Left Rudder.... no, Port.... No... Left.....

Thanks for the biggest time waster of the day Jasen!

Just spent the past 30 minutes trying to find out if Lockheed and Newport News ever made carrier landing provisions for the A-12 or SR-71. Obviously, the SR-71 was never launched or retrieved by an aircraft carrier, but what about an emergency? I recall the landing speed of Kelly J's brainchild being so fast it required a drag chute, but I wonder if the landing gear could have sustained the impact of a carrier landing. Or the airframe for that matter? Or if the 'crash net' could have restrained the aircraft? It wasn't exactly a rubust airplane. It was a leaky, flying fuel can with enough camera equipment onboard to keep Kodak in the black til the digital age.

I have no idea why this interests me. "Get a life" is coming to mind...

Someone did for the U-2

Yep, I knew the U-2 had been catapulted. It had light wing loading for stratospheric performance, so take-off & landing speeds were low. That's why I asked about the SR-71. If provisions were made to recover the U-2 in open water, then I wondered if Lockheed and the DOD had a recovery plan for the SR-71? The U-2 was top secret until it wasn't, yet they covered their bases on this plane. The SR-71 was over-the-top, top-secret, so I'm left wondering about the contingency plan? Could each flight have been a suicide mission, should things not go according to plan?

This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds, Mr Phelps.

Left and Right rudder direction is still commonplace on ships today. No use in confusing the A.B. when giving helm orders.

Sorry to alter the course of this thread. For those who worked for Lockheed, Kelly Johnson was a cult hero and I'm one of his followers. Actually, he was more of a role model for the human race. Some people idolize athletes, celebrities or captains of industry. My hero's have always been the people that make a difference in our lives; who make a contribution, whether it be to technology, humanity or community. Kelly Johnson was a real hero. There's an autobiography titled "Kelly, More Than My Share". It's an absolute must read for engineering types. Anyone looking to overcome challenges will find the book inspirational and motivational.

Mr Yachtforum.

In answer to you questions on the SR-71 failsafe recovery system from my understanding, there really was none for the craft its self. Pilot and REO Yes! Surveillance Equipment Yes! In the event of failure of the craft the pilot options where. Try to get to a safe zone or neutral zone then eject all Surveillance then themselves. The craft it’s self in theory would be moving so fast and from such a high altitude that it would be incinerated upon impact. At 2800fps (Not the top speed of the SR-71 which is still classified) There would not be much left from the impacted with the ground, for anyone to find. JUST a BIG HOLE!

Yes! Kelly & Skunk Works built the fastest and one of the strongest crafts ever, but speed kills!