No aircraft ever captured the curiosity & fascination of the public like the SR-71 Blackbird. Nicknamed "The Sled" by those few who flew it, the aircraft was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Entering the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1966, the SR-71 was the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft in the world. Now for the first time, a Blackbird pilot shares his unique experience of what it was like to fly this legend of aviation history. Through the words & photographs of retired Major Brian Shul, we enter the world of the "Sled Driver." Major Shul gives us insight on all phases of flying, including the humbling experience of simulator training, the physiological stresses of wearing a space suit for long hours, & the intensity & magic of flying 80,000 feet above the Earth's surface at 2000 miles per hour. SLED DRIVER takes the reader through riveting accounts of the rigors of initial training, the gamut of emotions experienced while flying over hostile territory, & the sheer joy of displaying the jet at some of the world's largest airshows. Illustrated with rare photographs, seen here for the first time, SLED DRIVER captures the mystique & magnificence of this most unique of all aircraft.

This book provides a detailed overview of the human factors and performance limitations associated with flying fast jets, integrating all the latest available research literature on the demanding operational tasks faced by such pilots and aircrews. As such, it has a strong military focus, dealing with pilots of fighter aircraft, attack aircraft and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft that are traditionally only single or dual pilot operations.

This book provides a detailed general overview of the human factors and performance limitations associated with flying fast jets, integrating all the latest available research literature on the demanding operational tasks faced by such pilots and aircrews. As such, it has a strong military focus, dealing with pilots of fighter aircraft, attack aircraft and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft that are traditionally only single or dual pilot operations. The book deals not only with the issue of G force, but discusses ejection and escape/survival, disorientation, high altitude physiology, pilot training and selection, helmet-mounted equipment, situational awareness, data fusion and multi-sensor integration, human machine interface issues and advanced cockpit design. It examines the human performance issues associated with the technological advances made in fast jets, such as increased manoeuvrability, increased use of the pilot’s head as a mounting platform for sensor and weapons systems, and the complexities involved in the human-machine interface within these aircraft.

Official navy historian John Sherwood offers an authoritative social history of the air war, focused around fourteen of these aviators—from legends like Robin Olds, Steve Ritchie, and John Nichols to lesser-known but equally heroic fighters like Roger Lerseth and Ted Sienecki. The war in the skies above Vietnam still stands as the longest our nation has ever fought. For fourteen years American pilots dropped bombs on the Southeast Asian countryside—eventually more than eight million tons of them. In doing so, they lost over 8,588 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. They did not win the war. Ironically, Vietnam, though one of our least popular wars, produced one of the most effective groups of warriors our nation has ever seen—men of dedication, professionalism, and courage. Sherwood draws on nearly three hundred interviews to tell stories of great pilots and great planes in the words of the men themselves. Fliers recall jets such as McDonnell Douglas's famous F-4 Phantom, "a Corvette with wings"; the F-05 Thunderchief, the workhorse of the war; the F-8 Crusader, the last of the gun fighters; and the block-nosed but revolutionary A-6 Intruder with its fully computerized attack systems, terrain mapping radar, and digital all-weather navigation system. Fast Movers offers fascinating portraits—based on Sherwood's interviews and declassified naval archives—of Vietnam's POWs. Pilots lucky enough to suffer only broken bones and burns from the violence of 1960s-era Martin-Baker ejection seats struggled to find honorable ways to negotiate half-decade-long periods in captivity. Passive resistance, like Commander Jeremiah Denton's famous blinking of TORTURE in Morse Code, was sometimes successful, often brutally reprised. Against all odds, the pilots spawned a culture of success in the midst of failure, frustration, and devastation. Fast Movers captures a hidden and crucial story of America's least successful war.

Since 2003, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has changed its arrangements for providing logistics support for its Harrier and Tornado fast jet aircraft by rationalising the activity and location of its maintenance and repair services. The NAO report finds that these changes have reduced costs by a cumulative saving of £1.4 billion, and although availability of the aircraft temporarily declined during the transition period, availability targets for these fast jet aircraft are now being met. The MoD has applied new techniques, including introducing pulse lines, similar to a production line used in the motor car industry, which has led to improved productivity with fewer man-hours and less workspace and spares holdings. The MoD has also entered into new partnerships with industry which are managed by teams made up of contractors and military personnel situated at main RAF bases. The new arrangements are based on industry making available a specified number of aircraft or engines, rather than on the number of repairs they carry out or the number of spare parts they provide. The report identifies two significant risks that still remain, relating to: the provision of sufficient trained personnel to man the pulse lines for both jets; and the supply chain to ensure the timely supply of spare parts for both types of aircraft.

Boggle your mind with the weird and wonderful facts, photos, and illustrations packed into the pages of this awesome almanac. I Can't Believe It! 2 brings together some of the most fascinating information and myth-busting true-or-false questions from four of DK's bestselling titles: It Can't Be True! (astonishing visual comparisons that explain extraordinary facts about the world around us); True or False? (unbelievable but true answers to big questions); Strange but True! (bizarre beasts, incredible places, and peculiar phenomena that are really real); and It Can't Be True! 2 (a compendium of hundreds more visual comparisons). Covering a huge range of subjects from outer space to dinos, head lice to hamburgers, and snowflakes to fearsome flowers, this is truly a book with the "Wow!" factor that tells you things about our crazy universe you will hardly believe. I Can't Believe It! 2 has something to astound everyone, over and over again. Parents will want to steal this book from their kids.