# SR-71 engine-out landing at EAFB?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 7, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593 "2011-06-07T04:02:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593/41 "2011-06-10T18:18:53Z")

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> [@Xema](#):
>
> Not very good, according to post #30. At pattern & landing speeds, loss of the second engine means the flight controls stop working.
> 
> You might get by with it if the failure happened just as the main wheels were touching down.

So a pilot who loses one engine in Canada is still likely to head to the nearest appropriate landing site, rather than complete the whole mission and return to the original base. Gotcha.

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**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593/42 "2011-06-10T18:27:58Z")

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> [@user\_hostile](#):
>
> You could toss the exhaust, the plane itself would still [shine like a birthday candle](http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=sr71+thermal+signature&cp=17&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&aq=0n&aqi=&aql=&oq=sr71+thermal+sign&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=4fb2a7fa4afe0265&biw=1606&bih=1112) in a dark room in the IR region when flying @ Mach 3+. The plane itself is cooking from air friction (especially the leading edges) in the hundreds of °C against a background of a cold sky.

Correction: “Hundreds of °C”. I should have just said [hot](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2191/why-do-we-have-so-many-temperature-scales)

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593/43 "2011-06-10T18:40:15Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> So a pilot who loses one engine in Canada is still likely to head to the nearest appropriate landing site, rather than complete the whole mission and return to the original base. Gotcha.

I am mystified how this comment is in any way a response to the post you quoted when writing it.

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-engine-out-landing-at-eafb/584593/44 "2011-06-10T20:33:22Z")

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> [@Boyo\_Jim](#):
>
> I am mystified how this comment is in any way a response to the post you quoted when writing it.

Doesn’t seem mysterious to me. The quoted post basically says that the second engine failure precludes a safe landing. It would therefore make sense to regard the first engine failure as critical, and thus to get on the ground ASAP.

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