Last SR-71 "Blackbird" Flight Crews to be Honored by the JetHawks
Published on August 13, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
Lancaster JetHawks News Release
(LANCASTER, CA) - The last four crew members who flew aboard the famed triple-sonic Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird aircraft will be honored this Saturday evening, Aug. 15, by the Lancaster JetHawks baseball team during the team's annual Aerospace Appreciation Weekend at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster.
Retired NASA Dryden Flight Research Center research test pilots Eddie Schneider and Rogers Smith, along with flight-test engineers Bob Meyer and the late Marta Bohn-Meyer, will be feted at the game and during a pre-game video presentation. Schneider, Smith and Meyer will also be available to sign autographs at a NASA Dryden exhibit in the concourse area of the stadium during the game.
Schneider and Smith will be riding along in NASA F/A-18 and T-38 jets flown by Dryden research pilots Jim Smolka and Tim Williams during a low-level flyover immediately preceding the game. In addition, Maj. Gen. David Eichhorn, commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, will join Meyer in throwing the ceremonial first pitches before the game.
As part of the event, the JetHawks will be treating fans to the next in their "Legends of Aerospace" Bobblehead series. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a free replica SR-71, complete with a bobblehead pilot head emerging from the cockpit. Previous honorees in the Bobblehead series include legends such as Chuck Yeager and Buzz Aldrin.
Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft more than 45 years ago, SR-71s still hold records as the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. The aircraft could fly more than 2,200 miles per hour - Mach 3+ or more than three times the speed of sound - and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet. This operating environment made the aircraft excellent platforms to carry out experiments in a variety of areas, including aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation, atmospheric studies and sonic boom characterization.
The gates will open at 5 PM with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 7.
Make sure to get the best possible price on 2010 Full Season Tickets, on sale now. Order by September 7 and you can purchase your tickets at the 2009 price. Ticket packages include all 70 games, discounted parking, and perks such as invitations to free events, including off-season parties and the annual Meet the Team BBQ, as well as access to the exclusive Sunset Lounge. To lock in your seats for 2010, contact Trent Wondra at (661) 726-5400, or trent@jethawks.com. Info can also be found at www.JetHawks.com.
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