stealth aircraft which was a big thing then. Our guys found that the Frogs put it in a holding pattern that happened to be over one of their major radar research facilities so the aircraft was being painted constantly. But the AF chaps were smart. They “dirtyed” up the plane such that you couldn’t miss it and negated any intel the Frogs could get.

Great thing was the Frogs were pissed and complained about what the AF had done. The reply was how did they know the AF had made the plane visible unless the holding pattern and plane were being scanned.

Roh-Dog

The ‘speed check’ story is worth a listen, on a quarterly basis imho.
Flawlessly executed.

TXNorsky

Awesome story!
My favorite is the SR-71 Speed Check story.

A Proud Infidel®™️

I remember watching a TV show about that Badass Bird when they said that they had been shot at over 3000 times and never hit because they just outran everything ever launched at them!

KoB

Nothing like being able to run away from trouble just as fast as you ran toward trouble.

“…low oil pressure light…” Kinda hard to pop the hood and check a dipstick at 80K feet.

Great linkys Mason. Got lost in there for a good little while. Learned your lessons well from AW1Ed, didn’t you, Grasshopper?

Anonymous

Hell yeah! 🙂

ChipNASA

I have a couple of stories about the SR-71 myself. Disclaimer: I never flew it. I was at Kadena in 84-86 and they launched out of there regularly. One time I actually got to go to the area of the hangar on the other side of the base where it was located to deliver a 999/MICAP part (999/MICAP meaning “Mission Capable” Supply/Transportation coding “We need that shit NOW cause out plane is broke motherfucker!!!” ) I got inside two outer perimeters of guarded, razor wire no man’s land fringes of the hangar area and thought, OH BOY, OH BOY!!, I’m gonna see the SR-71 up close!!!” Yeah, no fucking way. Some dudes in a truck rolled up and grabbed the part and rolled out. I probably got within 50 yards of the hangar and the aircraft. We did see if roll out and go and sit on the end of the taxi way and drop JP8 on to the taxiway, before throttling up and zooming off into the wild blue yonder. That was usually a process that took 10 or 15 minutes from Hangar to the end of the entire cleared runway base area and by that time, just about everyone within earshot on the fucking island came to watch, on base, and against the fence for the off base locals, because the run up caused a racket. Usually when it took off, about 5-10 minutes later, another would land and taxi up to the hangar and button up. It was never the same bird, unless it circumnavigated the globe and came back and the pilots were back in the club before any of us ever knew what was going on. Wormhole shit and all that. Actually, we think it was cause they rotated a bird out and in so we never had more than two on the base at a time. Out home SR-71s had a red snake on the tail, if I remember correctly, but I do remember the dreaded nickname “Habu” (http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/kadena2.html) (I googled it) Anyway, fast forward a few years later. I was at Peterson AFB… Read more »

ChipNASA

A blast from the past…you may find this amusing for many reasons….AFARTS!!!!! (I’m seriously having flashbacks)

rgr769

My flight instructor for my instrument rating was a retired USAF LTC. His last assignment was as a SR-71 pilot. He had many interesting stories. He said they heated C-rats by putting them next to the skin inside the cockpit. He also said fuel management was the most difficult task with that aircraft.

Fyrfighter

Very cool Chip!

Never got to see one up close, though my senior firefighter was a mechanic on them back in the day. I work less than a mile north of Pete Field, so we get to see lots of cool aircraft, including a B-24, and B-29 a couple days after the airshow in C-Springs.. pretty damn cool if you ask me

Mike Gunns

I was RBS, but this happened before I went in, early 70’s, I think. Our radar site in Holbrook, NM, tracked and locked on to a mysterious plane flying across their air space. The crew actually got a plot on paper with timing marks, ( how we measured true air speed.), and carried the track all the way across the plotting board. The timing marks were so far apart, the TAS couldn’t be measured with the measuring rulers. ( At 3200yds/inch, a TAS of 420 knts, the timing ticks were spaced about half an inch apart. That equated to about half of a 12 inch scaled ruler.)

According to the story, the radar crew got a strict reprimand, the paper plot was confiscated and the air crew was chewed out because they allowed themselves to be tracked.

Harry

Those damn check engine lights always ruin a good time even at high speed and high altitude.

My, My, My

They should have answered the call about their vehicle warranty.

26Limabeans

I recall in the early 80’s getting an SR-71 coffee mug at work because our
giant military/industrial complex company had some part in the side looking radar.
So yeah, I was one of the engineers on the Blackbird……

AW1 Rod

One night long ago, while transiting through NY IBEX airspace and monitoring one of the UHF radios, I overheard a controller conversing with an aircraft seeking clearance to descend to FL800. We were pretty sure it wasn’t a Cessna or an F/A-18.

USAFRetired

1981 on a redeployer from Keflavik I remember a conversation between an aircraft and Kansas City Center. An aircraft request Flight Level 500 (FL500) Center had him on radar but no valid Mode C, and cleared him to FL 500 “if he could get there” To which he responded, ‘in the descent.

That particular aircraft was a high flyer as opposed to a high fast flyer.

Frankie Cee

I routinely walk around one, under it, and take photos of it, marveling at its beauty. But that is as a static museum piece here at the US Air Force Armament Museum, at Eglin AFB, Florida.
Helluva plane.

USAFRetired

When the SR’s were ‘decommisioned” the last time the Congressional language required a certain number (I believe three) were to be kept in flyable storage. One of those is in the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB GA

rgr769

There is also one on display at the air museum at Hill AFB. The museum at the former Castle AFB also has one on display.

OAE CPO USN Ret

Back in the 90’s the Discovery channel had a show called “Wings” where they featured different aircraft each week. Well, they had the SR-71 on one show of course. They showed a clip that claimed to be from one of the SR-71 cameras. It showed a SAM rising up towards the plane and then tipping over and falling back towards earth. That episode never aired again. Methinks that some guys in dark glasses and dark suits showed up at the network and confiscated the tape.

But what the hell do I know?

c

Hey Chief, I might have that series on tape. I will have to look for it.
ADJ2
Cummins

OAE CPO USN Ret

Thanks. Hope you find it and it has that clip.