What is Digg?68 Comments
- etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+41Sexiest aircraft of all time.
- Ryetronics, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17D.A.R.Y.L. wouldn't have allowed his SR71 to crash.
- Nerys, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10ALSO the YF-12 was an ARMED version of the Blackbird it did not have guns because any bullets fired would slow down and the blackbird could catch up to and run into its own bullets (ie dangerous and pointless)
at one time they pitted a blackbird against our own NAVY. they TOLD the fighters when where and how the blackbird would be coming. No one even got a lock on it. the Firing Window for the fighters (IE the time span from when the target ENTERS and then EXITS your envelope or ability to target and fire on an enemy) was only 2.5 seconds. thats how fast this baby is.
the Mig 25 Fox bat was designed specifically to kill blackbirds (something it failed at) it could hit mach 3 only one time after which it fried its engines :-)
The Valkerie is a gorgeous aircraft that I was also in love with but its a VERY VERY distant second behind the blackbird for me :-)
The Blackbird was not limited to mach 3 by engines but by temperature. the semi ram jet style engines were of the nature that the faster they went the faster they could go (something else of note MORE thrust came from suction than push when the blackbird was at speed so it literally PULLED itself through the air)
the Limitation was temperature as any faster and things would simply start to melt :-) so it was quite simply a materials limitation not a design limitation. Rumored max speed is mach 3.5-3.6 Consensus is it could not reach mach 4 and survive. Max rumored sustained altitude is ~125,000ft (not official)
a deviation of more than 8' vertically at speed would rip it in half and it took over 20 miles to turn around :-)
As stealthy as the blackbird is (it has a beacon to friendly radar can track them) it would not be overly stealthy today as we have better IR ie even if you can't see it on radar in IR it lights up like a roman candle in the sky. (its gets REALLY hot)
So hot in fact that the metal in the planes today is in better shape than when it was built as its annield every time it flies so metal fatigue does not exist in blackbirds.
Also the NY Sled is the only one in a museum (IIRC) that is FLIGHT CAPABLE the curators insistent that it be properly dismantled and transported so as to not compromise the aircraft (most are chopped up fpr transport to museums :-(
I am assuming this also applies to the Wright Patterson blackbird since IIRC it FLEW there under its own power ???
Chris Taylor
http://www.nerys.com/ - habu73, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8For some further info on lost Blackbirds:
http://habu.org/
Hundreds of pictures of Blackbirds, both lost and museum pieces
Story of a pilot surviving a mid-air break up
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/sr-71_break-up.htm
The hunt for a crash site of an A-12 Blackbird
http://www.serve.com/mahood/a-12/index.htm
And for Habemus or any other XB-70 fans
http://www.labiker.org/xb70.html - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Mirrored:
http://www.epicconstructions.com/mirror/blackbird/ - Nerys, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Enemy fires a Missle at a blackbird. Pilot looks back. Looks forward Looks back Looks forward Advances the throttle and looks back and waves bye bye to the missle :-)
Nothing beats the blackbird. oh and satellites did NOT make the blackbird obsolete. Military personelle prefer the blackbirds to satellite but the "powers that be" ie 3 Primary parties - Satellite - Reconnasaince - RPV were all fighting for the same budgetary dollars so they (satellite and RPV) ganged up politically on the blackbird and had it killed off. in the first Iraq war it was reinstated by heavy demand from military (unconfirmed ??) but again killed by politics and only politics. Pres. Clinton needs to be hurt badly as I believe he signed the order to destroy the molds to the blackbird.
They say the blackbird was expensive but that is a farce. its only a million buck to fly a sled mission. FAR FAR cheaper than any satellite and not predictable so the enemy can not "cover up" when the known orbit approaches.
The SR-71 Blackbird (Sled Habu) originall RS not SR but mispoken by the president so it was changed to SR rather than correct the President :-) is the single greatest creation by the hand of man in all the universe.
I am obsessed with the blackbird !!
Chris Taylor
http://www.nerys.com/ - Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Sorry. The sexiest aircraft of all time was the XB-70 Valkerie. Almost the same top speed as the SR-71, but MUCH larger and designed to penetrate formidable air defense and carry megatons of nuclear annihilation at mach 3+ to targets deep in the Soviet Union.
http://sr71.net/Airplanes/XB-70/tn/xb-70-3.jpg.html - captaindan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I just discovered that "engine un-start" is a legitimate term for an emergency condition specific to the Blackbird. The inlets on the Blackbird were designed to provide subsonic airflow to the engines even during supersonic flight. They did this by reflecting the shockwave back and forth until enough energy had dissipated that a subsonic airflow was produced. "Un-start" is the term for when this process fails.
- dark_helmet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5no wonder area 51 is associated with aliens. With aircraft like that being tested there in the 60s, almost anyone could be convinced that its an alien spacecraft. The reports also talked about "motherships" anyone reading out of context could get the wrong idea.
- XTrek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Who needs UFO's when you've got SR71's
- SuperSloth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Habemus: An experimental bomber that was rendered obsolete by an ICBM is sexier than the SR-71? I'm sorry, but no.
The SR-71 was in live service, and until the late 80's and 90's got more detailed surveilance photos than satellites. - Hatefull, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Your all wrong, the Sky Raven is the sexiest aircraft of all time
http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/90/skyraven/ - whalesalad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Damn dude, you really frikkin like this thing.
- Drizzit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I wonder if they modified a third engine onto the SR71 such as a scramjet it might be able to reach space. I'm sure the classified speed is above mach 4.
- captaindan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"severe case of engine un-start"
Brilliant! I'll have to pass this one on to some flight instructors. - Frinkahedron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Udvar-Hazy at Dulles?
- nights0223, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I work at an air and space museum and we have an SR-71 pointing straight at you when you go in the entrance. They really are amazing aircraft. I also have been lucky enough to meet some of the pilots (they even played FS2004 with me)!
- birch25, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4here here!
- pdrap, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The first crash they have listed has a signed photo of the pilot. It looks like it says "Good Luck. LOL. Ken Collins."
- OneZeroZeroOne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Sometimes I wish I could go back in time right after someone accomplished the pinacle of their career, and show them what their work became in the future.
Imagine showing the blackbird to the Wright Brothers after their 1st successful flight?
Or playing any kind of contemporary music to Hendrix?
Or showing the lunar landings or Mars rover pictures to Einstein? - antdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Coral Cached: http://www.wvi.com.nyud.net:8090/~sr71webmaster/srloss~1.htm
- mbrewthx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Got one a mile down the road from my house at the Evergeen Air Museum in Mcminnville Oregon
- mos6507, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2One thing you'll notice is that there is only one loss after 1972. I think by then they really worked out all the problems. Plus, you'll also notice that there were very few fatalities. Not a bad track record.
- popezaphod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The only reason I know about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is because that's the plane that the X-Men used back when I read the comics as a kid. And yeah, damn sexy plane.
- kilofox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2SR71.... best aircraft ever designed by slideruler. Its really amazing considering what tools designers had to work with back then. Quite an accomplishment.
- bristolz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Inlet unstart.
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There's one at the Intrepid museum in NYC, if you want to see it in person. I do not recommend licking it, even if it does look so irresistibly sexy.
http://www.tropicalisland.de/NYC_New_York_A-12_Blackbird_Aircraft_on_Aircraft_Carrier_Intrepid_b.jpg - MisterCookie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Heh, a friend of my father actually worked on an engine component of the Blackbird for Boeing. He said he had no idea what the project was for until years later, when everything was classified. All research divisions worked independently of each other in order to maintain secrecy.
- yoshihama, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1and SR-71s were rendered obsolete by satellites, but that doesn't make THEM any less sexy. (and if you have to be made obsolete by something, an ICBM is WAY cooler than a KH-11)
The Valkyrie is an awe inspiring aircraft, and pictures don't do it justice. Go to Wright-Patterson if you ever get the chance to see the remaining XB-70 in the museum!
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/bombers/b5/b5-63.htm - AlphaEta, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Wow, that’s the funniest comment I’ve seen in a long time!!!
- towca, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"In military jargon this is called "Written Off"."
ahaha.. The first thought that came into my mind when I read that was: "wait.. that's not military, that's accounting"
sad :( - imjustabill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1SAC museum by Omaha?
- satori, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If it's SR-71 film references then you can't go past 'Final Approach' Some cool low level flying with SR-71's. Very trippy film too.
- notkevin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The San Diego Air & Space Museum?
- ComputerGuru, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2What about the one that shot President Logan down? It's not there!
- Kazrog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I remember flying an SR 71 into a low earth orbit in Birds of Prey on the Amiga back in the day.
- Eric21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1sr71-most awesome plane ever, i have seen one live and man this thing is awesome looking
- yoshihama, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I saw the one in the Castle Air Museum land it's last flight. Got to go see it up close on the flightline later, but they'd already removed the ballast from the cockpit hatch, so I couldn't look inside. :( Now it sits out next to the road, so you can see it when driving by without even going into the museum. Looks fast just sitting still.
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i've seen that display and i've always loved it. *best* and by far the most memorable aircraft on the ship.
- modian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1'D.A.R.Y.L. wouldn't have allowed his SR71 to crash."
D.A.R.Y.L. had his SR-71 on autopilot the whole time, if I'm not mistaken, so nyahhhhhh! :oP - zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1lots of luck. not laughing out loud. ;p
- SorryTomato, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ermau, WTF is an ATA missile??
Or did you mean an AAM "Air to Air Missile"?
The defense F-117A and others carry are "defenses" in the form of Infra Red directional jammers or towed/expendable radio frequency decoys - exactly what is being carried depends on mission profile and threat mix. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Throughout the 25+ years that the Blackbird served the free world..."
The first incident is given the date of July 1964. This makes it 40+ years. - clydefrog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have some pictures of me standing next to one in DC
- hankins, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yes, this was a very cool post. Thank you.
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1grrr... digg ate my links...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Johnson -= read about this guy, *really*!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling
http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/sr-71/ - zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i've also always found it interesting that the blackbird would use most of its fuel capacity (however for takeoff they'd fill it to about 60-75% capacity) on takeoff not fully due to fuel usage but due to the way the aircraft was designed to tighten it's 'skin' at speed due to the titanium body expanding at high temperatures therefore sealing the fuel tanks. while on the ground the remaining fuel would actually leak out of it before it it was spent.
btw, the fuel that it uses has a very high flash point so there isn't much concern about it accidentally igniting.
by far one of the most amazing and interesting planes ever designed. sure there are things like the stealth bomber and fighter but the sr-71, a-12, yf-12 and its kin are still something that will always stay in your memory when you see one. fantastic feat of old school pre-computer aided engineering.
thank god we've got folks like kelly johnson and his (or lockheed's) skunk works on our side. :)
links for those that are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Johnson -= read about this guy, *really*!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Works
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling - uncleFester, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1might this be the usaf museum at dayton? a yf-12 used to be present in the annex (reachable by bus from the main museum).. plus, i think since they expanded the main museum a sr71 is in the expansion area.
one of the things i miss about moving away from ohio...
-r - ermau, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ATA = Air to Air. I've seen both used.
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i'm not an expert but i do know a fair amount about the blackbird. however, i don't believe that boeing did anything on the blackbird project. it was a lockheed internal project by their skunk works team...
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