From: Acer Victoria <siddim01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
... The SR-71 can get away with pissin' on
the ground because you pretty much /can't/ light the fuel by accident, so
no worries.
Jet fuel is pretty much like kerosene, in terms of volatility.
("Parafin" to Her Majesty's Subjects. :-) As I recall, the SR-71
burned ordinary JP-5, like other military jets. For some reason, the
U-2 required JP-TS, which had to be brought in specially. This was
apparently of some concern to counter-intelligence, since the
location and rough operational schedule load could be figured out by
someone who could keep an eye on JP-TS shipments. It was said that at
one particularly sensitive location, JP-TS was purchased on the local
economy, "shipped" on paper to an Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio,
then "shipped" back, while never physically leaving the area.
One of the SR-71 jocks told me that it's gear-down stall speed is
only a bit under the maximum loaded speed of a KC-135 tanker. (The
SR-71 doesn't have flaps.) This apparently made for some
"interesting" in-air refueling.
BTW: someone mentioned being wary of "leaky hydraulics." I would be
too! The SR-71 is basically a big fuel tank with engines attached. It
is the fuel that leaks through the cold-contracted skin, NOT
hydraulic fluid.
This has gotten at least twice removed from Olympus, so I'll just let
it drop now.
: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229
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