Not Ferrari related except in the ultimate quest for speed. Excellent short story. http://www.fromtheinside.us/thinking/Groundspeed_Check.htm
It's a sin that they finally retired these planes. Kelly Johnson was a genius and to think this plane was designed in the mid-1950's without the use of computers and it's maiden flight was in 1962. Nothing, not even the F-22 tops it. God, to have Bill Gates money. I'd buy an SR-71, revamp the avionics and get sued for breaking windows going supersonic.
I read a similar story a few years back, I think it was in Time magazine? But the "ground speed" check included the now retired Concord. It was just as funny. The same leap frogging, with the guys in the Concord topping the ground speed of a military fighter jet. To only then have their bubble popped by a SR71 chiming in and making them all look like turtles. I think the Concord crew said that was the only time they were not the fastest plane in the sky.
Sorry Mitch, I wasn't clear. I was talking simply planes, not "spying" capability. I've heard they have the resolution on the KH11s down to about 4-6 inches. That's amazing.
Very cool story---recently saw an episode on Top Gear where James May flew in a Blackbird---Amazing!!
Ohhh would we get in some trouble, good thing we are so far apart! After going up in an FChatters T-34 and using the mountains as pylons.... then talking with Jetfxr (now there is a trouble maker your mother warned you about!) and looking at links he is sending me.... he best be careful or he will have some 'splainin' to do to his wife where that race car came from...
Its very much better than that. Given 100 images of the same area over a short period of time, one can read large newsprint in Moscow. The single image resolution can read license plates from 135 miles. But its wasnot the lack of spying capabilities that retired the SR-71, but the maintenance. Consider; when the SR-71 flew through rain at supersonic speeds, the little rivot holding washers would all bent and the whole bird was down for about at least a week while every single skin rivot and wahser was replaced.
