* * * * *
                                        
                Breaking up is easy, it's surviving that's hard
                                        
> Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. I learned later the time from
> event onset to catastrophic departure from controlled flight was only 2–3
> seconds. Still trying to communicate with Jim, I blacked out, succumbing to
> extremely high g-forces.
> 
> Then the SR-71 … literally … disintegrated around us.
> 
> From that point, I was just along for the ride. And my next recollection
> was a hazy thought that I was having a bad dream. Maybe I'll wake up and
> get out of this mess, I mused. Gradually regaining consciousness, realized
> this was no dream; it had really happened. That also was disturbing,
> because … I COULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED … what had just happened.
> 
> I must be dead. Since I didn't feel bad—just a detached sense of euphoria—I
> decided being dead wasn't so bad after all. As full awareness took hold, I
> realized I was not dead. But somehow I had separated from the airplane.
> 

Via Hacker News [1], “Subject: Test Pilot Bill Weaver: Mach 3.18 Break Up of
an SR- 71 Black Bird [2]”

And this is for Gregory [3], who likes this aviation stuff.

The story is incredible—Bill Weaver was flying at mach 3 when the SR-71 he
was flying literally disintigrated around him and he survived with only minor
scratches.

[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=133282
[2] http://www.916-starfighter.de/SR-
[3] http://corsair2.livejournal.com/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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