And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thanks for mentioning him. His seat couldn't overcome the G force to shift to its aft position for ejection (the retraction piston in the seat blew its seal) and he was trapped in the aircraft. Al White got out by initiating ejection slightly earlier and survived but was seriously injured upon landing. Still a magnificent aircraft and the crash was not the result of a fault in the aircraft or anything the crew did. Had the pilot that called out the midair collision identified the XB70 both crew would probably have ejected safely but they only realised it was them about 16 seconds after collision when control was rapidly lost. Some parts were salvaged and used on the other XB70. The accident photo sequence is worth a look.
I Googled "American bomber that looks like the French Concorde and got this:
The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is a retired prototype version of the planned B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command.
It was the Anglo-French Concorde thankyouverymuch! One of the big things was the twin paired Bristol Orpheus turbojets out of the TSR2, so you had a PASSENGER plane with supersonic speeds and afterburners! Seen these at night, taking off directly overhead, four afterburners blazing away, as the thing went into a climbing turn like it was off to intercept a Russian bomber or something!
The National Museum of the Air Force is an awesome museum and you should all go there. When stationed at Wright-Patterson I played tour guide at the museum whenever family came to visit. I took a troop of boy scouts through there one time,, my uncle and cousin among them. Good times.
They made a special fuel for that plane. Dad worked on the plant that made it in a factory near Buffalo, NY. That was one job mom was glad went away. There were several explosions, and if I recall correctly, at least one fatality.
Further info: Why is the SR-71 called that? A proposal for the B-70 was to have a reconnaissance version, which was to be called RS-70 for reconnaissance/strike. Somehow calling it RB-70 fell out of favor. After that, the next RS was RS-71. I hear that President Johnson called it SR-71 by mistake and, knowing Johnson, nobody was going to correct him. So SR-71 is a bomber without bombs, numbered in the bomber series.
And it worked almost from the start, that is superlative aerospace engineering at its finest. An accomplishment similar to the SaturnV. Heady times. Nothing was impossible. Till something began to destroy any and all technology except what made the financial rulers wealthier and for control over people. Pretty soon no one will be around who witnessed this. Hopefully newer generations are savvy enough that comes to its rightful demise and those behind it.
At one time, I had the original film from Norton AFB depository of the crash. I was working on a project and had permission from the PAO at The Pentagon. I also had a LOT of other stuff....but, the crash film was photographed from Frank Sinatra's Lear Jet piloted by Clay Lacy. Absolutely NO excuse for what happened. Losing Joe Walker was such a shame and absolutely tragic.
U-2 Variant?
ReplyDeletePrototype bomber XB-70. High altitude, high speed, for trips to and from Russia but not landing there.
DeleteRight, not to land there, just deliver messages.
DeleteB-70.
ReplyDelete. . . unless your name is Carl Cross.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning him. His seat couldn't overcome the G force to shift to its aft position for ejection (the retraction piston in the seat blew its seal) and he was trapped in the aircraft. Al White got out by initiating ejection slightly earlier and survived but was seriously injured upon landing. Still a magnificent aircraft and the crash was not the result of a fault in the aircraft or anything the crew did. Had the pilot that called out the midair collision identified the XB70 both crew would probably have ejected safely but they only realised it was them about 16 seconds after collision when control was rapidly lost. Some parts were salvaged and used on the other XB70. The accident photo sequence is worth a look.
DeleteEvery time I see that plane, I imagine being the guy stuck inside the fireball and riding it into the ground because the chase plane idiot messed up.
DeleteJoe Walker was hardly an idiot and wingtip vortices, especially off of a monster like the XB-70, were not very well understood in those days.
DeleteAesop: Not a chase plane. This was a collection of aircraft with the same engine maker for a publicity photo op.
DeleteI Googled "American bomber that looks like the French Concorde and got this:
ReplyDeleteThe North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is a retired prototype version of the planned B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command.
Still boggles my mind after decades. And in its own way just a beautiful aircraft particularly in flight.
ReplyDeleteIt was the Anglo-French Concorde thankyouverymuch! One of the big things was the twin paired Bristol Orpheus turbojets out of the TSR2, so you had a PASSENGER plane with supersonic speeds and afterburners! Seen these at night, taking off directly overhead, four afterburners blazing away, as the thing went into a climbing turn like it was off to intercept a Russian bomber or something!
ReplyDeleteThere is 1 surviving and it is on display at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton Ohio
ReplyDeleteThe National Museum of the Air Force is an awesome museum and you should all go there.
DeleteWhen stationed at Wright-Patterson I played tour guide at the museum whenever family came to visit. I took a troop of boy scouts through there one time,, my uncle and cousin among them. Good times.
They made a special fuel for that plane. Dad worked on the plant that made it in a factory near Buffalo, NY. That was one job mom was glad went away. There were several explosions, and if I recall correctly, at least one fatality.
ReplyDeletefast as a sr71 and just as high. the lenticular missiles it would have carried for self defense are just as amazing
ReplyDeleteFurther info: Why is the SR-71 called that? A proposal for the B-70 was to have a reconnaissance version, which was to be called RS-70 for reconnaissance/strike. Somehow calling it RB-70 fell out of favor. After that, the next RS was RS-71. I hear that President Johnson called it SR-71 by mistake and, knowing Johnson, nobody was going to correct him. So SR-71 is a bomber without bombs, numbered in the bomber series.
DeleteAnd it worked almost from the start, that is superlative aerospace engineering at its finest. An accomplishment similar to the SaturnV. Heady times. Nothing was impossible. Till something began to destroy any and all technology except what made the financial rulers wealthier and for control over people. Pretty soon no one will be around who witnessed this. Hopefully newer generations are savvy enough that comes to its rightful demise and those behind it.
ReplyDeleteAt one time, I had the original film from Norton AFB depository of the crash. I was working on a project and had permission from the PAO at The Pentagon. I also had a LOT of other stuff....but, the crash film was photographed from Frank Sinatra's Lear Jet piloted by Clay Lacy. Absolutely NO excuse for what happened. Losing Joe Walker was such a shame and absolutely tragic.
ReplyDeleteThen there was the Sukhoi T-4 Sotka. . . . . .
ReplyDelete