Sled Driver

main engine shaft consisted of two Buick V-8 automobile engines in tandem. A
chemical agent called Tetraethyl Borane (TEB), was used to ignite the fuel during
engine start and whenever afterburner was selected. Because of the extreme
temperatures experienced at high speeds, the fuel was designed to resist ignition
under normal conditions. As the J-58 engine spooled up, the pilot signaled he was
going to start the number one engine. Easing the throttle to the idle setting caused
the TEB to hit the combustion chamber of the engine and an emerald green flame
burst out of the burner section. The J-58 reached idle power amidst the noise of the
screaming Buicks. The sound of floored V-8s seemed out of place next to this
futuristic-looking flying machine. The uproar reached its climax as the Buick V-8s
reached their top RPM and the engine stabilized in idle. This sequence was repeated
for the number two engine. After both engines were started, the start cart wound
down and the steady pitch of idling J-58s superseded all other sounds. This
controlled chaos was normal start procedure for every flight.
While many people scurried beneath and around the Blackbird, I was escorted to
a radio-equipped blue car that was always present when an SR-71 taxied. SR-71
crews referred to this vehicle as the mobile car. Able to communicate with the crew
of the aircraft and other agencies, the mobile crew one pilot and one
Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) could offer assistance when necessary and
help coordinate flight changes. The mobile also scanned the taxiways and runway
for any debris or objects that could present a hazard to the SR-7 1 . The mobile crew
removed anything larger than the size of a dime found in the path of the jet. With
nitrogen filled tires riding at 400 psi, the SR-71 could easily blow a tire if it rolled over
any hard objects.
The jet taxied out with an entourage of vehicles: maintenance trucks, the
physiological support van and the mobile car. Prior to takeoff, the pilot performed
an engine run in a designated area near the runway.
I watched and listened as the pilot ran each engine up to military power and
checked the RPM and temperatures to insure all was well. At 30,000 pounds of
thrust, only one engine was run up to military power at a time. The jet's exhaust
kicked up a whirlwind of dust and debris behind the run up area. The sound of the
engines set this day apart. The gutty roar of the J-58s grabbed my insides and tugged
at me. This engine sound was born from 1950s technology and was a trademark of
the Century Series fighters I was born too late to fly. The older jets were loud, big,
and built solidly. New technology emerged in the 1970s and I had flown aircraft with
the newer fan jets. These engines were more fuel efficient but they didn't sound the