Sled Driver

Flying the SR in front of thousands of people was a challenge. The jet, of course,
wasn't designed for heavy maneuvering at low altitude. This mattered little,
however, because the simplest maneuvers in this airplane were sure to please any
crowd. Just flying straight and level and lighting the afterburners never failed to
excite the people watching. The pilot's main problem was holding down the
airspeed so he could turn around quickly for the next pass. A few simple passes that
lasted only a few minutes required immense physical exertion from the pilot. This
was one of the few times the backseater had nothing to do. After frequently telling
Walt about the view he was missing while we were at altitude he finally got back at
me during an airshow by describing what a sight the large crowd was. Meanwhile, I
was intently concentrating on aligning the aircraft for the next pass and watching
the airspeed indicator.
The SR-71's most popular airshow demonstration was flying the jet through a
maneuver we normally practiced in training to gain experience flying with one
engine. We called this maneuver a simulated single engine go-around. One engine
remained in idle and the other was pushed up to full afterburner. Because of the
thrust differential, the aircraft would yaw greatly, putting the aircraft in a slight
bank. It was perfect for shows; it was loud and the large deflection of the rudder and
slight bank added flair. Since the wheels were down and only one burner was lit,
speeds were easier to keep under control.
Airshow crowds' reactions varied while watching the different airplanes fly their
demonstrations. Everyone loved watching the highly maneuverable F-16s. The
World War II Spitfires and Mustangs were sentimental favorites. The Red Arrow's
formation of nine jets with colored smoke evoked oohs and aahs. The SR-71 though,
elicited a gaze of wonder from the crowd that was different than those caused by
any other airplane. As the Sled passed overhead, the crowd would stare reverently
at the jet and listen in awe as the unmistakable sound of full afterburner would echo
across the airfield and back.
At the Dayton Air Fair, Walt and I found ourselves flying the SR-71 departure
show. As we walked into the room our PSD folks were using for suit-up we found
ourselves surrounded by twenty to thirty newspaper and television reporters. We
had to laugh to ourselves as we sat there in our longjohns being interviewed for the
evenmg news.
We flew a couple of passes for the crowd and were about to head for home, when
Walt received a call from the tower at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They
asked if we could make a pass by the Air Force Museum located across the main
base. No one at the museum knew we were so there must have been some startled