'We got every one and broke it' - The SR-71's Start Cart 

How can you not like this guy? He has engineering access to things that if you stood in the presence of some "fun items to play with"... commands me to not only inquire but to say that ''''I require'''' one [ea] 400 ci Buick motor from 1960. I will pay with deep fried turkeys and home made chicken noodle soup. My storage space for one of these monsters is exactly 400 ci.

I'm a veteran of destroying two engines! one had a connecting rod put a hole in the block. Later in the program they switched to Chevy 454 engines. They had Holley double pumps running on 100 ll avgas.

This guy is a national treasure.

I was standing at the back of the open shelter during start up when a startcart threw a rod at max rpm, some of the shrapnel got sucked up in the Blackbirds inlet. Crew chiefs motions to shut it down and that birds mission was canceled. I was always notified to support launches. Basically, we just sat in our vans with tools ready and watched as the SR-71's disappeared into sky. The noise and rumble of the Blackbirds afterburners shook the van like crazy.

An overrunning clutch at the right-angle gearbox output shaft would have saved those engines from being dragged along to high rpm and exploding.

I've watched this whole series from home and boy, does the curators at the AirZoo brings it home! Can't wait to visit the museum and staff if I ever come close within 180miles of Kalamazoo, MI!

The Air Zoo is incredible. If not for the Planes, then the hand painted Mural on the wall thats over 100 yards/meters long.

My equipment (CAPRE SLR system) was on the front end, but whenever I could be out there for an engine start, I'd get to the rear of the aircraft. The sound of the start carts, the smell, the green flash of TEB are memories that are with me forever. 79-88 at Beale, Kadena, and Mildenhall.

As a former Air Force NCO, I personally witnessed those start carts and heard that deafening engine top out many times. There are some videos on RU-vid of these start carts and the sound they make if you interested in something very cool. I was at Beale from 1980-1986. Glorious times when the SR-71 was still flying TS missions all over the place. But those "Start Ups" were the highlight of an early morning or late night "launch". It still sends sends shivers throughout my body when I hear it. And the smell of burning Jet Fuel was always a plus too.

We got every one and broke it' - The SR-71's Fart Cart. You can be breaking my Fart Cart. I need a clear passage out of my bowel movements 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Oh man I would have love to have heard that start cart screaming,, though I really don't understand the choice of Buick nailheads.. There's there's a whole list of early 60's V8's better than the Buick nailhead..

'Murica, fuck yeah.

Someone call Derek from Vice Grip Garage lol

I had the honor and experience of working on the SR Program in Palmdale Ca and Mildenhall England. The “Buicks” as they were known were great to operate and I ran plenty of them. It took a smooth pull on the throttle and a quick chop off to get a good start. But there is a few thing’s missing in this story. The engine oil at ambient temperature is thicker than molasses in January. We had to use ground heaters blowing hot air for several hours into the Nacelles before we could start the engines. Sometimes the periscoping drive would get locked up and we had a safety release valve under the cart and we would dump the hydraulic pressure and have to man handle the drive and cart violently to get it to disconnect and then pull the Buick cart out from under the aircraft. When they ran out of Buick Wildcat engines, Big Block Chevy 454 engines were worked over to duplicate the torque and horsepower urge of the Buick engine. The reason for the single boat throttle is that the components to couple the drive to the single shaft came from the designers at Chris Craft boats who were friends with Kelly Johnson. The boat throttle was a single smooth mechanism to connect two carbs in sync.

Side by side Buicks driving a single start shaft. Thank you Sir! your explanation makes perfect sense to me! For years the legends said that 2 four barrel carbs had to be synced and the motors were driving some wild gearshaft with 2 face to face Buicks. It confuses me that there's a start cart video for this modern marvel that demonstrates [1] start [2] start where you hear one Buick go then start [1] then a second Buick [2] starts the second jet. Am I not insane if I agree with the side-by-side coupled to a reduction and tandem single shaft method that starts both engines at the same time? I'd rater just use a A/M 32A-60A or a MA-1A.

We got every ONE. -everyone-

That's cool as hell 🙂

Start the Buicks! lol... i recall later they also used chevy 454 big blocks - i have a CD somewhere with sounds of both carts starting up sr 71s... blasted that through my roadmaster's speakers a little too loud one time and blew one of the rear speakers - had the windows down and timed it with accelerating down the road windows down... i think it was worth it, lol

No -60’s huh? I wonder if an ATS would’ve worked.

Aside from his facts. I know that every time one of my carts started an SR; my cart could be 100 percent reset and placed back into service the next day.

The weak point for the Buick was the crew chief smiling.

Heck of a story…I’d heard the plane had to use TEB to start the engines too? Or am I incorrect.

Starter motors on cars have a freewheel, bicycles have a freewheel, wrenches have a ratchet that catches in one direction but not the other. You'd think they could have built a freewheel for either the starter cart or the plane or both. But then again, all these Buick engine explosions were operator error. You need to idiot proof...everything...in the USA.

Why didn't they just put a freewheel unit like a helicopter transmission has?

Very cool! With regards to reliability, the HUGE USAF Buick junk pile speaks volumes! Buick??? Buick was never a consistent leader of the racing pack - NASCAR, Drag Racing or Off road. 1960 - 1962 better, more reliable & plentiful engines include the Ford 390HP & the Mopar 413. Starting in 1963 things got even better with the WINNING race proven Ford 427 & the Mopar 426 Hemi. I would have thought the HIGH priority of consistent & reliable starting of one of the most critical aircraft engines ever produced would have dictated a much better start cart engine. I do agree the sound of a 6,000 RPM open header Buick sounded great, but it is TOTALLY negated by its proven record of RUD!

I was about to be like "wow way to steal another channel's video and claim it for your own" then saw you were the original uploader 😅

Back when horsepower was politically correct

What a waste of classic big block Buick 'Nailheads', why did the cart designers not include, a tamper proof governor, an over-run HeleShaw clutch pack which trips at 3000 rpm ?. Using car engines to start aero engines is not new, yes cats&kittens Mr Hucks mobile starter based on Ol, Henry Ford,s Model'T'.

is it true the start cart engines were all hand built by Ed Pink?