The SR-71’s Mach 3 propulsion depended on coordinated inlet spike, bypass system, and exhaust airflow that also provided much of the compression. Disrupting this calibrated airflow could trigger compressor stalls, making the flight regime both enabling and fragile. Also reported: an incident in Vietnam when both engines flamed out, turning the aircraft into a heavy descending glider nicknamed “Lead Sled.”
WHO:
Jerry O’Malley and Ed Payne
WHAT:
The SR-71’s Mach 3 inlet/engine airflow calibration could be disrupted, leading to compressor stalls; an operational Vietnam mission also showed the aircraft could glide heavily after both engines flamed out.
