On 6 March 1990, Lt. Col. Raymond E. "Ed" Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph T. "JT" Vida piloted SR-71 S/N 61-7972 on its final Senior Crown flight and set four new speed records in the process.
Fly 972's record speed run from Palmdale AF Plant 42 (KPMD) to Washington Dulles Intl (KIAD).
Your abilities to get maximum speed out of the SR-71 will be challenged as you set your own speed records on this flight.
GAUGE CONSOLES | KEY COMMANDS |
MAIN PANEL | SHIFT+1 |
GPS | SHIFT+2 |
AUTOPILOT | SHIFT+3 |
FUEL/OXYGEN | SHIFT+4 |
RADIO STACK | SHIFT+5 |
DESCENTOMETER | SHIFT+6 |
APU | SHIFT+7 |
REFUELING GAUGE | SHIFT+8 |
Tips
Use the autopilot and autothrottle for most of the flight.
While the SR71 has a large Mach and altitude envelope, it has a narrow airspeed, angle of attack, and load factor envelope. The SR-71 can only be flown by a very exacting pilot.
Read the Special Gauges and Warnings and Procedures
sections of the SR71 Pilot Manual.
Know where the CIP and Triple Display gauges are
and where the Left Aft Inlet Bypass knob is.
Study the"How to set Mach Speed over Mach 3.00 in FSX" in the manual.
Know how to arm the Drag Chute and where the De-Rich switch is.
Know the difference between KIAS and KEAS and how to enable EAS Hold.
Know flight procedures and follow the checklists for all phases of flight.
Need practice? Fly the SR-71 Becky Training Mission from FSXMissionsHangar.com to get familiar with this aircraft.