This past Sunday 1st September marked the 50th Anniversary of the record air crossing.
The 'Trans Atlantic Air Race' record between New York and London had been held since April 1969 by a Royal Navy 892 Squadron crew using Phantom FG.1 XT859/001. However things changed dramatically on 1st September 1974 when this was dramatically taken and won by a United States Air Force crew in SR-71A 'Blackbird' no. 17972 of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing from Beale AFB in California, with a time of 1 hour 54 minutes and 56 seconds !
The crew - Pilot Major James V. Sullivan and the Recon System Operator Major Noel F. Widdifield
After takeoff from Beale AFB they had flown around the coast to avoid causing a sonic boom over populated areas and extensive damage to property. High above New York an invisible 'gate' would mark the start of the journey. Reaching speeds of Mach 3.2, about 2,455 mph, the 'Blackbird' tore through the gate and the time record was underway.
After initial takeoff the aircraft had refuelled from a KC-135A tanker over California with a second tanker rendezvous approaching Greenland. The 'Bird' crossed the London 'gate' before recovery into Farnborough where a huge crowd had gathered during the SBAC Show which was in progress.
Noel Widdifield is now 83 and enjoys looking back over this triumphant event. Sadly Jim Sullivan died in 2021. They were both saddened when their SR-71A 17972 was retired in 1998. They were always surprised that no other aircraft had ever been developed since that could beat it.
Something had been needed to raise spirits in the U.S. as just three weeks prior to the flight President Richard Nixon had resigned over the 'Watergate' scandal.
Widdifield had said about the SR-71 operations up to 80,000 feet "It's just black sky up there - you see stars, and either the moon or the sun depending on what time of day it is"
The record books list Concorde as the record holder (as a commercial flight) in 1996 coming in about an hour behind.
Here are my memories of this fantastic event. I attended the Farnborough SBAC on a public day on 7th September to see the 'Bird', it was shoe horned into the static park next to the C-5A and regrettably it was pouring with rain. Thankfully the decision was taken not too long after to make a U.K. base for the SR-71 at Mildenhall for ease of operations in Europe.
See full article from Guardian 010924 by David Barnett
https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... re_btn_url
