SR-71 planes at Kadena, Okinawa 1972

[gwb123]

I remember everyone pulling off the roads going by Kadena AB in 1970-71 to snap photos whenever an SR-71 took off. Somewhere I have the ones I took. Very impressive take off. I was told we were not supposed to do it, but it was a pretty universal thing.

 

I was thinking that as I was reading this. I remember it was typical at the overseas bases seeing signs warning about unauthorized flight line photography prohibited.

 

I had a neighbor who was stationed in Korea during the 1970's. He used to tell about F-4's taking off with a full load of ordnance, and then coming home empty, some with a few holes in him (his story, the way he told it.) When I asked if he had any photos he told about some unfortunate airman who was all set up by the airstrip, complete with tripod and light meter, and not very far away from one of those photography prohibited signs. Apparently when the Security Police pulled up, he just smiled and waved at them, and went back to focusing his camera. This did not go over well... they seized all of his camera equipment and threw him in the back of the truck. That would have been an interesting one to explain to the company commander!

[WW2JAKE]

 

I was thinking that as I was reading this. I remember it was typical at the overseas bases seeing signs warning about unauthorized flight line photography prohibited.

 

I had a neighbor who was stationed in Korea during the 1970's. He used to tell about F-4's taking off with a full load of ordnance, and then coming home empty, some with a few holes in him (his story, the way he told it.) When I asked if he had any photos he told about some unfortunate airman who was all set up by the airstrip, complete with tripod and light meter, and not very far away from one of those photography prohibited signs. Apparently when the Security Police pulled up, he just smiled and waved at them, and went back to focusing his camera. This did not go over well... they seized all of his camera equipment and threw him in the back of the truck. That would have been an interesting one to explain to the company commander!

funny you said that, 2 of my uncles who dont talk much about their days in the navy told me some stories and one was about a guy who took pictures inside a ships turbine and about the same thing happened to him

[atb]

 

I was thinking that as I was reading this. I remember it was typical at the overseas bases seeing signs warning about unauthorized flight line photography prohibited.

 

I had a neighbor who was stationed in Korea during the 1970's. He used to tell about F-4's taking off with a full load of ordnance, and then coming home empty, some with a few holes in him (his story, the way he told it.) When I asked if he had any photos he told about some unfortunate airman who was all set up by the airstrip, complete with tripod and light meter, and not very far away from one of those photography prohibited signs. Apparently when the Security Police pulled up, he just smiled and waved at them, and went back to focusing his camera. This did not go over well... they seized all of his camera equipment and threw him in the back of the truck. That would have been an interesting one to explain to the company commander!

If my memory is correct, bomb laden B-52's would take off from Kadena for Vietnam. At some point an SR-71 would go up. The SR-71 would make it back before the B-52's.

 

I am perplexed as to where F-4's would be dropping ordnance in Korea in the 1970's. A bombing range? Then where did the holes come from? Flying through their own exploding bombs?

[Hürtgenwald]

 

Unfortunately, incredibly expensive to operate and maintain. I believe most of the functions of the SR-71 are now done more economically by spy satellites.

 

Interestingly, apparently the U-2 is still in use.

 

I once did do some work at the Dryden Test Flight/Edwards AFB area when they had the last SR-71s there. The Hangar building we worked in had JP-7 soaked into the concrete seams because the planes leaked while on the ground. I have read that they took off with one tank and then had to be air refueled before they continued the flight, then the skin would seal once the metal heated up. The cost had to be incredible both financially and to the environment.