Thursday 12th October 2017
Lecture Starts at 7.30 pm
Light Refreshments served from 7.00 pm
Speaker: Prof. Andrea C. Ferrari, Cambridge University, Nano Materials Centre of Excellence
Location: Lecture Theatre ‘0’, Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ.
The lecture titles and dates are booked well in advance but are subject to change.
Thursday 14th September 2017
Lecture Starts at 7.30 pm
Light Refreshments served from 7.00 pm
Speaker: Col. Richard Graham, USAF (Ret.)
Location: Lecture Theatre ‘1’, Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ.
Lecture Synopsis
Col. Richard Graham will present a talk on the technology that enabled the SR-71 to travel at speeds of Mach 3+.
The world’s fastest and highest flying aircraft was conceived as early as 1958 by the renowned aircraft engineer, Kelly Johnson. The gigantic leap in technology he and his engineers had to overcome at the Lockheed “Skunk Works” was phenomenal. Built in total secrecy, the first Blackbird flew on April 26, 1962. The Blackbird’s only purpose was to gather highly classified intelligence on hostile countries around the world. Flying at Mach 3+ speeds and cruising at over 85,000 feet, the SR-71 could survey over 100,000 square miles every hour, gathering millions of bits of intelligence. When cruising at over 2,200 mph, with skin friction temperatures reaching 600 degrees F., the SR-71 performed at its very best.
From 1967 to 1990, the SR-71 served seven U.S. Presidents, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon and other government agencies. It provided them with the necessary intelligence to make crucial political and military decisions during the Cold War era.
The September 2017 Branch visit will be to the revolutionary Airlander in the iconic airship shed at Cardington, The Stirling Aircraft Project at Alconbury and the award-winning Station Heritage Centre at RAF Wittering. The visit will take place on Thursday the 7th September 2017.
This visit is now fully subscribed.