Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird

[Matra et Alpine]

And after that 2-minute joy ride, you're engine-less. So you just glide along at less than 200mph until you come to a stop.

yep and it had a 25 degree glide "slope" - that' son a par with a brick :

This old pic shows the typical profile ( misses out the time to get the B-52 airborne and in position ) From the point of the engine shutdown at "burnout", the X15 was a glider

[Dan Flynn]

You can argue all you want to figure whether the Blackbird or the X-15 is the better aircraft. I think it takes a healthy set of stones to pilot either one.

[F1_Master]

This plane has been the coolest d*mn plane for years.

Nothing beats it. If I could collect 1 thing from the past in 20 years, it would be one of these babies.

[NSXType-R]

Landing in the X-15 must be scary as hell. You only have a nosewheel and 2 skids behind you and there's no way to slow you down. Being in the SR-71 is much better thank you.

[Matra et Alpine]

Landing in the X-15 must be scary as hell. You only have a nosewheel and 2 skids behind you and there's no way to slow you down. Being in the SR-71 is much better thank you.

THey both had chutes and though the SR-71 DID have wheels brakes are only usable below 100mph

Wheel sare really only beter than skids in ground maneouvrign

The only mildly positive is in theory you could power up an SR-71 and do a circuit.

[clutch-monkey]

better than that russian bomber that ejected the pilots..downwards
too bad if they had to make a low level run for whatever reason

[Matra et Alpine]

better than that russian bomber that ejected the pilots..downwards
too bad if they had to make a low level run for whatever reason

Yeah but INFINITELY better than ejecting them up and getting sliced by the tail !!!!
Low level eject is always an issue

[clutch-monkey]

well in the old mirage fighter jets ejecting means breaking your legs in two places because of the dash design
and in the first F/A-18's you can't eject while on tarmac, because there is no wind to rip the canopy back and away - the ejection jets end up cooking the pilot

[Matra et Alpine]

Lets not forget that the early F104 Starfighters had downward firing seats with complex attachments to draw pilots legs in etc.
It turned out thogh that THE most common failure for F104s was durign take-off. The flight manual actually ahd the procedure which instructed the pilot to roll the plane and if possible invert before pullign the handle So they redesigned, dropped the DX-3 sourced seats and went to "normal".
zero-zero seats ie zero height zero speed for egress are a relatively new development and involved VERY complex seats. Why Martin Baker still get most orders Tho' I knew the Russian maker was short-listed for the F-22 - anyoen know who they went with ??

[clutch-monkey]

isn't the f104 is the one that allegedly has wings so taperd you can cut your fingers on them? supposedly fast but not so maneuvrable - i think the germans modified them for strike roles because of their small radar signature?

[Matra et Alpine]

Yep the Starfighter. Aim was for VERY high speed interceptor role. Accelerate high and fast.

[NSXType-R]

THey both had chutes and though the SR-71 DID have wheels brakes are only usable below 100mph

Wheel sare really only beter than skids in ground maneouvrign

Well that's better than nothing!!!!

The X-15 only had marginally usable control because it's just a rocket with two stubby wings. The SR-71 at least was a real plane and you could always slow down on your desent. In the X-15 the only controls were ON and OFF. Kinda scary don'tcha think?

[Matra et Alpine]

Well that's better than nothing!!!!

The X-15 only had marginally usable control because it's just a rocket with two stubby wings. The SR-71 at least was a real plane and you could always slow down on your desent. In the X-15 the only controls were ON and OFF. Kinda scary don'tcha think?

It had flight control surfaces and air brakes.

[whiteballz]

mach 6 would be one hell of a ride, i know that the theory of comparing the two for the same role is useless, and its not what i originally meant my statement to come across as.

...if i wanted to go fast i would choose an X-15...

i meant in pure speed.. never in that post was i saying that the X-15 is a better jet, just the fact its faster. and IMO better looking.

[tmnt_ppn]

this is out of the topic, but im wondering if anyone have hi-res F-18E/F pics?