Editing Lockheed A-12 (section)

===Flight testing===
[[File:A12radartesting.jpg|thumb|A-12 60-6925, No. 122, mounted inverted for radar testing at [[Area 51]] ]]

After development and production at Skunk Works, in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California, the first A-12 was transferred to [[Area 51|Groom Lake test facility (Area 51)]].<ref>Jacobsen 2011, p. 51.</ref> On 26 April 1962 it was taken on its first (unofficial and unannounced) flight with Lockheed test pilot [[Louis Schalk]] at the controls.<ref>{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|p=16}}</ref> The first official flight took place on 30 April and subsequent supersonic flight on 4 May 1962, reaching speeds of Mach&nbsp;1.1 at {{cvt|40000|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|p=17}}</ref>

In 1962, the first five A-12s were initially flown with [[Pratt & Whitney J75]] engines capable of {{cvt|17000|lbf|kN|abbr=on}}{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} [[thrust]] each, enabling the J75-equipped A-12s to obtain speeds of approximately Mach&nbsp;2.0. On 5 October 1962, with the newly developed [[Pratt & Whitney J58|J58]] engines, an A-12 flew with one J75 engine, and one J58 engine. By early 1963, the A-12 was flying with J58 engines, and during 1963 these J58-equipped A-12s obtained speeds of Mach&nbsp;3.2.<ref name=Landis_p16-7>Landis and Jenkins 2005, pp. 16–17.</ref> 

In 1963 the program experienced its first loss when, on 24 May, "Article 123"<ref name="lacitis20100327">Lacitis, Erik. [http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/area-51-vets-break-silence-sorry-but-no-space-aliens-or-ufos/ "Area 51 vets break silence: Sorry, but no space aliens or UFOs."] ''The Seattle Times'', 27 March 2010.</ref> piloted by Kenneth S. Collins crashed near [[Wendover, Utah]].<ref>{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|pp=22, 23}}</ref> Collins safely ejected and was wearing a standard flight suit, avoiding unwanted questions from the truck driver who picked him up. He called Area 51 from a highway patrol office.<ref name="afmag-richelson">{{cite magazine |author=Jeffrey T. Richelson |url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2001/July%202001/0701crash.aspx |title=When Secrets Crash|magazine=Air Force Magazine|date=July 2001|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> The reaction to the crash illustrated the secrecy and importance of the project. The CIA called the aircraft a [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief]] in news articles and official records.<ref name="jacobsen">[[Annie Jacobsen|Jacobsen, Annie]]. [http://www.latimes.com/la-mag-april052009-backstory,0,786384.story "The Road to Area 51."] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 5 April 2009.</ref>{{r|afmag-richelson}} Two nearby farmers were told that the aircraft was carrying atomic weapons to dissuade them from approaching the crash site;{{r|afmag-richelson}} and local law enforcement and a passing family were strongly warned to keep quiet about the crash. Each was also paid {{US$|25000|1963|long=no|round=-3}} in cash to do so; the project often used such cash payments to avoid outside inquiries into its operations (the project received ample funding for many objectives: contracted security guards were paid {{US$|1000|1963|long=no|round=-3}} monthly with free housing on base, and chefs from [[Las Vegas]] were available 24 hours a day for steak, [[American lobster|Maine lobster]], or other requests).<ref name="lacitis20100327"/>

In June 1964, the last A-12 was delivered to Groom Lake,<ref>[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/aboutus/history/SR71Blackbird.html "SR-71 Blackbird."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310061735/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/aboutus/history/SR71Blackbird.html |date=10 March 2008}} ''Lockheed Martin''. Retrieved: 13 October 2010.</ref> from where the fleet made a total of 2,850 test flights.<ref name="jacobsen"/> A total of 18 aircraft were built through the program's production run. Of these, 13 were A-12s, three were prototype [[Lockheed YF-12|YF-12A]] interceptors for the [[U.S. Air Force]] (not funded under the OXCART program), and two were M-21 reconnaissance [[drone carrier]]s. One of the 13 A-12s was a dedicated [[Trainer (aircraft)|trainer aircraft]] with a second seat, located behind the pilot and raised to permit the instructor pilot to see forward. The A-12 trainer, known as "Titanium Goose", retained the J75 power plants for its entire service life.<ref name=Landis_p16>Landis and Jenkins 2005, p. 16.</ref>

Three more A-12s were lost in later testing. On 9 July 1964, "Article&nbsp;133" crashed while making its [[Final approach (aeronautics)|final approach]] to the runway when a pitch-control [[Servomechanism|servo device]] froze at an altitude of {{cvt|500|ft|m}} and airspeed of {{convert|200|knots|mph km/h}} causing it to begin a smooth steady roll to the left. Lockheed test pilot Bill Park could not overcome the roll. At about a 45-degree bank angle and {{cvt|200|ft|m}} altitude he [[Ejection seat|ejected]] and was blown sideways out of the aircraft. Although he was not very high off the ground, his parachute opened and he landed safely.<ref name="Robarge 2012 21–23">{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|pp=21–23}}</ref>{{sfn|McIninch|1996}}

On 28 December 1965, the third A-12 was lost when "Article&nbsp;126" crashed 30 seconds after takeoff when a series of violent [[Aircraft principal axes|yawing and pitching]] actions was followed very rapidly with the aircraft becoming uncontrollable. Mel Vojvodich was scheduled to take aircraft number 126 on a performance check flight which included a rendezvous beacon test with a [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135 tanker]] and managed to eject safely {{cvt|150|to|200|ft|m}} above the ground. A post-crash investigation revealed that the primary cause of the accident was a maintenance error; a flight-line electrician had mistakenly swapped the connections of the wiring harnesses linking the [[Rate integrating gyroscope|yaw- and pitch-rate gyroscopes]] of the Stability Augmentation System to the control-surface servos, meaning that control inputs commanding pitch changes counterintuitively caused the aircraft to yaw and control inputs commanding left or right yaw instead changed the aircraft's pitch angle. The investigation criticised the electrician's negligence, but also noted as contributory causes failures in the supervision of maintenance activity and the fact that the aircraft's design allowed for the swapped connection in the first place.<ref>{{cite report |author = Director of Reconnaissance |date = 10 March 1966 |title = Summary Report of Major Aircraft Accident Resulting in the Loss of A-12 Number 126, 28 December 1965 |url = https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001472027.pdf |publisher = Central Intelligence Agency |location = Washington, D.C. |access-date = 5 June 2022}}</ref>

====Walter Ray====
{{anchor|Walter Ray}}
The first fatality of the Oxcart program occurred on 5 January 1967, when "Article&nbsp;125" crashed, killing CIA pilot Walter Ray when the aircraft ran out of fuel while on its descent to the test site. No precise cause could be established for the loss and it was considered most probable that a fuel quantity system error led to fuel starvation and engine [[flameout]] {{convert|67|miles|km}} from the base. Ray ejected successfully, but was unable to separate from the seat and was killed on impact.<ref name="Robarge 2012 31–38">{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|pp=31–38}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |last = Parangosky |first = John |date = 25 January 1967 |title = Loss of Article 125 (OXCART Aircraft) |url = https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001473843.pdf |publisher = Central Intelligence Agency |location = Washington, D.C. |access-date = 5 June 2022}}</ref> Urban explorers installed a small monument to Ray near the crash site in the Nevada desert.<ref name=ray>{{Cite web |last=Scoles |first=Sarah |date=2021-01-05 |title=A CIA spyplane crashed outside Area 51 a half-century ago. This explorer found it. |url=https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/lost-cia-spyplane-area51/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=Popular Science |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105173202/https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/lost-cia-spyplane-area51/ |archive-date=5 January 2021 |url-access=subscription |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>