Autographs, Letters, Photos, Patches, News Articles
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Recon film containers from the 9th RTS, 1989
Rare Lockheed poster, 25th anniversary, Signed by Lockheed Chief Tech Rep at Beale.
Fred Carmody's office was directly on the other side of the wall from my office.
Always a perfect gentleman, Fred and his team were always willing to give assistance at a moments notice.
I loved going to the Lockheed work center to view all the U-2 and SR-71 Blueprints.
It almost made it to the next century, affixed to the Pratt & Whitney photo is original metal medalions.
1986 D. M. Davies photo 14" X 23", notice the fuel soaked hanger floor
One of the last maintenance awards in the Blackbird program, Oct 89.
1971 Air Force Recruiting Pamphlet, The front cover depicts “The YF-12A” AF Art Collection painting by Ken Ottinger. Notice the Psychedelic theme, the booklet is filled with “way out” verbiage, photos and drawings with colorful distortion effects.
Original SAC Model KC-135 Q Original paint, Stratigic Air Command Decals and 9th SRW tail markings.
Photo by Brian Shul, SR-71 Pilot
T-38 Talons over the coast line, Beautiful white paint schemes, 9th SRW tail markings,
Photo by Brian Shul, SR-71 Pilot
Excellent!
Here is an interesting Air Force Vinyl Album and a matching Pamhlet,
Prepared by HQ SAC, Directorate of Information,
"The Remarkable SR-71"
No reference to the name "Blackbird"
No date is on the pamhlet or album.
Intent seems to play down the fears of sonic booms.
Our group photo. 9th Field Maintenance Squadron
Joe Plummer Print, 1989
Col. Richard H. Graham, SR-71 Pilot, Squadron Commander, 9th SRW Commander.
Dan,
I just got back from a week at Oshkosh and found your package. Thank you very, very much for that special piece of titanium with our crew names on it. It will hold a special place among my Blackbird memorabilia here at the house to show others.
Rich
Glenn R. Chapman, Original U-2 Maintenance Crew, Author
Measuring nearly 2 feet across, This hand painted Dragon Lady Shield was LASER cut from high quality birch ply.
Here is a great photo from the base paper, The title says 9th OMS, but Jet Shop is part of the 9th FMS.
The last Blackbird says goodbye to Team Beale
Six years later, a NASA Blackbird Returns for a short visit. 154,500 people come to see her.
Here is a big thanks to the Beale Bandits, The ruddervators actually move. one for unleaded and one leaded.
Col. Sarvada was impressed!
Double hearing protection is a must during the J58 test runs.
Check out this link showing the last J58 test run at Edwards AFB September 12, 2002.
http://www.enginehistory.org/p&w_j58.htm
This is a great example and historical photo record of the Blackbird Program's
back shop areas of the 9th SRW, 9th FMS, Fabrication Branch, Machine Shop, Welding Shop, & Structural Repair Shop.
After the Blackbird program the names changed to the Fabrication Flight. The Machine Shop / Welding Shop to Metals Technology.
Our uniforms also change from the old style green fatigues to the BDU, Battle Dress Uniform.
This is where the SR-71 Blackbird gets its speed, where we rebuild and fine tune the forward by-pass doors.
All of the SR-71, U-2, KC-135-Q, & T-38 are repaired here. This includes airframes, subsystems, and any other metal repairs.
We also repair and maintain support equipment and transient aircraft.
As far as a Machine Shop / Welding Shop goes, this is a Metal Fabricators Dream.
The unsung heros of the SR-71 Blackbird program, a motley crew of Rocket Scientist.
Deep in thought, "lets see if we can make this bird do MACH 4"
Hey! don't get you're tongue caught in that file Sarg.
Best Aircraft Machine Shop in the Air Force.
Documentation of every job on maintenance forms was essential. As computers were installed we had to start doumenting everything on them also, It was actually easier without the computers. Only one person at a time could use it. We also used our PC to make CNC milling programs.
The IG's jaws dropped when they seen this place, talk about tool control!
The Blackbirds required a complete set of secondary tool kits which were marked, tested, and certified as being Cadmium Free.
Cross contamination by using tools on cadmium plated parts from other equipment was eliminated in that way.
For the back shops this made our work in tool control, equipment management, inventories, and dilligence twice as difficult.
Tool control was top priority, the lock box on the wall was our way of assigning each person numbered (chits) which were used to identify who had a missing tool or key. Every tool no matter how small had to have a chit if removed from its place in the tool box or the shadow board.
The SAC MSET Chief gave us a Blue Star / Outstanding!
You can eat off of these machines! No one goes home until they are spotless.
^ This tool and cutter grinder a $52,000 dollar machine was required to reshape and sharpen the
very expensive tools that were needed when cutting the extraordinary Blackbird materials.
This is the INERT GAS WELDING CHAMBER, for welding SR-71 Blackbird titanium.
Thanks, Dan!
I didn't go down far enough to see the Metals Processing (Weld) Shop. I especially enjoyed seeing the argon bubble again...it looks the same as it did in the '60's! I spent many hours with my hands in that thing, welding up "turkey feathers". The shop is still in the same building as it was back then. Larry Fry
This is one of the older 15th AF certificates.
Patch Collection
Triad Pamhlets???
A high altitude shot of Beale, I guess somtime back in the 60's or 70's.
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