SR-71

Spent the last week or so in socal and stopped by to see 4 Blackbirds including the one in San Diego I saw in January already.

Was able to go to the California Science Center in LA and see the A-12 trainer that has the twin canopies as well as the first A-12 ever made + an SR-71 side-by-side in Palmdale, CA (Blackbird Airpark). Also bought a DVD from them that is only sold there and not online. Pretty cool camcorder footage taken by a former Blackbird pilot.

Some pics attached below, but I have almost 200 photos from Palmdale that can be viewed in hi-res as well as the A-12 trainer + space shuttle endeavour below. All the photos in the sets were taken with a Canon T4i and are much better quality in full res than here on Fchat for anyone curious. The two terrible photos of the DVDs were done by my cell phone.

Palmdale: Palmdale - a set on Flickr
California Science Center: Cali Science Center - a set on Flickr

I have more photos of the A-12 trainer I took and the San Diego A12 I need to get off my brother's computer. Should hopefully have those online by this weekend.

Edit: Blackbird Airpark used to have an F117, but it was removed a year or so ago for preservation purposes and is back at Edwards AFB. The guy at the museum told me they will get it back once they build an enclosed structure for it, but he said it will take $5mm, which they are nowhere close to having anytime soon.
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And, of course, the U2 in the first pic...

Cool.

 

At my old job at Zodiac Aerospace, we had one of the SR-71 start-cart generators in our power supply room. It supplied our 400Hz. When they replaced it, my bid to keep it was denied... Was pretty neat having 'history' in our building
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Yep. Didn't want to take too much away from the Blackbirds in the Blackbird thread. Apparently on Fridays one might be able to catch a [newer] U2 flying the skies of Palmdale out of Edwards AFB. That would've been cool. I definitely heard a non-commercial aircraft in the skies, but couldn't see it in the clouds.

Inside the museum they had a U2 canopy that wasn't as cracked as the one outdoors...now I see why the F117 was removed until an enclosed area is made.

Oddly enough the shuttle carrier was there, too, at the NASA facility. Based on my photo with the upper deck having more windows than 2, looks like N911NA. Makes sense since it's supposed to be in Palmdale for spare parts for Sofia.

Shuttle carrier: IMG_3902 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The museum next door had an F4, F5, F14, F16 in the back being prepped, and a really cool Scaled Composites Triumph (model 143). IMG_3865 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

My pictures from The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center back from April...just got around to loading them...and havent bothered with editing them.
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I read somewhere, that those had a big block Chevy V8 in them.

 

Earlier carts had the Buick BB then went to a Chevy BB

 

here
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/139281803-post114.html
and here
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141711880-post243.html

 

Cool, never saw those photos before of the actual engines. I think the starter cart at Warner Robbins has a plexi cover to show it, but it was hard to see with all the glare.

Both the A12 and SR at Palmdale had starter carts with them. The plaques on both said each cart contained two engines linked together. Crazy stuff. Didn't have all the specs on them, but the Chevy unit had 700 lb-ft of torque and the Buicks 600HP.

Chevy:
IMG_3759 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_3758 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Buick:
IMG_3759 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_3760 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Took this a few years ago...
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Is that the one at Lackland AFB?

 

Awesome

 

Yes.

 

Majestic...
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Found an interview of Rich Graham who talks about how he got involved in flying the SR-71 and other airplanes. Hope you enjoy it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBu6mRDaro]SR-71 Pilot Interview Richard Graham Veteran Tales - YouTube[/ame]

 

Not sure if this is a repost but cool plate for you Virginia folks.

Souvenir License Plates | National Air and Space Museum
.
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They flew out of RAF Mildenhall in the 80s and 90s when I was flying out of RAF Lakenheath. They put them in the hangars for the U-2s, but they were quite a bit longer and the entire nose stuck out of the front of the hangars. They had canvas covers/tents to cover the nose so the satellites could not tell whether they were in the hangar or on a mission. Mildenhall also supported the special KC-135Qs set up to carry and pass the special JP-7 propellant the SRs used. Quite an infrastructure to support the SRs, which also had early low observables technologies incorporated.

 

We were next door to them in Okinawa, they fit completely into the hangers there, they would launch the KC's prior to the SR, so you would know when a flight was coming up... saw a lot of flights and a few fly bys when we were coming back in also saw a lot at Beale....in those days all was pretty classified so we were not allowed to take pictures.. like the F-117 was prior to its crash.. Watching the SR's and the U2's take off and land will always be a lasting memory..and the crews taking out the air sampling and imagery equipment when they landed..they hustled!

 

I will NEVER forget watching an SR take off from Buckley here in CO many years ago.

The chest thumping noise... lifted, came around low and it climbed almost vertical.

Did I mention the noise?

Did not see a KC...

 

During the AF's 50th anniversary airshow at Nellis, one did a fly by. It was such an amazing sight and sound. I was in 6th or 7th grade and there with my grandfather who was a B29 mechanic in WWII (pacific theater). It's a day I'll certainly never forget. I remember my grandfather being total awe. They also had one on display with pilots answering questions (or maybe just pilots answering questions). My grandfather talked the poor guy's ear off asking questions about everything down to the pitot tube.


Mark

 

I hope this is not a re-post. I found it very nice!

BBC - Future - SR-71 Blackbird: How to fly the world's fastest plane

 

I used to fly DC8-63's out of LAX to HNL in the early '80's. Wile doing training flights (touch and go's) at Palmdale they asked us to make a "full stop" and taxi back to the take off position but to hold for a special departure. Out from the hangar came an SR71. The ground crew put down large pans underneith the aircraft while a fuel truck pumped fuel into it. The tanks where leaking like crazy. The SR taxied to the end of the runway and hit the 'afterburners" and accelerated down the runway just as 2 T38's flew in formation with the SR71. When the SR rotated it looked as it was going straight up. it flew past the T38's and left them like they were sitting still. it was unbelievable!

 

My dad tells the same story when he was assigned to the 452nd AREFW at March AFB. The Blackbird made visit to the base. His commander was "in the know" and let the office group gather at the flight line for its takeoff. The way my dad put it was, when the blackbird did airshow or media demonstrations(1980's), it was 'dumbed down' on its full potential. What he and the rest of his staff saw that day on the flight line was as you described, the pilot lit the burners, pulled straight up and was GONE! Like no other jet could do.

 

I also saw this in the 80's at Paine Field when someone on the air show staff had pull and the SR71 was part of the airshow. After a beat up of the place we saw the hot fuel leaking out of the open seams in the wings when they came onto the ramp and the pans were deployed to catch the drainage. When they left it was another demonstration for us and on the last pass at speed it pulled up and climbed out of sight but we could still hear it. It had a date with a tanker nearby.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj9UwKQKE3A

Dont think this has been posted yet. Coolest guys and jobs ever.....