Com-Central.net

Com-Central.net

Forum FAQ

Moderators

Brian Shul on piloting the SR-71
A general meeting place for all pilots!

Forum Index › Officer's Club

View previous topic :: View next topic

Author

Message

wheelsup_cavu
Power User

Offline
Joined: Mar 29, 2010
Posts: 982
Location: Corona, California

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 5:32 pm
Post subject: Brian Shul on piloting the SR-71

The title of the video is quite misleading. He not only discusses his experiences flying the Blackbird but the trials and challenges he experienced leading up to that part of his career. What an amazing story of perseverance.
Source: youtu.be/wigZsFypdyI

- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory YouTube channel

Published on Dec 14, 2016

In this talk at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Vietnam-era attack pilot and retired Air Force major Brian Shul, author of "Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet," reveals fascinating details of piloting the SR-71. Using his rare aviation slides and stories as a vehicle, he tells a broader inspired story of hope, overcoming obstacles and daring to dream.

Shul graduated from East Carolina University in 1970 with a degree in history and anthropology. After graduation, for the next 20 years he served as an Air Force fighter pilot. During the Vietnam War, he flew 212 close air support missions. During one of these missions, Shul was shot down near the Cambodian border and was unable to eject, so he was forced to fly his plane into the jungle. He was severely burned in the crash. Shul was rescued by Special Forces and endured one year in military hospitals where he underwent 15 surgical procedures and was told he would never fly again.

After much physical therapy, Shul miraculously returned to active duty flying. He flew the A-7D, was an instructor in the A-10 and went on to teach at the Air Force's Top Gun School. He culminated his Air Force career by flying our nation's top secret spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft ever built. He flew covert missions in the Blackbird for four years and was the pilot who provided President Reagan with detailed photos of Libyan terrorist camps in 1986. During that time, he became the only SR-71 pilot in history to fly three missions in three consecutive days.

Retiring from the Air Force in1990, Shul pursued his writing and photography interests. He was the first pilot to write a book about flying the Blackbird, which is completely illustrated with his own photography. The book won Aviation Book of the Year honors and is today the single most popular book on that plane worldwide. He is also the only man to fly extensively with both the Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds as a photojournalist.

This talk was presented at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Nov. 15, 2016.

Wheels

_________________
Cheers Smile

Wheelsup_cavu

Planes of Fame Air Museum | March Field Air Museum | Palm Springs Air Museum

Forum Index › Officer's Club
Page 1 of 1

All times are GMT - 6 Hours

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Select Language

Login

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big

Com-Central.net

Select Language

Login

±Recent Visitors

±User Info-big

`±`Recent Visitors

`±`User Info-big