#968 "DBX" Dolby Stereo (C)
#968 "DBX" Dolby Stereo (C)
Tail Art Markings in no particular order is as follows:
(Click on Image to Enlarge)
 tail001.jpg Air Defense Command #934 |
 tail002.jpg Air Defense Command #934 |
 tail003.JPG Air Defense Command #934 |
 tail004.jpg Air Force Systems Command #934 |
 tail005.jpg Outstanding Unit #935 |
|
|
 tail007.jpg #935/937-Early NASA |
 tail008.jpg Lockheed Skunk Works #955 |
 tail009.jpg Lockheed Skunk Works #955 |
 tail010.jpg 1,000th Sortie #956 |
 tail011.jpg White Cobra #958 |
 tail012.jpg 9th SRW #958 |
 tail013.jpg 9th SRW #958 at Diego Garcia |
 tail014.jpg Red One with Habu Det 1 #960 |
 tail015.jpg 9th SRW #960 |
 tail016.jpg "Bald But Bold" #961 |
 tail017.jpg "Numero Uno" #962 |
 tail018.jpg Skull & Crossbones or Jolly Roger #962 |
 tail019.jpg Rest In Peace #962 |
 tail020.JPG 9th SRW #963 |
 tail021.JPG "Bodonian Express" Bodo, Norway on 14 August 1981 #964 |
 tail022.jpg Red BB #967 |
 tail023.jpg Det 2, Red BB #967 |
 tail024.JPG Red One #967 |
 tail025.JPG Lightening Bolt #967 |
 tail026.jpg No Cherry #968 |
 tail027.jpg DBX (Dolby Stereo) #968 |
 tail028.jpg "Fakawee" or Where in the Fakawee #971 |
 tail029.jpg Det 2 Red BB #971 |
 tail030.jpg #972-Charlie's Problem 1st Original -All White- |
 tail031.jpg Charlie's Problem #972 |
 tail032.jpg #972-Too much idle time |
 tail033.JPG AFLC Skunk Works #972 @Dullas D.C |
 tail034.jpg Dennis the Menace #974 |
 tail035.jpg Ichi Ban #974 |
 tail036.jpg Ichi Ban #974 |
 tail037.jpg Black Cat. Done for U-2 folks in Taiwan. #975 |
 tail038.jpg Red One and Habu #975 |
 tail039.jpg Snoopy with Limp Habu #976 |
 tail040.jpg Bengal Tiger #976 |
 tail041.jpg Bengal Tiger #976 |
 tail042.jpg Playboy Bunny #978 (Stencil: White Tornado-Col Hayes) |
 tail043.jpg Playboy Bunny #978 |
 tail044.jpg Night Hawk #979 |
 tail045.jpg "Rosemary's Baby-San" #980 |
 tail046.jpg Det 4-UK #980 |
 tail047.jpg Dartboard, Mildenhall UK #980 |
 tail048.jpg Olympia Beer Can #981 |
 tail049.jpg #935/937-Early NASA |
 tail050.jpg #844-Current NASA |
 zdoor001.jpg #974 Door before Flight from Midway |
 zdoor002.jpg #974 Gooney's after Hot Flight |
 zdoor003.jpg OL-8 Original Hobo |
 zdoor004.jpg "Homo Ne"-Japanese for "Hobo Me" |
 zdoor005.jpg Do Unto Others, Then Split |
 zdoor006.jpg #970-Have no Fear, Groundhog is here |
 zdoor007.jpg Lonnie's Lobo |
 zdoor008.jpg Crew Chief Chuck Dodgins |
 zdoor009.jpg Crew Chief Bartlemay |
 zdoor010.jpg Crew Chief SSgt Countryman |
 zmark01.jpg 10 Hot Sorties over Vietnam |
 zmark02.jpg #974-14 "Hot" Sorties and One Gooney Bird |
 zmark03.jpg #974-12 Hot Sorties |
 zmark04.jpg 44 "Hot" Habu Sorties |
Michael O'Reilly sent the following four photos taken in 1978. He Writes:
Here are four photos for your collection. I took these photos on 13 December 1978 at Det 2 Osan AB Korea. The plane had engine problems and spent a couple days waiting for parts. I recall during ground based engine tests the revetment behind the aircraft was emptied of gravel and a nearby stop sign was blown off the pole. The Lockheed Tech's Reps weren't impressed with the humor displayed by the U-2 folks.
Michael O'Reilly
PSD 1978 - 1980
(Photos Copyrighted by Michael O'Reilly, June 30, 2002)
Reprint permission Email Mike at: ayedive@attbi.com
 tail967_1.jpg U-2 Folks (Black Cats) paint a Zero after #1 Tail #967 (Left Rudder) |
 tail967_2.jpg U-2 Folks (Black Cats) paint a Zero after #1 Tail #967 (Right Rudder) |
 tail967_3.jpg U-2 Folks (Black Cats) paint "For Sale-.69 Cents" |
#975 Taken at Mildenhall, United Kingdom by Michael O'Reilly
"The Gooney Bird Story"
MSgt Dwain Allen, Crew Chief on SR-71 #962 and #978 recalls:
We painted the Playboy Bunny on #978. All three of the paintings happened around the same time. I can't remember for sure which one was first. I believe we did #974 then #978 with the help of the guys in the paint shop. We got the stencils made and I remember we did #978 in the early morning hours before the brass came to work. I remember we thought they would raise hell and it would be taken off before it ever flew but everyone went along with it; the crews really liked it. I think that is what saved our butt. As you know when they stopped everyone from doing the painting, the original three got to stay on.
The one of the Goony Bird on the landing door is a story in its self.
Tony Bevacqua, Pilot and James
Kogler, RSO were
in #974 and they lost a generator. They landed on Midway Island, so we
jumped on a KC-135 to go get it. We changed the generator and had it "OR",
in no time. Well, we were stuck there for 4 days, weather and then tanker
scheduling. Bevacqua and Kogler
had met this Navy officer and his wife at
the club. She was an artist and they brought her out to the ramp and she
spent about 4 hours painting the Gooney Birds on both landing gear doors.
We got the all clear to launch and the runway was so short that we had
to back the bird all the way back onto the overrun to launch it. Then we
barely got off the runway with the tanker.
I hope this clears up why
#974 had "ICHI BAN" painted on the rudders. I was in the second group of crew chiefs to arrive in
Kadena. We started our operation in the Little Creek area and moved to the CIA complex shortly after arriving, but did several launches backing
aircraft out of the old complex. I crewed #974. Jim Martin was the first
crew chief on #974 and had painted the first (6) HABU's on the fuselage. Look at
www.Habu.Org #974 and my pictures. One reflects me pointing at
my first hard sortie #7 on 974. I went on to get five additional sorties for a total of (12). When
#974 was prepped for return flight to Beale then SSgt Don
Campbell, my assistant crew chief and I decided to show the arrival crew at Beale that
#974 had the most HARD SORTIES. We decided to have a white HABU snake and a big
"ONE" in red with "ICHI BAN" painted below it in red. We were in an area, time frame, as you know that nothing was done without
approval. We took the risk and decided to paint it anyway. This was done the night before
#974 launched back to Beale not knowing what reception it would get when the flight crew and
the on site commander arrived in the morning. Pilot Lt.
Col. Pat Halloran thought it was great and we got the thumbs up. I had a nice hand written note from Pat
Halloran when the next tanker arrived stating the paint job was well accepted. I
still have that note. Bottom line this event had nothing to do with the first hard
sortie from Kadena. #974 had the most hard missions painted on her when #974, #976 &
#978 returned to Beale after the first aircraft rotations. And that's the truth.
Dwain Allen can relate the first hard sortie story as I have no idea who
flew it but had heard #976.
Editors
Note: Special thanks to Don Person for his recollections and above personal
photos; to Ron DeLozier for tracking this information down and also to David
Allison at www.Habu.Org for maintaining the
above photos on his web site.
Speedy Gonzales; Rosemary's Baby-San and Pink Panther
In an email received from Sgt. Art Lombardi: During the OL-8 campaign, there was a "Pink Panther", "Speedy Gonzales" and a "Rosemary's Baby-San". They were painted on the tail prior to a rotation of aircraft from Kadena to Beale in 1967/68. One of the paintings was completed just a few hours prior to preflight. I know this for a fact, as I was the artist. As for the artwork the crewmen themselves chose the character, and I did the renderings from a reference photo. It was a last minute thing and I was up all night trying to finish. Sgt. Art Lombardi: lombardia@TIMCOGSO.com
Missing Artwork:
Editor's Note: The following known artwork is missing from this web site: Dice on #973; Macon Bacon on #980; Tom Cat's Kitten on #969. Lonnie Countryman, Crew Chief on the Blackbirds recently provided us with the Pink Panther; Super Skater photo of #970. If you have a photo of any of these Blackbirds, please contact me at: sr71webmaster@sr71.us
Credits:
Photos: tail036.jpg (RIP) courtesy of SSgt Matt Moran; tail002.jpg copyrighted
by Tom O'Neill; zdoor001.jpg and gooney_974.jpg copyrighted by MSgt
Dwain Allen. Mike O'Reilly submitted photos: tail 967_1.jpg; tail967_2.jpg and
tail967_3.jpg. AFFTC photos courtesy of Jim Goodall. All other photos are from the Blackbird Auburn Files.
Permission to reprint
may be obtained by contacting sr71webmaster@sr71.us
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Page #47 of the "SR-71 Blackbirds"
