About the engineering of the SR-71

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  • actaeon277

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    Thought some may enjoy this.
    Also, the narrator pronounces "aluminum" different.
    I know British pronounce it the way the narrator does, maybe some other European countries.


    [video=youtube_share;3hYSnyVLmGE]https://youtu.be/3hYSnyVLmGE[/video]
     

    Nazgul

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    Awesome planes. When wife was in the Air Force we were at Mather AFB near Beale where the SR71's were based. Every evening we would ride our bikes over to the park that was near the runway and watch an SR71 do practice landings. They never touched down, one of the pilots at the Officers Club said the tires were expensive so the drill was to not hit the runway until you were landing.

    Had a Base CO retiring who was previously a pilot on them. The flyby during the ceremony was supposed to be high speed, the pilot screwed up and went supersonic at very low level. All the car alarms for mile around went off. Heard later he got in some trouble over it.

    Happened to be at Beale for a soccer match when they were retiring the SR71. Saw the plane takeoff on it's flight to DC to the Air and Space Museum, setting a speed record on the way.

    Don
     

    chocktaw2

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    Very interesting, saw a show on this plane.They put just enough fuel to get it airborne, and fueled it up. It was a flying fuel tank, way to heavy to take off fully loaded. And leaked fuel until the heat swelled the metal to seal it.
     

    gregkl

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    I used to call on Dulles Airport to sell automotive supplies. There was one "parked" outside of the building I used to visit. It was in a chain link fenced area just sitting there. For years.

    I believe it was the one they finally flew out west somewhere, I can't remember.
     

    maxwelhse

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    I've studied that plane quite a bit and the most impressive thing I've ever learned about it is that a bunch of guys with slide rules and pencils took it from concept approval to a prototype in the air, with materials basically stolen from our arch enemy, that we also didn't know how to manufacture, in just about 2 years.

    Other guys involved anywhere in manufacturing will understand just how insane that is. I frequently mention that plane's development cycle when, for instance, stuck in a meeting once again discussion just which shade of off-white a certain thing needs to be and that decision delaying a project by weeks or months of useless bickering between sales, marketing, manufacturing, etc, etc...

    That plane is an amazing demonstration of what mankind can do with proper leadership and motivation... plus a nearly unlimited budget.

    I got a chance to touch one once (at a museum) when I was probably 10 years old. I had no idea just how deep that small connection would eventually mean to me later in life as I learned more about the program.
     

    KellyinAvon

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    Kelly Johnson was also was the lead designer on the P-38 Lightning, F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2 Dragon Lady. In other words he was probably a space alien stranded on this planet :tinfoil:
     

    Bigtanker

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    There is one of two, two-seater trainers at the AirZoo in Kalamazoo, MI. I had always pictured them larger that it really is.
     

    Rick Mason

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    Here is one of the best SR 71 stories. We loved watching them fly over at Kadena AFB in Okinawa.

    [video=youtube;ILop3Kn3JO8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILop3Kn3JO8[/video]
     

    Alamo

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    Thought some may enjoy this.
    Also, the narrator pronounces "aluminum" different.
    I know British pronounce it the way the narrator does, maybe some other European countries.

    The Brits spell it differently as well, aluminium vs the American aluminum.
     

    Dean C.

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    Coolest plane ever built IMHO, love everything from the designer, manufacturing speed / hurdles and just sheer totally crazy potential of the air frame.

    Not many planes anti-SAM policy is "just go faster we can out run it" that had to of drove the commies insane literally not being able to touch it in the sky.
     

    Thor

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    The Blackbird was one of the coolest looking planes ever designed...and functioned the same to boot. Too bad we didn't field the XB-70 Valkyrie, the bomber soul mate of the SR-71; the Soviet Onion might have collapsed decades earlier. It had the same SAM defensive mechanism.

    The day the Blackbirds were decommissioned was a sad one. Same as when they decommissioned the EF-111 Ravens...what did the AF need supersonic EW aircraft for when they could rely on the E6-B? Oh, wait...supersonic strike package...
     
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