> I use sit at the end of the runway in Kadena AFB
> (70's-Okinawa) and watched the dripping fuel from the SR-71 wings. I
always wonder if
> one ever catch fire?
>
No to the best of my knowledge. It seems JP-7 is volatile under certain
conditions(high heat and high pressure). The AB on the SR-71 was basically
fuel nozzles dumping fuel into a specially shaped combustion chamber to
provide the additional thrust. The turbojet portion at that point is merely
a superpump of heated exhaust for the AB. This plane was one of the reasons
the USSR built the MIG-25 in the first place. The US countered with the F-15
Eagle fearing the worst threat(according to the available intel, and the
hype coming from Moscow) from this "superfighter". After a pilot defected to
Japan in the mid 70's NATO got a hands on look of the MIG-25. They where
shocked to find that the Soviets were still using vaccuum tube technolgy(but
way advanced) instead of solid state electronics(mainly to counter the
effects of EMP). The plane was fast(Mach 2.5), but flew like a pig. But the
plane was designed in typical MIG fashion....BIG ENGINES,BIG AIRFRAME. The
F-15 was almost as fast but could out turn the MIG-25 in a knife fight. The
F-16 was designed to give us the edge. The MIG-29/SU-27 was it's counter.
Both outstanding planes, but the Russians have done some wild stuff with
these planes(as well as crashing a few). In Russia you can go up in a MIG-29
for a couple of hours to the tune of $30,000US. Now before I get grief from
the Navy contingent the F-14 Tomcat and the FA-18 Hornet are fine aircraft
in their right, and can hold ther own in a furball. The F-14 shines when at
medium to high altitudes and the F-18 is outstanding in low altitudes. The
MIG-29/SU-27 can take either plane on it's home turf. Pretty scarey...
Dak content: Driving past Teterboro Airport I spied an A-6 Intruder, and a
NASA T-38 parked on the tarmac..
Greg
95 DSCC v6 5spd
Rahway NJ
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:48:30 EDT