Introduction

It was a cold February 3rd morning in 1964. There was a small contingent of people gathered at a remote location in New Mexico. If one did not know better, you would have thought they were staring at the sky haplessly, as if looking for an angel in the middle of the day. Their excitement was obvious and to any casual looker it would have seemed almost weird. The place was Groom Lake and it was home to the aircraft that no one knew existed. Since the first "black" airplane the XP-59A Airacomet had made it's first flight in October of 1942, a host of new "black" airplanes had come to exist in the United States.

Without warning there was a thundering BOOM overhead. The small crowd quietly applauded the thundering sonic boom because they knew that with that barrier surpassed, a new generation of "black" aircraft had been born. Kelly Johnson was one of those present. He is virtually worshipped in the aircraft community as a genius. He is also the man responsible for taking the Blackbird under his wing and bringing it to reality. On 3 February 1964 a new TOP SECRET airplane referred to as the A-12 (the name "A-1" was the first design name and since pilots referred to the U-2 as "Angel" it only made sense to refer to the Blackbird which would fly higher and MUCH faster as the "Archangel") reached a speed of Mach 3.3 and an altitude of 83,000 feet. It sustained this speed for over 10 minutes by a pilot named James D. Eastham.

This flight had set a new world record but as far as the rest of the world knew, it had never happened. Five grueling years had been spent making this flight possible and for the next 25 years, the SR-71 would bring about a legacy that even today is unsurpassed by any plane in history.20

During its illustrious career the SR-71 (it was actually named the RS-71 or Reconnaissance Strike-71 but on July 24, 1964 then President Johnson referred to it as the SR-71 by accident in a public statement revealing the aircraft to the public for the first time, in an election year. Thus over 25,000 documents had to be changed to correct the name to SR-71) has proven such an impeccable asset that perhaps no one country more than the Former Soviet Union knew how valuable an asset the Blackbird would become to the United States.

Although many models were proposed including fighter and bomber variants, it was only the reconnaissance version that ever made it to production. The pilots selected to fly the Blackbird were few and grew a special bond between them. Lt. Col. Richard H. Graham was one of those special skillful pilots. It was with great pleasure that I had an opportunity to ask him to share some of those experiences with us in a special interview for Combatsim. Thus without further ado... ENJOY!!

Csim: A lot of flight enthusiasts would love a chance to join the USAF, USN or USMC solely based on the opportunity to fly combat aircraft. Please tell us when you first became interested in flying for the USAF and steps it took to make it through undergraduate studies?

Richard: My dad was a former Navy F-4U pilot and got me interested in flying at a young age. He had his instructor ratings and taught both my brother and I how to fly. I soloed me out in a Piper Colt in 1960 at the age of 18 at our local airport in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Even at the age of 18 I knew I wanted to fly in the Air Force, where the supersonic Century Series of fighter aircraft were just coming on line. I began Air Force pilot training in 1964 and found it very challenging. The academic rigors of pilot training were more difficult for me than the actual flying. I still remember soloing out in the T-37 and T-33, I felt like one hot pilot, especially having only flown the Colt four years earlier.

Csim: Upon finishing undergraduate training, what aircraft had you been assigned to fly and was it a slot you wanted? If not, which aircraft was it that you wanted to fly?

Richard: In 1965 the air war in Vietnam hadn’t picked up yet and fighter assignments were few and far between. I listed all of the Century Series (F-100, F-101, etc.) aircraft as my choices, and ended up with my 6th choice, a T-37 Instructor Pilot slot at Craig AFB.

CSIm: Can you give us a quick recap on what you flew in the Air Force, for how many years and how many hours you accumulated in each aircraft?

Richard: I flew the T-37 for five years and 2,000 hours, the F-4C/D for three years and 900 hours, the SR-71 for seven years and 765 hours, the U-2 for two years and 100 hours, the T-38 for nine years and 1,000 hours, and the KC-135Q for two years and 250 hours. I flew 145 combat missions in Vietnam in the F-4C/D in the 555 TFS ("Triple Nickel Squadron") at Udorn RTAFB, Thailand and 60 combat missions in the F-4C Wild Weasel at Korat RTAFB, participating in Linebacker II missions during the Christmas 1972 bombing of Hanoi. Flying with American Airlines I currently have 4,000 hours in the MID-SO aircraft.

CSim: When you were first offered the chance to fly the SR-71, how did that opportunity present itself?

Richard: The SR-71 program was strictly a volunteer program. You had to submit a volunteer package asking to be part of the SR-71 program. My opportunity had some luck involved. I was on Okinawa at the time flying F-4 Wild Weasels. I went to lunch with my boss one day, and on the way he had to stop in at Base Operations to say good bye to a friend of his. It turned out his friends was the current SR-71 Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Jim Shelton. As they were chatting away, Lt. Col. Shelton asked me if I had ever thought about applying for the SR-71 program. I told him flat out that I thought my chances were so remote, I never gave it a thought. I had always admired the Blackbird flying around the island and often wondered what it would be like to fly it. After he told me the crews had the same flying background as I did, I began to get more interested. I put my package together, sent it off to Beale, and was invited out for a week of interviews, physicals and flying evaluation. The rest is history.

CSim: What "extra" qualifications did you have to have to even be eligible to fly the SR-71?

Richard: The minimum flying time was 2,000 hours in order to apply. A background in a fighter type aircraft was a plus, but not mandatory. Air refueling experience was another plus, since we didn’t have extra flying time in the SR-71 to be teaching pilots how to refuel. Probably one of the most subtle qualifications you had to have was the ability to get along with the other SR-71 crew members. I told the story in my book about an aspiring SR-7 1 pilot who was not chosen because he made comments at the Officers Club bar one evening about how long the crews kept their hair and moustaches. During my time, the squadron was a very small unit, consisting of only 9 operational crews (9 pilots and 9 Reconnaissance System Operators)... getting along with each other was important!

CSim: What was your worst fear in flying the SR-71? What was your greatest thrill?

Richard: Unlike most airplanes, the SR-71 was always flown very close to the "edge of the envelope." We flew it within very tight parameters and maximized its pefformance-- thats the way it ran best. You never really feared the SR-71 because it was very reliable, but you often thought about the worst possible emergency that could occur. For me that was a loss of the entire Stability Augmentation System (SAS) over a threat area. When we practiced that emergency in the simulator, without any prior warning, it usually resulted in a total loss of control of the aircraft, requiring an ejection.

CSim: The former Soviet Union was the main country the SR-71 was designed to fly over. Did you ever overfly the FSU and if so, did SAMS or MiG-25’s ever actively engage you?

Richard: I’ve never overflown the former Soviet Union. The majority of our operational reconnaissance sorties were peripheral--flying close to the borders of foreign countries without actually flying directly over them. Kelly Johnson was reported to have stated that over 1,000 SAMs have been fired at Blackbirds. No SR-7 1 has ever been shot down by SAMs or MIGs. In my book I discuss encounters with MIGs waiting in orbit, trying to attempt an intercept with us. We flew the majority of our operational sorties out of Okinawa, Japan and RAE Mildenhall, England. Beale AFB, California, was home for the SR-7 Is, all of our training, and a few operational sorties.

CSim: How many SR-7l’s were in active service over the years?

Richard: It’s best if I talk about what I refer to as the "Blackbird family" of aircraft when I give you the numbers. Here is the total build of each variety, as well as the number lost.

   15 A-12~  6 lost  *two A-12s were converted for the
    3 YF-12 2 lost   12/D-21 drone project
    295R-71A  l lost
    2 SR-71B  1 lost
    1 SR-71C  0 lost
Total 50             20 lost

CSim: In 1981 you became the Squadron Commander of the 1st SRS. Could you discuss how this came about and what some of your responsibilities were?

Richard: As with any squadron commander position, I was selected for many reasons. In my case, timing had a lot to do with it. I was at the right place, at the right time. The primary job of the SR-7 1 squadron commander was to select the best possible crews, training them to the highest standards and manage their worldwide deployments. A large part of my time consisted of "putting out fires" that seemed to be endless. We were just beginning our full-time presence at RAF Mildenhall which required my Operations Officer, Don Emmons (also my RSO for seven years), or myself to be the acting detachment commander. We replaced each other at Mildenhall with six weeks tours of duty for well over a year.

CSim: Later in 1982 you were re-assigned to the Pentagon. Could you discuss what duties you performed and what connection, if any, that assignment had in relation to the SR-71?

Richard: Between 1982 and 1984 I worked in an office (PRPFS) that managed Strategic Air Command’s (SAC) fiscal budget. The SR-71 program was under SAC’s command, and during those two years I saw the funding levels and general officer support for the SR-71 1 begin to wane. From 1984 to 1986 I worked in the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force’s office (SAF/MI). In my capacity there I attended many meetings where Air Force budget matters were discussed at the highest levels. It was there I began to feel an uncertain future for the SR-7 1 program. I sensed a definite lack of support from SAC and other general officers in the Pentagon, as well as from a vocal group of civilians in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), who supported satellites in lieu of the SR-71.

CSim: In 1986 you were again re-assigned back to Beale AFB. This time you were the 9th Vice Wing Commander and one year later were selected to be the 9th SRW Wing Commander. Were your responsibilities any different with these assignments and did you hear rumors about the retirement of the SR-7 is?

Richard: As the Wing Commander at Beale AEB I was responsible for the entire base and its 5,000 military personnel. At that time I had 35 KC-135Q tanker, 14 T-38s, and all of the U-2 and SR-71 aircraft under my command. The responsibilities were global as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the high activity level associated with our reconnaissance mission. We had U-2 detachments at Osan, Korea, Patrick MB, Florida, and RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, and the SR-71 detachments on Okinawa and RAE Mildenhall, England. There were very few times I got a full nights sleep. If something noteworthy happened at any one of the detachments, I wanted the commanders to call me directly, so I could be prepared to "answer the mail" from SAC headquarters the next day. We knew the SR-7 1 program funding was in serious trouble around 1987. Its original retirement date was supposed to be in 1989, but we held that off as long as possible, to 1990.

Csim: It has long since been known that the Soviets hated and despised the SR-71. They furiously developed anti- SR-71 tactics continually in hopes of countering the Blackbird. It has been mentioned that on 3 June 1986 the Soviets demonstrated to a SR-71 crew that they had finally become "mortal" when six (6) MiG-31 Foxhounds made a coordinated mock intercept of an SR-71 that would have proven "inescapable" to the SR-71 and it's crew. Could you discuss this subject and pass on any information you have that might clear up this issue?

Richard: I can say 100 percent positively that it never happened. This is merely some of the mis-information and dis-information that goes around concerning the SR-71 program. Even if a MIG intercept was possible, it would be an even more demanding task to actually shoot down an SR-7 1.

Csim: It has been leaked that the SR-7l’s top speed and maximum altitude when originally produced in 1963-1964 (A12) was around Mach 3.3 (3.29) and could approach 90,000 feet. Undoubtedly, the plane has undergone some major changes to it’s engines, avionics, and sensors.

Richard: The top speed of the SR-71 is 3.5 Mach. That’s not an absolute number because the speed limitation was actually a Compressor Inlet Temperature (CIT) restriction. Whenever the CIT reached 427 degrees C., that’s as fast as you could go. If anyone went faster than Mach 3.5, they were most likely in trouble. Our performance charts show 90,000 feet as the maximum altitude, however, we nominally flew between 72,000 and 85,000 feet. The aircraft was constantly being updated with new sensors. The J-58 engines had one major modification before I got into the program, and in the early 1 980s, the analog flight control system and associated computers were converted to an all digital system.

Csim: For many years the United States has fielded two main reconnaissance platforms in the U-2 and SR-7 1. However, it has been the U-2 that has been updated with the more "modern" avionic and camera systems thus it’s continued existence. Could you explain why the U-2 was chosen to receive some of these updates and not the SR-71?

Richard: The U-2 and SR-7 1 programs are funded under entirely separate budgets. The U-2 was seen as a cheap platform to provide reconnaissance. It also has a distinct advantage over the SR-7 1 in its ability to loiter for well over 10 hours at a time. If you want to gather intelligence over a continuous, long period of time, the U-2 can do that well. However, the U-2 is vulnerable to SAMs and MIGs. Therefore, the U-2 has to stand off from enemy territory and if threats are present, may require AWACS and F-15s for warning and protection. The SR-71 needs nothing for support. My book explains all of this in greater detail.

Csim: When the SR-71 was retired in 1990 Congress was notified that there was a new Blackbird replacement" being developed. Within the last few years in some parts of the United States and near the Western UK and Scotland, reports of engines noises thundering many times louder than the SR-7 1 have been heard along with various sightings of what some believe is a new "black" airplane. Could you discuss the issue of the rumored Aurora and talk about its existence if it does in fact exist at all?

Richard: If you believe what Ben Rich, President of Lockheed Skunk Works, wrote in his book, "Skunk Works," there never was an Aurora. I personally don’t believe one exists either. However, I do think that some type of follow-on to the SR-71 was given serious consideration, but was never actually built. The famous picture that appeared in Aviation Week & Space Technology, showing a contrail of what people believe to be a pulse-type engine, I have seen replicated many times. A normal jet aircraft’s contrail, produced in a air mass with a strong jet stream and high altitude wind shear, can easily replicate what appears to be "donuts-on-rope". I have seen it numerous times and know precisely what is causing it... .that’s why I don’t put much faith a new "pulse-type" engine being developed.

Csim: There is no question the SR-71 was sorely missed during Desert Storm. Could you discuss what impact the SR-71 could have made during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and what areas of the conflict the Blackbird would have impacted most?

Richard: The SR-71 is very good at "keeping the other guy honest." If they had been flying over Iraq early on, I am not sure Saddam would have ever invaded Kuwait at all. I do know that our Air Force fighter crews were flying combat missions with intelligence worse that what we had in Vietnam. Many crews were sent to strike targets a second and third time because of poor Bomb Damage Assessment (BDA) from reconnaissance assets. The SR-7 l’s highly sophisticated ASARS (radar) imagery sensor would have been perfect to find the elusive SCUD missiles that took so long to locate.

Csim: Many have speculated on the resolution of the cameras in our countries Recce birds. Given the advances made in satellite imagery, why does the United States still need the SR-71?

Richard: Satellites have to be moved in their orbits to image certain regions of the world. That process expends precious fuel onboard the satellite and thus requires high level authority in order to move one around. That makes them unresponsive to a theater commanders immediate need for good intelligence. It’s very predictable for a country to determine when a satellite is overhead and viewing their operations. The SR-71 can provide better imagery (photo or radar), day or night, in any weather, at any time. Their responsiveness is precisely what a theater commander wants. The SR-71s now have a near, real-time capability to downlink its radar imagery to a ground site located within several hundred miles of its flight path.

Csim: The SR-71 was retired in 1990. However, in 1994 Congress issued $100 million in funding to allow 3 more Blackbirds to become operational. What were the reasons for bringing the legendary SR-71 back to service?

Richard: They were brought back because of existing gaps in our ability to gather intelligence on Third World rogue nations that may try hold the United States hostage to their threats. The current situation in Iraq is precisely why they were brought back. The United States should never find itself in a position where it is held hostage to threats to shoot down a reconnaissance aircraft.

Csim: Following your retirement in 1989 (after 25 years!) you began work on a book dedicated to the SR-71, it’s stories, it’s history and the pilots that flew the immortal plane. Could you describe your book and explain where we can purchase a copy?

Richard: I wrote the book, "SR-71 Revealed, The Inside Story," to try and tell the story about how we lived and flew the SR-71 on operational missions around the world. There was a period in the SR-7l’s history (1974-present) that I wanted to document and tell the real story about its premature retirement in 1990. My web site provides a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of my book. If anyone would like a signed copy I would be happy to do so. Just send a check for $18.70 ($20.10 Texas resident) to Richard Graham, 3501 Hearst Castle Way, Plano, TX 75025-3702. This includes postage and mailing. Be sure to include a return address and who the book is for. The book can be purchased or ordered in most major book stores. My publishing company, Motorbooks International, also sell the book by calling them at 1-800-826-6600 and asking for my book by its title.

Csim: All the benefits from your book go to the J.T. Vida Memorial Fund set up with the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum to display SR-71 972. Could you explain how you became involved with this fund and how it benefits the SR-71 display?

Richard: When I started to write the book, I knew it would be impossible for me to receive royalty payments from a plane that served my Air Force career so well. I wanted to pay back all the years of having the privilege to fly the greatest plane ever built. I established the "J.T. Vida Memorial Fund" with the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of professionally displaying their SR-71 (972). All of the royalties from the sale of my book go to the Fund. It’s a tax deductible fund that anyone can contribute towards if they like, and help reduce their federal income tax if they itemize deductions. The Smithsonian is keeping accurate records of all who contribute to the Fund, and hopefully can be recognized along with the aircraft’s display.

I dedicated my book to J.T. Vida. He was probably one of our most highly respected crew members who died of cancer in 1992. He was also the RSO who flew the record setting flight into Dulles in 1990 with aircraft 972. Because of his love for the Blackbirds, he flew it for 16 continuous years in the Air Force, knowingly passing up promotion to full Colonel. J.T. was also our high timer, with 1,392.7 hours in the SR-71.

If anyone would like to contribute to the J.T. Vida Memorial Fund, make your check payable to the National Air and Space Museum and send it to the following address. Be sure to indicate on your check "To the J.T. Vida Memorial Fund"

National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
ATTN: Anne Seeger, Development Director
Independence Ave at Sixth St., SW.
Room 3729, MRC 321
Washington, D.C. 20560

Csim: It is a knows fact that the SR-71 stretches considerably when it reaches very high speeds due to excess heat. Could you comment on what special conditions are required to allow the SR-71 to push beyond Mach 3 and how much the plane actually stretches while it’s in high speed cruise?

Richard: The only consideration I am aware of is that the SR-71 has expansion joints in all of wires, cables and tubing that runs the length of the aircraft to account for its inflight expansion. You will never find an authoritative answer anywhere about how much the aircraft stretches inflight at Mach 3 cruise, but I’ve been led to believe it’s around three to six inches.

Csim: Is it true that while the SR-71 is being fueled on the ground it has to be refueled almost immediately when it reaches altitude by a tanker because it leaks fuel so bad due to the condition mentioned above?

Richard: No. The SR-71 does leak its JIP-7 fuel quite profusely while on the ground. Its proven over the years to be an impossible task to seal up all six fuel tanks because of the heating and cooling cycles the tanks experience inflight. This leaking has nothing to do with us refueling after takeoff The SR-71 takes off with a reduced fuel load to improve tire wear and reduced tire heating, and provides better takeoff performance in case of an engine failure. We generally used a 45,000, 55,000, or a 65,000 pound fuel load and refueled soon after takeoff to full tanks (80,000 pounds).

Csim: I have heard (on good authority) that no SR-71 has ever been knocked down in flight by any air defense. However, during the Vietnam War, North Vietnam fired countless volleys of SA-2’s at Blackbirds thundering overhead. Although none scored a direct hit, could you comment on whether or not a SR-71 ever took a "golden BB" hit from shrapnel while overflying North Vietnam or any other country?

Richard: You are correct that no SR-71 has ever been downed by enemy fire. I can not positively confirm that a "golden BB" has hit an SR-71, but I have heard the same story. Supposedly, an A- 12 in 1967 was found with a piece of debris in it from an SA-2 missile over Vietnam, after a volley of six SAMs were fired.

Csim: One of the main advantages of having the SR-71 at one’s disposal is getting sensitive recce information quickly. How long, on an average mission, to a regular SR-71 target, could a photo specialist expect to see the pictures taken from an SR-71 from the time it took off till they were in his hands?

Richard: The way you phrased the question, it would depend on the length of the missions. We’ve flown missions as short at 57 minutes, and a few over 12 hours, from takeoff to touchdown. From the time the SR-71 pulled into the hangar, photo interpreters were looking over its film within an hour.

Csim: Most military pilots spend a few years flying a specific jet and then generally move on to another aircraft. Specialty planes like the SR-71 are different. In your case, you were associated with the SR-71 program for about 15 years. Could you discuss how all the personnel associated with the Blackbird coped and reacted to the news of impending retirement of the SR-71 in the late 8 0’s? Richard: Those were sad days for all of us. We knew the Blackbirds were being retired for all the wrong reasons, and more importantly, knew it could do a job nothing else could do. All of our personnel were put through a lot of emotional stress during those years. The program seemed like it was on a yo-yo. . . cancelled one month and then back on the next. Rumors were running rampant, which made for difficulty planning.

Csim: For voting purposes, who were and still are the staunchest allies of the SR-7 1 program in Congress and the government? Who are the programs greatest nemesis?

Richard: Allies of the SR-71 program are senators, Byrd, Nunn, Stevens, Glenn, and more recently Newt Gingrich, who sent a letter to the President asking him to reconsider his October 14, 1997, line item veto of the SR-71 program. Foes of the SR-71 program are the Air Force and those agencies enamored with satellites and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).

Csim: Thank you for your time Mr. Graham. I, like many Americans, thank you for your time in service to our country and especially appreciate the efforts you are making to help put the SR-71 in a museum so this amazing aircraft can be appreciated by people from all over the world.