The Oxcart Story - Frank Murray
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- Опубликовано: 30 апр 2017
- April 22nd, 2017.
Frank Murray flew the A-12 Cygnus for the CIA in Area 51. He is an amazing speaker.
Frank's books are available here:
Once Upon A Time At Area 51:
www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Time...
Oxcart Convoy: How They Got to Area 51
www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Time...
Copyright Chris Johnson, with permission from Frank Murray. 
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This guy has me alternating between awe and gut busting laughter I hope more like him are being minted somewhere. I could handle a few more hours of this.
This guy is fantastic! I just turned 40, n would give my left leg to sit down n have coffee with this hero n hear some stories n laugh! Hes got a great sense of humor n at 87 is sharp! Thank you for your service!
He's got an amazin memory, his ability to recall technical info and explain it in a way, a layman can even understand it, is superb!
This guy is hilarious. "whistling outhouse" lol
I met a "family model" driver at the 04 Sun n Fun in FL, Mr Richard Graham. He also had quite a few candid stories about the SR. If you haven't already, please check him out, all of these gentlemen are American Hero's!!!
(Love your channel too Mr Maus ;-)
"busier than a one-armed paper hanger with you-know-what"
This is not only informative and educational but one of the funniest aviation presentations I've ever seen.
That man used to be what America was all about. What a gentleman and a hero. Thanks for making this available for us to enjoy!
Yep. Because its so rare for anybody who has been in the military to brag about it call themselves a hero, it must be the non-veterans who are the "heroes".
Why? You looking to charter a cargo plane? Better not import heroin. That way you or somebody you love can be in pain instead of getting morphine or any of the other painkillers that's made from heroin. We can stop slaughtering cattle and diabetics can do without insulin, too. Lets just ban all drugs. See how tough you are then.
Keyword: 'Used to be'
spilling his guts out on a plane that should still be classified, and he's happy to do it ! B.S.
87 and as sharp as a bucket of razors - Sir I salute you!
Up The Iron's.
History preserved! I'm so glad this has been recorded for future generations.
This is wonderful. I spent most of the 1980s as an USAF electronic technician working in the SR-71 program. I never learned much about the A-12 or M-12 programs as all the company tech reps were tight liped about anything I didn't need to know to do my job. The information about the differences between the A-12 and the SR-71 is great. No ANS guidance group and no room in the chines which in the SR-71 were jammed with equipment. So glad these people are able to tell these stories while they are still with us.
tallesta We are so fortunate to have such great people. I sure love our boys!
I met a Sled driver (the family model) Col. Richard Graham back at Sun n Fun in Fl in 2004. Would love to meet this gentleman as well :-) Mr Graham also had quite a few "candid" stories to tell similar to Mr Murray. I've seen several SR's but never an A-12, would love to see one in person. Thank you so much for posting and preserving this piece of history!!! I'm afraid this part of our American history is being lost, am very grateful to you for preserving it!!! God Bless the U.S.A.!!! :-)
Go to Marshall Space Center in Huntsville AL, besides the best space museum of all, there's an A-12 on static display.
There is also one outside the Air & Space Museum at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Hey Chris! I just interviewed Frank for The RenegadeAV8R Radio Show. Amazing guy! Thanks for this video!
What a delightful and thought-provoking presentation from a man who is a combination of crusty old pilot, educated technician, and dedicated patriot. As a mere civilian, I thought that I had already known a fair amount about these planes, and have even seen one on several occasions at the Intrepid Museum in New York City. But to learn such intricate detail about the cameras, the engines, and such, kept me riveted from beginning to end.
Frank Murray is someone I met on the air, as he is a ham radio operator and who also enjoys using vintage Collins 30S-1 radios (Equipment). A group of us enjoy his company on an evening ham round table net: I have grown very fond of frank and his stories about his Service to our great country. Frank can deliver many nuggets of wisdom and explain things in short order. As always I thank him for his great service to our great country. I am also impressed at his gratefulness for the opportunity he was given to embark on such a dangerous and wonderful opportunity to Fly for our Country and even to reach out and touch the edge of heaven. Thanks Frank
I'm 5 minutes into this and it's already one of the most entertaining talks I've watched. Great to hear all the little details about this amazing plane. And Mr. Murray is a character!
On the anniversary of the first flight (1962) , I want to pause and say thank you to all the visionarys, engineers, and pilots who made this platform a success. A huge shout out to my friend Frank Murray, Dutch 20. I appreciate our conversations more than ever.thank you, and a big thank you to Chris for helping put this together.
He's a great story teller. Very nice to listen to someone like this who has had experiences that few men on earth have had.
EdEditz
That's me :)
This is the most enjoyable and amusing tale of the development of an aircraft I've watched yet. Frank, you are a champion - may you tell this story for many more years!
Yea, though I fly through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for I am at 80,000 feet and climbing.
@Real men shoot 308: I shot Expert on the M-14 and it was my weapon during Tet 1968-69 in the Mekong Delta. Agree about the caliber and that weapon. Nice teeth, by the way: you should see my V.A. dentist about that.
Fuck yeah!! If that don't work, run like FUCK!!!
In a valley at 80'000 feet that's one deep valley.but I know what u mean
Please tell this outstanding gentleman a Huge Thank You for his service to our country. It reminds me of the way my grandfather and his buddies used to sit around after church on Sundays and tell stories about WWII. I wish I would have had the sense back then to have recorded those stories. I'm sure Mr Murray could fill many more hours. Although I probably will never get the chance to meet him in person, I'd like to thank you ,Mr Johnson, for the opportunity for us all to hear the stories. It would be awesome to hear Mr Murray and Brian Shuel ,(not sure of spelling) of the LA Speed Check story , together. I'm sure that it would be a super entertaining night. I really enjoyed this video, so again thanks to you both for the opportunity to see and hear.
I could listen to his stories all day long. These are gold and he is a funny guy. Still sharp as a razor at 87. He was flying the A-12 when I was born. Still in awe of these pilots and the remarkable planes they flew.
Frank Murray, the other pilots, and the A-12 program, are such a rich part of our military history in this country. Thanks for sharing this story Frank and Chris. What an eloquent speaker! I will watch it again.
One of the best presentations I've ever heard. Thank you Frank for 29 years of service God Bless you. Your a legend of our time.
"Hairyer than the butt end of a bear turd." This guy is pure comedy gold! Thanks for this wonderful posting! This makes the second viewing, of many more to come and it's more enjoyable each time. I've seen the "family model" a few times up close and as a fly over. I would have loved seeing the A-12. What a design and incredible team from Kelly on down to all who worked with the Blackbird Family. These guys were and are National Treasures!
87 years old and not one sign of slowing down wit wise. Good G-d. The comments he makes about the subtle details just shows how much he has retained over the last 40+ years. Glad to hear this presentation.
Wow, I'm 5 minutes in and this is already incredible. What a gift to be able to hear this fellow's story. Thanks for posting this!
Great story and presentation. Franks sense of humour is priceless.
He's smart and funny and knows how to tell a story. He's absolutely wonderful. Thanks Mr. Murray!
One small problem with Frank's show: the Comm equipment on the article, as well as the SR-71, was provided by Collins & Magnavox Research Labs, not just Collins. Collins had the HF comm but Magnavox was the provider of the ARC-50 system which included the R/T spread spectrum/code unit, the transmitter, the DME (Distance Measuring Equipment), frequency selection/attenuater unit and the ADF & blade antennas. I worked as a Field Rep. for Magnavox and was at Area 51, Kadena and Beale during the 1967-68 time frame.
Thanks, there are com guys out there that care very much about the technical side of the project! I appreciate the additional information!
I worked on the ARC-50 in 62' at the MRL facility in Torrance. I learned a lot.
Folks like you who were part of the program, even in ‘ancillary’ capacities, were vital to the entire project.
Always nice to have firsthand accounts and info shared for these videos.
@@daveharmon1907 Hello Dave, I spent the first six months employment with Magnavox at the Torrance facility, learning the systems and gaining my project clearance. I didn't realize the ARC-50 had been around that long. I did hear its predecessor had been used during the Berlin airlift. Thanks for your comment.
@@MAINTMAN73 Unfortunately I forgot to mention that the Magnavox system was UHF! Thanks for your note.
Frank, thank you for your service and an outstanding presentation and demonstration of grit and character.
Thanks Frank. I had the pleasure of coming to the program in 1965. It was the highlight of my career. During my time, I had the opportunity to fly with you in the back of the F-101F #454 on two or three occasions. Those flights were weather scouts or chase missions. I also had the opportunity to fly behind Bill Skilar and Ken Collins. Thanks for the memories. Dan ( Gus ) Gudeczauskas
Awesome Video! Hands down the best video I've watched on RUclips! I could listen to this man speak all day.
Yes I agree - brilliant
When I was a teenager I worked with an older gentleman at the local Democratic Party HQ on Bill Clinton’s first campaign... he had worked on the design of the Blackbirds (among other *amazing* things) and told me some truly remarkable stories... I am very glad you uploaded this video as it reminds me of a friend now gone and the good times we had.
One of the rather interesting things he told me... the first computer they had at the Skunk Works was literally a building and they had teenagers running up and down nonstop *_replacing blown vacuum tubes..._* they did indeed use slide rules to design the sexiest plane ever !!
Thank you for a really fascinating story about America's secret aviation history. Frank Murry, Brian Shul, and Bob Hoover are the best aviation story tellers I have ever listened too. Thank you Chris.
Interestingly, that trick with the engine's own fuel being the hydraulic fluid might be a carryover from the space program. The H-1 engine on the Saturn-1 used its own kerosene as hydraulic fluid for the gimbals and so on.
Outstanding presentation. Extremely educational and entertaining. Love his sense of humor. 👍👍👍👍
@@SgtTank Very nice of you. Ty Chris
I just want to say thank you so much much for this footage . I've watched it several times and your other recordings with you ,and several others which are very similar and I'm addicted to them. Frank Murray you sir are a legend in my eyes and you present your experiences in the most professional way with so much technical info but with a comical twist which I love. I hope you and your family are well .Many thanks sir
Thanks for the upload - best SR/YF story telling I've heard.
Dutch, I love you! Oh man! I was read in to the very tail end of OxCart, and you guys would come barreling across the site at the speed of double heat, and we would light up your RAW systems of which you spoke of with such eloquence , ....and we couldn't hold track lock on you....We had fun! Bet you did too when you saw all those pretty red lights! (ha) (....just to make sure they worked LoL) - I'm an ex Old Crow and proud of it - those were pretty darn incredible days, I remember seeing the start carts with two big - I think they were Chevy plants - maybe Oldsmobile, in tandem, out in your old Ox Cart hangers, on my way over to the chow hall! I kind of miss those days - now we are all really really really damn old Old Crows!! ;-)
Cynthia Klenk I’ve read that the SR-71 start carts were powered by the Buick Wildcat. I suspect that something slightly different was used, due to the years of Oxcart. Definitely needed some big V-8 power to fire those J-58s.
You
This was fantastic. Thank you for posting. I am so glad this kind of thing is out on youtube, keeps this history alive.
Frank tells a story that is little known - the CIA's covert overflights of "denied areas" before the SR-71. What is truly amazing is the level of piloting skill required to fly and navigate a plane like the A-11. Interesting lecture. The new book from T.D. Barns - "The Archangels" - has some angles on this story that you won't find anywhere else.
What an amazing experience that MUST have been, I can't fathom it. Thank you for serving our country AND for uploading!
If we were capable of producing these levels of tech in the 60's what are we capable of delivering today? A brilliant production many thanks for sharing.
I just came across the A12 this evening, 10/15/2018, and was really wondering what this was since it resembled the SR 71 so much. It 's the first I've heard of it and I can't imagine a better speaker to carry this story to us. Frank Murray is one of those old guys (like my dad, currently 93 and retired Army) who I can sit and talk with and listen to for hours and wonder where the time went!
I've been familiar with the SR 71 for many years but always marveled at the idea of Kelly Johnson and his crew designing these things with slide rules!! I have two pretty good Picket slide rules in my desk and I just can't imagine the skill required to accomplish all of that without digital technology. I think that part impresses me at least as much as the performance specs of the planes.
The SR72 also known as the Aurora hypersonic mach 6+
Thank you for sharing this. Haven’t watched the slides yet but listened in earbuds working
Humanity is at the threshold of never seeing hero’s like this man any more. Things will just never be as cool as they were. This guy is a legend in my eyes.
Kelly Johnson’s genius required the bravery of men like Murray. Sr71 is the greatest example of technology and the guts to use it
Throughly enjoyed Mr. Murray's talk - thank you for posting.
A superb dedicated pilot. Thank you.
Watched from beginning to end. Great presentation by Frank Murray. With respect and gratitude.
What a fantastic presentation, I could listen to Frank for hours. Makes me reminisce about my time in the Air Force.
all I ever heard about was the SR 71 nothing about the others, thank you I learned some thing new to night.
I haven't watched this end to end yet but I assume this A-12 is very similar to the SR 71... Almost identical if not identical ?
The A12 is the single seat, CIA recon version that came first. It then morphed into the 2 seat, air force SR71. Slight differences in size, A12 being fractionally smaller.
They have an A-12 at the San Diego Air Museum.
"They" belive the world is flat and Cadet Bone Spur is the best president since Stalin.
Not identical but close.
I didn't even know I was interested in the 1-12 Cygnus until I tripped across this video. I learned a lot because I enjoyed Frank's presentation so much that I could not tear myself away. He's terrific. Thanks for posting this video.
My dad was a Navy Vet from world war 2 who later became an electronics engineer for MITRE. He worked on the YF12A's electronics systems while it was in development. I've been fascinated with this program from the day he brought home a scale model and put it in his study.He would have loved Frank. Frank reminds me of my father and his coworkers. Great men who gave a lifetime of service. Thank you Frank, and thank you Chris Johnson for posting (And weeding out the hate).
Fascinating and lively presentation by a really interesting gentleman. Great stuff. Truly glad we had people like this in the best of times and the worst of times.
I love these videos. Listening to them speak about such technical detail and with great enthusiasm is fanfreakingtastick!
I have watched a lot of videos on the SR-71 platform. This is by far the most informative. All my respect to you, and everyone involved in the program.
Thank you so much for sharing this tremendous video. Brought back many wonderful memories.
More people on the Moon than flew the A-12. Fantastic story by a great teller. Captivating to anyone with stick time and moreso for those with military stick time. I wish my dad was still around so I could watch with him. He was in the SAC tankers early on, the KC97(?) and KC135 (in the Arctic - no thank you), into the nascent spy satellite program, a stint at Edwards, later in the EC135 chasing Apollos and other classified birds along with various Soviet flight and and reentry vehicles, then went back into the spy bird program. Quite the career. I was his right seat for many hours of fun and a few hairy minutes in weather and one traversing a seldom-used corridor across the front of LAX with an inbound 747 going 100' over us and an outbound 757 going 100' under us (we were in a Rockwell Commander).
Great lecture! Detailed, plenty of information and delivered with humor and by somebody that was at the center of it all. Thanks for the upload.
Thanks so much for posting this. He's a great speaker. My kindest regards to him and his service.
THANK YOU Frank Murray for your service and thanks Chris for posting this awesome video
This was absolutely awesome so direct and full hearted, what a American hero! Not to mention this was hilarious for a kid of the Air Force (WPAFB Dayton, OH).
This was amazing. Thank God for great Americans like this man. Watched the entire clip. Thank you.
What a great documentary. My thankfulness and admiration for guys like Frank Murray are greatly appreciate. I could listen to his stories all day.
Very much inspired by mr. Murray's story's.Ive rebuild the A12 in Kerbal spaceprogram while listnening to his stories.What a great guy!Got it to fly close to what he told and got alot of info out of that.Keep it up OP!
Absolutely fascinating and Frank is a joy to listen to. He might be an old man now but he is very sharp. Please pass my thanks onto him.
Thanks for posting this. This presentation was a great insight into a part of history that few know about.
Thank you for your service and this fantastic presentation!
Thanks for your service Frank! phenomenal humors! Thanks Chris!
Fantastic presentation with a speaker that has a fantastic sense of humor. I was laughing all the way through it. Thanks for putting this up! It's important for the personal stories of the past not to get lost and forgotten.
Just found this.... this is so cool. This gentleman is a real inspiration and his manner of taking a complex and very involved topic and he makes it so clear and easily comprehended. Such a gem and so much a man that is “salt of the earth” and an excellent public speaker - reminds me of a well- tenured professor - a wise sage, witty and folksy. I am sharing this with many that I know will appreciate this. Thank you so much for sharing !
Loved Franks' sense of humor and candidness.
Thank you
Thanks very much for posting, and Thanks, Frank!
Thank you, Frank, for 29 years of service in the Air Force and working to keep out country safe.
An empty skull is not evidence of anti gravity.
Thats great Chris. Thank you for sharing. These fella's are something else.
That was fascinating thanks to Murray's delivery!
WOW This presentation caught my attention right from the beginning, thank you Frank and thank you Chris, I probably owe my life to you Frank, well done!
Thank you for posting this!
The best hour and a half tonight!! Funny and informative.
Mr. Murray is a national treasure. Thank's for sharing.
Wonderful presentation, and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you.
Great video. Learned a helluva lot. Love Frank Murray's deadpan humor with colorful 4 letter descriptors! Murray is a true American hero who protected the peace.
This is a fantastic presentation and it is so important to document what these men have to say, this is priceless first hand history that will be treasured by the generations to come. Thank you'
I loved watching this, I can see he enjoyed what he did, all those years ago. And cracking jokes left, right and center. I was giggling along with the crowd. Thank you for uploading this. I found myself laughing and being amazed. So cool.
Love it! Never knew Frank was so funny!
I was a Radio Repairman in the USAF early 60's. Assigned a support position but only knew what I needed to maintain the ARC system. This was an incredible overview of the program and really put everything in context for me. These pilots were living legends back then and I truly enjoyed seeing and hearing Mr. Murray. Thank you all.
Impressive work by the CIA. Great presentation. Well done and thank you for your service, sir.
Frank Murray the right stuff. Thank you for posting.
The Pratt and Whitney J58 jet engine was both a ramjet and a jet engine in 1958 rated at 165,000 horsepower per engine. Absolutely amazing that level of power hasn't been met by any jet engine since. The amazing thing about that engine was the faster it flew the more power the engines produced.
What a guy! I hope I'm that quick witted at 87; you had me cracking up Mr Murray, bravo.
What a life, what an amazing life. I love his humor and his recollection. Thank you for posting Frank's recount of the black birds. My favorite satirical moment of his; "the SR-71 is the 'family model'"
I busted out loud.. thank you, again.
Perhaps the greatest dissertation on any topic, on You Tube. Ever.
Thank you Mr. Murray for this talk. I was an E1 in the USAF in 1980 and by 1983 I was working in the ESR at PACAF Watch when we were alerted that a Fansong had launched missiles over an enemy airspace at the Blackbird and the pilot saw a couple flashes of light out his right window because the missiles couldn't either fly high enough or because of the aircraft's speed therefore not getting to their target. I later got to Beale AFB in 2008, way after the decommissioning of your aircraft. Again, thank you for the info. I am going to Amazon to get your books.
What a privilege it was to listen to his story. I was really surprised that there’s plastic composites I thought it was all titanium. Thank you for your service sir!
G'day Chris, Thank you so much for presenting one of the most amazing speakers, pilots and achievers I've ever heard from. Mr Murray is a gentleman; he's a dang funny gentleman; he's a tech savvy gentleman and he's an asset and a treasure to his country.
Notice I'm speaking in the present tense because I truly hope Mr Murray is still with us, so you can tell him that so many people thank him, and his fellow A-12 and SR-71 pilots for their outstanding service.
I'm ex-RAAF and even if I'd spent three lifetimes in uniform, I wouldn't have come anywhere close to the magnificent contribution Mr Murray (Sorry, Sir, I don't know your rank.) made 'just' in the Oxcart Project.
Like all great pilots and the astronauts, you notice how off-the-cuff casual he is about his situations and 'working conditions'. There he was sitting in an aircraft where the fuel tanks are part of the plane and the plane is, externally and internally about 2.5 times hotter than the most efficient commercial pizza oven; and all done in an aircraft created in 1959! (Just 56 years after the first flight of the Wright brothers!)
He certainly was right about Kelly Johnson and his team of engineers and technicians at The Skunk Works; they made the 'impossible' an everyday routine.
I could listen to Mr Murray talk all day, and I'd be buying the whisky!
Sadly, we will never see the likes of people like him ever again. Cheers, BH
@@SgtTank G'day Chris, thank you so much for your quick response. You are a lucky man to have a good mate like Mr Murray. When you see him please add on my sincere thanks for his outstanding service.
As the RAAF celebrates its 100th birthday next year, I'll be thinking of all the special people who have done so much to make military and civil aviation what it is today, Including Mr Frank Murray and his colleagues.
Cheers, BH
Thanks. I had fun watching it. Frank has great scene of humor. Forward and onward. o/
Hand salute, Frank. This was one of the most interesting lectures that I've heard on the subject of high-altitude flight and recon. I thought I was reasonably well-versed on the subject, but I am humbled by this gentleman's presentation; It's a real treat to be entertained as well as educated at the same time and Frank provided that to me. Thank you, sir, for your service to the country that I love so dearly. You truly have "the right stuff".
this was an amazing briefing - thanks.
Outstanding! Thank you for your service, Sir! A true American Hero and Patriot! Not to mention one helluva story teller! I will definitely pass this presentation on the family and friends!
Thank you very much for sharing this video! Amazing plane, great story, superb pilot and speaker.
Thanks Chris Johnson for posting this and introducing Frank to me! I'm in awe of his presentation skills and sense of humor. He's killing me!! 😹Bahahahahahaha 😹😅
That was great. Very educational and funny to. Thank you for putting this together and telling us your story.