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Thread: SR-71 Blackbird

  1. #1
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    SR-71 Blackbird

    Always thought the SR-71 was the coolest most badazz plane ever built. Ran across this YouTube video taken at the National Air and Space Museum with pilot Buz Carpenter showing and talking about this plane, it history, phenomenal capabilities and his personal experience of how it was to fly it. A couple years old but just crammed with interesting info. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F4KD5u-xkik&t=1s
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  2. #2
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    Great video! Interestingly, the SR-71's predecessor the U-2 is still flying.


  3. #3
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    One is on display in Los Angeles
    Regards,

    Tom

  4. #4
    in the past I watched you tubes on the SR and it was stunning plane considering when it was made. Russian scientist made some comment like he could not believe some capitalist country could make such a plane. Dont have time to look now at that you tube, from memory that that is not the SR71 blackbird I saw in the you tube looks more like a U2 or some other plane, pretty sure its not a Cessna.

    My antique memory on the SR was about unique aspects of landing and take off and more maybe it was even designed and built in the 50' 60's Staggering really.

  5. #5
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    It was a very expensive machine to operate though. I've heard from a couple sources, one credible one not so much that either the SR-71 is a lot faster than advertised or there is a successor. Perhaps the SR's job has been taken over by drones? Satellites as a replacement don't really make sense to me, their orbits/coverage seem too predictable. But then I'm no expert in such things.

  6. #6
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    This is the best account from an SR-71 pilot

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyHH9G9et0


    The science museum at Richmond, VA has one, and it is amazing to see up close. The cones on the jet engines are sharpened to a point like a pencil.

    CB7CAE26-78B3-4F4D-8D41-BC99256E1C01.jpg 7C50C384-8492-457D-8AC8-24225391D9D3.jpg

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    This is the best account from an SR-71 pilot

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyHH9G9et0
    Yeah, Brian Shul - that's the vid I was thinking of too. I love that story! He's the guy who wrote Sled Driver, which is supposed to be great.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  8. #8
    Curt,

    Under rate the speed for insurance like some muscle cars in the 60's

    Hi id like to insure my black bird. Okay have you had any speeding tickets?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Lake View Post
    Curt,

    Under rate the speed for insurance like some muscle cars in the 60's

    Hi id like to insure my black bird. Okay have you had any speeding tickets?
    Nope the cops can't catch me

  10. #10
    Blackbirds are awesome. I grew up in Sacramento and some of them were either stationed at or traveled through McLellan AFB (now decommissioned). Saw them fly over on multiple occasions for airshows and such.

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  11. #11
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    I think the SR-71 still has the fastest time traveling from the west to the east coast. It set the record on its last flight.

  12. #12
    Just remembering some documentary I saw about the SR-71. The skin is made of titaniumm, which was a first. At the time, the US was unable to mine enough Ti, ourselves, so we apparently sourced it from RUSSIA through some elaborate shell game of offshore companies. Right in the middle of the Cold War! Can you imagine that?

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Loza View Post
    Just remembering some documentary I saw about the SR-71. The skin is made of titaniumm, which was a first. At the time, the US was unable to mine enough Ti, ourselves, so we apparently sourced it from RUSSIA through some elaborate shell game of offshore companies. Right in the middle of the Cold War! Can you imagine that?

    Erik
    Makes me wonder what THEY sourced from US...
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  14. #14
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    Critical design elements of the atomic bomb for starters..

  15. #15
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    This thread lead me to this, I watched it all


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