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| Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Source: USAF Judson Brohmer |
It took a special kind of men to fly the SR-71 Blackbird, in essence spy missions with the fastest ever aircraft, packed with Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) equipment.
Brian Shul was more than not average, and flew 212 close air support missions in Vietnam. He was shot down, could not eject and had a horrible crash in the jungle. Brian suffered severe burns when his plane burst in flames. He was rescued and spent a year in a military hospital in Okinawa.
Despite his injuries, he passed the flight physical after months of physical therapy. Now flying the A7 Corsair and A-10 Thunderbolt, and being instructor pilot on the A-10... still wasn’t enough. Sadly, they told him he could not pass the tough astronaut-like physical for the SR-71. Nevertheless, against all odds, he passed the tests and flew four years SR-71 missions.
Brian Shul gave a fascinating talk at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An amazing story of perseverance, but also quite funny. Worth every minute of watching!
Brian Shul was more than not average, and flew 212 close air support missions in Vietnam. He was shot down, could not eject and had a horrible crash in the jungle. Brian suffered severe burns when his plane burst in flames. He was rescued and spent a year in a military hospital in Okinawa.
Despite his injuries, he passed the flight physical after months of physical therapy. Now flying the A7 Corsair and A-10 Thunderbolt, and being instructor pilot on the A-10... still wasn’t enough. Sadly, they told him he could not pass the tough astronaut-like physical for the SR-71. Nevertheless, against all odds, he passed the tests and flew four years SR-71 missions.
Brian Shul gave a fascinating talk at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An amazing story of perseverance, but also quite funny. Worth every minute of watching!
LLESA Author Series "Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet" by Brian Shul
The origins of the SR-71 are found in my OXCAR and ELINT Research
post. ELINT spy missions are risky business and quite a few pilots and
crew lost have their life on these secret missions, as you can read in
the Silent Warriors post.
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