ManLife SR-71 Blackbird: The Fastest Plane Ever Built

I used to live near Beale AFB (father was stationed there) when was I was in high school ... saw the SR-71 and U2 regularly and went to a lot of air shows there. Prior to that father was stationed at Clinton Sherman AFB, Oklahoma where the X-15 flew. All incredible aircraft.

 

Wasn't the A12 the official record holder variant of the SR-71? They have an A12 on display at the Intrepid carrier ship in Manhattan, I've been several times and it's darn impressive.

 

Cool story. So the SR-71 was built from titanium that was mined inside the USSR? Classic~

 

Since you mentioned the shuttle here is some Air Force pilot trivia (lets be clear here I am NOT an Air Force pilot) told to me by a friend who has an interesting qualification level. He is one of, what was at that time, less than 6 pilots alive that were licensed/qualified to fly any and every plane in the Air Force. He asked me what I thought the toughest one to get qualified on was. I guessed Air Force One. Apparently that wasn't a big deal; getting qualified to fly the plane that flew with the shuttle on it's back was the toughest ticket to get. At the time he qualified he was one of 4. There is a video I posted here a few years ago where he is sitting in the seat on the runway with the shuttle on the back of his aircraft and talking on the phone. He was talking to me. When I asked him what the hold up was and why he and the crew weren't getting out he told me they were playing cards to see who drew the low card. The loser had to open the door. Apparently the first guy out always had to talk to the press and none of them wanted to be the patsy.

 

Same guy was nice enough to take up a bottle of wine from my winery in the "vomit comet".

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Since someone mentioned the jumbo carrying a space shuttle...

In 1983 on a May or June day during the French tennis tournament in Paris John McEnroe suddenly looked up, stopped playing, sacrificing his point, went to sit on his chair and applauded; the jumbo and space shuttle, also in Paris for the air show at the same time were doing a sloooow pass circling Paris.

Every spectator looked up in awe and applauded too! I ran from the TV out into our garden like the teenager I was and gawped like the others: the whole pairing was so huge you almost felt like you could reach and touch it!