A-12 Oxcart - Mach 3.2 and GEAR DOWN World Record

Gen. Sullivan telling that story

Quote from Parrothead:

"Most of the people around here know about the A-12 AKA Project Oxcart. I suspect that not many have heard this story, however.

I got to videotape some of the old hands at the Road Runners reunion when they got up to speak about their time up at "The Ranch" and some of what happened up there. One of the speakers was Brigadier-General (Retired) Dennis Sullivan. Gen. Sullivan was one of the A-12 pilots who flew the jet out of Groom Lake as well as out of Kadena, Okinawa on operational missions. Gen. Sullivan's entire presentation (I got it all on tape) was great - especially hearing about the time he had six or seven SA-2 missiles launched at him over North Vietnam and how he was able to watch them push over at about 90,000 feet, go to pursuit, and detonate behind the jet before they could catch him. There was only one fragment of a missile found in the chine area which was about the size of a fingernail - and he still has it.

One of the stories he told was about the world record that would never be broken - Mach 3.2 with the landing gear down ! No, he wasn't the pilot who did it, but it's one of the funniest things I've ever heard !

Here's the video of Gen. Sullivan telling that story:

Enjoy"

Credit: Thanks to Jeff Hollenbeck AKA Parrothead
http://www.parrotheadjeff.com/