SR71 Blackbird, Pratt & Whitney, Fuel Controls

How'd you get this stuff, Geno? Seems like it might be hot.

Goverment surplus.

Hi Geno,

For alloy composition, you might want to check out this link advertising a lecture from one of the former pilots of the SR-71: http://sections.asme.org/hudson-mohawk/2008_Apr_Newsletter_v3.pdf.

The lecturer has written one or two books on the subject, and assuming the information you seek is in the public domain/de-classified, your alloy answer may be inside them.

As an alternative to melting them down for scrap/cash, have you considered selling the components to the U.S. National Air and Space Museum? Not sure how unique they are, but another option, if there's any historical value to them.

- Larry

I have, for years been a great fan of the SR71. The fastest plane ever. I saw one up close at Robins AFB musem in GA. They might be interested. Also, another thought, I think NASA is still flying one or two for research purposes. They might be interested in spare parts. Better to buy than build from scratch... What a great plane........... Keep them flying.....

Never scrap such a beautiful piece of equipment!

Parts from WWII rockets are now near 50K$!

So if not possible to sell today for at least $ 100/Kg, pass this to your children.

In latest 50 years this may be worth a fortune!

If you are interested in gold mining from used technical equipment then try to get equipment from the 50ies, 60ies and 70ies.

Old computer equipment, any measurement equipment and more.

The old TR440 computer from a local centre had a 130KW power supply and more than 1Kg of gold in the boards and connectors. Built in early 70ies and scrapped in late 80ies.

RHABE

Hallo my friend, I had to say something about your false statement:-

The old TR440 computer from a local centre had a 130KW power supply and more than 1Kg of gold in the boards and connectors. Built in early 70ies and scrapped in late 80ies.

If it was even a gram of gold I would be more than just surprised!!!!

Hi AG,

20µm gold on printed circuits and connectors is equivalent to 0.4g/cm²!

So 1 Kg will be 2500cm². No problem.

Today gold thickness is down to 2 or 3 µm and most circuit boards are no longer gold plated.

At that time the cost of computers has been that high that 1Kg gold was not really important to include.

And reliability was an issue!

I am sure you know about old prices.

RHABE

I agree. I have changed my mind. It is a beautiful piece of equiptment. I always did like unusual things. Besides Not everybody has one do they?????

I stoped one time in Angolla Indiana and saw a Navy big Gun off a war ship, it was on the corner of a main highway, there asking price was 50K. That was neet.

I have a Army tank Transmission also it belongs to a M80 Army Tank I'm told. Still in the container.

Thanks for the imformation. If I ever want to follow up on the above imformation you sent where would I look?

Geno

There is no such thing as a US Army M-80 tank, is it from another country? Perhaps it's a transmission from an M-60. That would be pretty cool.

Shawn

Thank you. I wasn't sure on the number it must be a M-60.

Hi Geno,

I was very near this TR440 as they bought a new VAX and later some more. Then I heard about plans to stop any operation of the TR440 because of high energy consumption. No doubt that there was more than 1 Kg of gold inside.

But I was too late to get it and I would not have had the space to store for some time.

The steering (autopilot?) part from a German V1 was on ebay a few years ago and was sold for 44K$. I watched it as I am collecting gyro-related equipment - having been in gyro-compassing company for some time.

The autopilot was similar to the very early Sperry autopilot (1918) that never was realised as it was ready and tested only after WWI was over.

I do not have any details but I will search the patent databases to get the details.

Recently I got a IMU (inertial measurement unit) from a 70ies to 80ies fighter plane, the vendor claimed it to be removed from an Eurofighter but I doubt about this. The 3 rate integrating gyros and the three single-axis accelerometers are all floated and this technology was abandoned (as I know) in the early 70ies - maybe at Ferranti this survived for some time longer than elsewhere.

RHABE

Who told you it is an SR-71 fuel servo? I strongly doubt it... 20+ years ago very few people knew about the SR-71 let alone could find surplus parts of it on the auction block...And if it is, why not ask Bendix Energy control div. (Bendix, not Bindix) Wangito.

Thank you for your wisdom.

Don't mention, No wisdom here, just common sense. Wangito.

I knew an 7R71 pilot, who told me he flew it at Mach 6 and faster, and would have trusted it to Mach 10. He said it was so fast he actually had to push down on the yoke to stay in Earth Atmosphere.

Hard to believe there aren't a couple, if not at least one that is still flying.

Don't myself know what could replace such a thing.

We can probably look up how many were made, and where they are, maybe.

Was a spyplane...

The part, if it is for the SR71, may very well be much more valuable as a part, than as scrap.

Of course, parts for aircraft are not usable typically without documented history.

Standard procedure from my memory was that such a part, had a red tag wired on that gave its history so that the Chief Mechanic could determine whether or not to use the part to replace another, which was run out of time.

Without that tag, unless the ability to make another part is completely lost, and there are no other shelf tagged parts, I don't know if it is a museum piece or not.

From what I remember the SR71 basically burned napalm, or jellied kerosene.

I heard that on the ground fueled up and ready to go the fuel glopped out of it and made a mess.

Transcendian:

I heard that on the ground fueled up and ready to go the fuel glopped out of it and made a mess.

Your right, Until the heat from flying so fast the tanks expaned and closed up the joints.

Mach 6, Mach 10? No one will ever know. Just keep guessing.

phoenix911

You mentioned:-

I heard that on the ground fueled up and ready to go the fuel glopped out of it and made a mess.

I knew an SR-71 mechanic, he said the same thing. The metal (Tungsten I believe) is difficult to seal or something. They had to sit around under the aircraft when the engines were running with fire extinguishers, he said!!! The fuel dripped out all over the place....

Aircraft was built before modern computers.......wow! SlideRULES!!!

If those did come from a blackbird, they operated at very high temperatures! The tires even had to be refrigerated in flight. By the way, the fuel tanks leaked because they would have flexed the plane at flight temps if they were continuous because of the temperature difference between the top and bottom. I believe NASA may still be flying a couple of them, but i'm not sure they still run the same engines as they found that over a third of the drag (maybe two thirds ?) was caused by the engines and their intakes. I've been known to mount and display such items from time to time. Good luck with your search.

I was recruited by Pratt & Whitney in 1969 to work in X Test. The story told at that time was that when they were shipping a couple of engines (which were manufactured with no identifying numbers or wording in case they got into the wrong hands), the driver was given a specific route. The driver, knowing the roads, knew of a much shorter route and ignored the directions. Unfortunately, one of the underpasses was a couple of inches too low and he damaged his load. Instead of contacting Pratt & Whitney or his trucking company, he left his drivers credentials on the seat and walked away, knowingly leaving these sophisticated and highly secret engines unattended on the side of the road.

quite a story?

Hello Gino1! Please let me fill you in on some basic CR-4 rules:........ No one needs yours or anyone else's permission to reply to post..... Every participant has the right to state his/her opinion whether you like it or not....... You also have the right to reply even if your reply will be as stupid as your last one...... Freedom of speech has it's price and if you are not willing to pay it , you are free to unsubscribe at any time from the thread or from CR-4 all together...... What I "no" or do not "no" (did you mean "know"?) is what makes me and probably many others, active on this "sight" (did you mean "site"?)..... and the "sight"is definitely not yours as you stupidly claim...... Wangito.