LA SPEED CHECK

I love this story! SR-71 pilot Brian Schul tells the story of what happened on a routine training sortie one day as he and his RSO Walt Watson were headed toward LA from Tucson AZ.

Brian is one hell of a guy. I had the pleasure of trading email with him when I was writing an article and needed permission to quote excerpts from his book Sled Driver. 

(rt click, click view image to enlarge)

His wikipedia page is worth reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shul

An excerpt that shows his drive and determination:

“Shul served as a Foreign Air Advisor in the Vietnam War, flying 212 close air support missions in conjunction with Air America. Near the end of hostilities, his AT-28 aircraft was shot down in the vicinity of the Cambodian border. Unable to eject from the aircraft, Shul was forced to crash land into the jungle. Surviving the initial impact of the crash, he suffered severe burns in the ensuing fireball. Crawling from the burning wreckage and surviving in hostile territory with extensive wounds for more than a day, he was able to find a secure location to camouflage and hide himself. Enemy patrols were still close and looking for him, with soldiers walking to within a few yards distance, although he was unsure of his judgement and thought they were hallucinations.

The rescue mission did not start immediately due to his precise location being unknown in addition to having a high number of enemy soldiers nearby and heavy jungle cover overhead. Using a combination of resources, the general area he was in was later identified and it was confirmed that no body was present at the crash site. Upon activating his radio and confirming his identity and his general location, an aerial search was initiated. Shul did not know his precise location, but he did know the approximate grid he was located within, so the search continued until his exact location was determined by he being able to see American aircraft. The only practical way to recover the injured Shul would be by helicopter; and as it would likely be under fire from the enemy, Air Force Special Operations Command Pararescue teams were selected for the operation. Although the original plan was to extract Shul quietly without the enemy noticing, the operation quickly turned into an openly hostile mission. Nearby enemy patrols were driven back by the rescue teams using small arms, while larger groups of enemies or search parties were handled with heavy weapon outfitted operators or operators acting as forward air control. Once the team found Shul, he was given immediate medical treatment ensuring that the extraction would not result in further wounds or make his existing wounds worse. Further treatment was given once he was aboard the helicopter and at the nearby American base he was first evacuated to. No American casualties occurred in the operation.

He was evacuated to a military hospital in Okinawa where he was thought to have suffered terminal burns. Barely surviving 2 months of intensive care, he was flown to the Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston, Texas in 1974. During the following year, he underwent 15 major operations. During this time he was told by physicians that he’d never fly again and was lucky to be alive. Months of physical therapy followed, enabling Shul to eventually pass a flight physical and return to active flying duty.”

Oh yeah, just so you know, “1992 knots across the ground” converts to roughly 2300mph. 

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