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COL. SAMUEL M. URSINI
USAF (Ret)
Fire Control Officer/ Reconnaissance System Officer
YF-12/SR-71
BIO
Born 1933 Detroit, Michigan. Graduated University of Detroit and AFROTC 1955.
Selected for navigator Training and entered Air Force in 1955. Awarded navigator Wings 1956 at Ellington AFB, Texas. Following jet interceptor training, assigned to 84th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hamilton AFB, California as a radar interceptor officer. Upon arrival in 1956 the squadron was transitioning from F-94C to F-89D. Made Combat ready in F-89D and finally F-101B. All at Hamilton AFB.
1957 - Our squadron was selected to launch the first and only live firing of the nuclear "GENIE" MB-1 air to air rocket. We deployed as a flight of four F-89-J's to Indian Springs, Nevada. After the Lead aircraft launched the weapon, we flew through the nuclear cloud at two minute intervals to measure crew susceptibility to radiation. Perhaps that is the cause for my putting yips!
1959 - Married Joanne in Rome, Italy. We have 3 children: David, Lisa, and John.
1961 - Sent to Tyndall AFB for Ground Controller Intercept Training.
1962 - Assigned to San Francisco Air Defense Sector, Beale AFB as SAGE weapons director. The San Francisco Sector had an array of ground radars situated from Oregon to Southern Calif. They all fed radar data to the central hub at Beale AFB. This hub (sector) was responsible for the security of this west coast region so that no enemy aircraft or submarine -launched missiles could penetrate that air space. On duty one day, we had an unknown radar detection at over 60,000 feet and less than 200 knots. Our available interceptor aircraft could not reach that altitude to make a visual identification of this possible intruder. General Tom McGehee, the sector commander, was the only person in the sector who was cleared for the Oxcart Blackbird program with A-12 aircraft located at Groom Lake, Nevada. General McGehee arranged for one of the A-12 Mach 3 aircraft to assist in identifying this very high altitude unknown vehicle. This was an unprecedented action. The General advised me that a very high speed high altitude aircraft, with a call sign of Dutch, would contact me, the controller monitoring this "UNKNOWN". The Dutch aircraft checked in on my radio frequency. He was between Tonopah, Nevada and Sacramento California traveling at three times the speed of our interceptor aircraft. Wow! What a high speed data trail. I vectored him toward the unknown vehicle. He made visual contact with what was identified as an escaped weather balloon in the jet stream. I learned a few years later that the Dutch pilot was, Mele Vojvodich, one of the first CIA A-12 flyers. After this unusual event I wondered how I could get assigned to that classified high speed aircraft program. That I thought would be a dream! During the next several months I pursued that dream as best I could.
1963 - Transferred to 28th Air Division HQ, Hamilton AFB Fighter Branch.
1964 - Selected to join the YF-12/SR-71 Test Force, Edwards AFB. THE DREAM HAPPENED!!
1964 - Late that year, first flight in YF-12 with Jim Eastham, Lockheed Test Pilot.
1965 - Flew with Jim Eastham on practice speed runs (preceding 1 May 1965 official speed and altitude WORLD records)::
This was Kelly Johnson's policy to have company pilot proceed Air Force pilots in new activities. By the way ... Those flights with Jim were without Sec.Def. McNamara's restrictions as to top speeds as were the Air Force World Records in the YF-12 set on 1 May 1965. Sec. McNamara's strategy was to lure the Russians to beat the YF-12 records with their Foxbat MiG 25. This they did. Then the SR-71 later reset the World Records for speed and altitude without constraints. Thirty eight years later, 2005, these records still stand!!
1966 - With pilot Col. Vern Henderson, we were the first military crew to launch the AIM-47 missile from the YF-12. Speed 3.2 Mach, 75,000 feet against a drone 60,000 feet below us. Missile guided to a hit! Seven such launches from YF-12 were made: Six were hits. Following are the details of the YF-12 AIM-47 missile launches.
| TARGET | TARGETMACH/ALT | YF-12 MACH/ALT | LAUNCHRANGE | RESULTS |
| Q2C | .9/40K | 2.2/65K | 36NM | Direct Hit |
| Q2C | .8/20K | 2.3/65K | 36NM | No Guide (lost power) |
| Q2C | .8/20K | 3.2/75K | 34NM | 6 feet Guide |
| Q2C | .6/1.5K | 3.2/75K | 30NM | 9 feet Guide |
| QB-47 | 6. /1.5K | 3.2/75K | 31NM | Direct Hit |
| Q2C | .6/20K | 3.2/74K | 35NM | 99 feet Guide |
| QB-47 | .6/500 ft over land | 3.2/74K | 33NM | 45 feet Guide |
1969 - Helped convince the Pentagon to bring the YF-12s back to flight test as an Air Force/NASA Program. Program continued for a couple years. Col. Slip Slater commanded the Air Force component.
1970 - Transferred to 7th AF HQ, Saigon as an intelligence officer. Thanks to Col. Sam Hollenbeck, 388th Tac Fighter Wing, reassigned to the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat, Thailand. Checked out in the F-4E. Flew 190 combat missions.
1971 - HQ NORAD, Colorado Springs Plans and Requirements Staff Officer
1975 - Assigned to Central Treaty Organization, Ankara, Turkey. Diplomatic tour.
1976 - Retired from U.S. Air Force.
1977 - Joined Grumman Aerospace Corp., Long Island, NY as EF-111 Deputy Program Director
1980 - Joined Fairchild Republic Corp., Long Island, NY, as Vice President Systems Development
1983 - Joined Global Analytics Corp., San Diego, CA Stealth Systems.
1990 - Company evolved into Martin Marietta Corporation Advanced Concepts and finally Lockheed Martin Corporation.
1996 - Retired as Director of Business Development, Lockheed Martin Corporation Advanced Development Office.
2018 - Inducted into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame.
TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS: 3,900 - YF-12/SR-71: 305 hours
Click on images to enlarge
 Me and Vern Henderson just before flight |
 Me, Joe Rogers and our elite ADC (Air Defense Command) maintenance personnel. The EM in white on the right are our (physiological) pressure suit experts. |
 Me and Vern Henderson - first military crew to fire a missile from the YF-12A |
| YF-12 Story |
Col. Samuel M. Ursini
USAF, RET.-
Military Aviator, Experimental Flight Testing (SR-71) & (YF-12) Aviation Executive- Samuel Ursini was born in Detroit in 1933, and Graduated from the University of Detroit in 1955 as a ROTC Air Force second lieutenant. He was awarded Air Force Navigator wings in 1956 at Ellington Air Force Base,Texas and assigned as radar interceptor officer to the 84th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hamilton AFB, California. In 1957, he was part of the first and only live firing of the nuclear Genie MB-1 air-to-air rocket, and was aboard one of four aircraft from his squadron that flew through the nuclear cloud to test crew nuclear susceptibility. Ursini graduated from Ground Weapons Controller training in 1961 and served as a Weapons Director for the San Francisco Air Defense Sector, Beale AFB, California.
In 1964 he was selected for Top Secret experimental flight testing of the YF-12 and SR-71 Blackbirds, at Edwards AFB Calif. and Area 51 in Nevada. Flying with pilot Jim Eastham in 1964 he was aboard for his first flight to Mach 3.2, 75,000 feet in the YF-12, and was the third aviator in the Air Force to exceed Mach 3 in the aircraft. He then was the first Air Force man to launch an AIM-47 missile from the YF-12, scoring a direct hit on a target drone 65,000 feet below. The YF-12 was flying at Mach 3.2 and 75,000 feet. He was the first man to test the YF-12 pulse doppler radar against an SR-71 flying at Mach3.2 80,000 feet with a successful intercept. The closing rate between the two aircraft was Mach 6.4... nearly 5000 miles per hour! He was one of the first to fly the SR-71 on a 10 hour mission duration. In 1970, he was transferred to Vietnam where he flew 190 combat missions in the F-4E Phantom with the 388 Tactical Fighter Wing. From 1971 to 1974 he was stationed at the Air Defense Headquarters in Colorado Springs as Plans &Programs Officer where he was promoted to Colonel. He retired in 1976 and joined Grumman Aerospace Corp. and then Fairchild Republic Corp. as Vice Pres. for Advanced Programs. Also in 1980, Colonel Ursini helped form a new company in SanDiego, which later merged with Lockheed. He retired from Lockheed in 1986.
Colonel Ursini earned 4,500 flight time and flew in more than twenty different aircraft types. He was awarded, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and eleven Air Medals.
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