From Ralph Johnson, Air Traffic Controller/Supervisor at Winnipeg Air Traffic Control Center
For those that don't know, "The Sled" is the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane from
the 1960s and still the fastest airplane on earth. That we know of. I'm sure
the government has a few secrets yet!
In his book, "Sled Driver", SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul writes: "I'll
always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my
back-seater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles high.
We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we
entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did
monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout
of its ground speed. "90 knots" Center replied. Moments later, a Twin Beech
requested the same. "120 knots, Center answered. We weren't the only ones
proud of our ground speed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly
transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty Five-Two requests ground speed readout."
There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground, Dusty
Five-Two." Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a
situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming
from my back-seat...as at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had
become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen
Two-Zero, you got a ground speed readout for us?" There was a longer than
normal pause.... " Aspen , I show 1,742 knots" (That's about 2,004.658 mph for
those who don't know). No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.
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In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a
request for clearance to FL 600 (60,000 ft). The incredulous controller,
with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000
feet? The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go
up to it; we plan to go down to it." He was cleared.