SR-71

+100,000,000

 

What is the long, thin white wing-like thing under the Blackbird at Warner Robbins?


Desert is good, but they need some protection from the sun, too..

The Huntsville plane's condition is REALLY discouraging.

 

The one in Huntsville is really disappointing - I agree - that plane looked a LOT better the last time I saw it.

I realized the one you missed - down in Mobile at the Battleship Alabama they have another A12. I thought it was the one in Huntsville you were going to miss.

Great trip btw and thank you for sharing your photos with us.




PDG

 

I just called the Museum of Aviation and spoke with their curator, apparently it's the wing of a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. It's going to be assembled some time next year according to him, but they have it stored there for now. I didn't notice it much to be honest until you pointed it out in the pics. I was too focused on the Blackbird.

No problem! Yeah, I wanted to go to Mobile, but my brother was already not excited about the 2 hour detour we already took to Eglin AFB. I was definitely up for it.

The Eglin AFB Blackbird was in better condition than the Huntsville, but I have some issues with it being out wide in the open and not fenced off. I was able to walk under it and stand straight up into the landing gear area and saw people wrote their names and other nonsense on a panel in there (see pic attached, I will add more later this week).

I have a crazy idea to go on a roadtrip across the US for a month in May after I finish med school and before residency starts. There are 28 on public display in the US as far as I know, then the one you can't see at CIA headquarters as a lawn dart, and finally the one in the UK...I probably won't do it because I can't convince anyone to drive 9,000 miles in 4 weeks with me. I may just see the UK one by itself as I've wanted to visit the Donington F1 museum for a while now...great McLaren and Williams collection there.

If I do that, I will definitely get rid of my 7 year old DSLR and re-shoot shots of these planes again with a full frame and better lens system.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

If I could get away from work I would be up for that trip - IN MY FERRARI!!!!!




PDG

 

If you guys come by SAC, shoot me up!!!

Lot's of interesting planes (B-1A, only 1 of 2, XF-85 Goblin, 1 of 2, Avro, 1 of 3, and B-36, 1 of 4)

Your journey won't be complete with out our Blackbird!! Usually the have planes you can get in (bi-monthly) next month will be the B-47. They also have many war veterans that flew the exact planes at the museum! they usually are very friendly and talk for hours.

Worth the trip.

 

The Eglin aircraft is a one of a kind long tail variant which carried some variety of special radar in the back.

 

LOL, nice! Yeah, I don't think I could afford the wear and tear on my Z-car and it's not the most spacious. We paid $21/day for Mazda 3 sedan (including taxes!) with 6,xxx miles on the odo. After 1,600+ miles, worked out to 5 cents a mile. 39mpg didn't hurt our wallets either. I love Orlando when it comes to cheap rentals.

I would definitely stop by there if I do go on a roadtrip. The best thing about seeing a Blackbird is that usually it's around other planes that are just as fun to see on their own on a trip.

Yeah, it had some sensor equipment in that 9 foot tail ("Big tail"). Didn't hurt its performance, but they the sensors didn't give much an advantage per the plaque mounted next to it.

Pics of the plaque and me standing right under the tip of the tail. I'm 5'10" for reference...looks like an odd photo, but I am right under it as you may tell from the shadows of me and and the end of it.

Edit: and btw to everyone here, these four Blackbirds can be seen at no cost. Eglin and Warner Robins and their museums are free of charge. The Huntsville and Birmingham A12 are outdoors and you can pull up next to them to take photos. However, if you want to go inside the museums adjacent to them, it costs money. I only paid to see inside the Nasa building (will post some pics of that later).
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Went to visit the SAC yesterday.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Found this from silodrome pages

SR-71 Blackbird Cockpit

 

WOW...that really puts it into perspective how old that bird really is!! Amazing they could achive so much with basic (by todays standards) intsrumentation. Not a screen to be seen anywhere!!

 

There weren't any such things as "screens" in 1958, when the aircraft was in the design phase, that was over 50 years ago....

 

True. To some extent all todays screens do is display the same information as all those dials and gauges did 50 yrs ago. A moving map was your finger on a chart.

 

Ron Dennis:

(I like Frank Lloyd Wright's, "Form and function are one" a little more than the more popular expression Dennis referred to.)

 

I disagree with Ron Dennis in the fact there are regulations on F1 cars in wheelbase, weight, wing size, etc. That's why imo the 2009+ F1 cars look ugly compared prior years. Road cars have pretty strict regulations with bumpers, ground clearance, etc, as well.

The Blackbird didn't at all as far as I know. Just go fast to avoid being shot down and take photos while you're doing it. That's why I think it's beautiful.

 

Made a quick stop to Balboa park in San Diego to check out the A-12 out front (#06933). No cost to park and check out this one, but the museum is $17 and change so I passed (if I had my DSLR with me, I would have gone).

Anyway, sorry for the quality. Weather was pretty terrible this past weekend here, but cleared up today right when I leave town, haha.

It looks like I will probably take the plunge and get a D600 Nikon in the next few months and will probably be back to take pics again in the near future (hopefully).
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Since 1991???????? I must be an idiot. Of all the times I've been to Sandee Eggo, never visited there. Been on base(NAS), several Nimitz class carriers and so on and so forth, but never knew that Blackbird was there.

 

Wow, I had no idea there was one of these in SAN. On my next layover there I'll have to check it out.

 

lol, nice. Better late than never. I'm now using non-airport wifi to see the pics load properly...geez my cell phone camera is bad in those lighting conditions.

That makes 6 Blackbirds I've seen since early December. I could still technically see #7 at Dulles, but I've seen it before and I don't feel like driving out there again even though I'll be in NW DC tomorrow.

 

The other cool plane, just visible to the left in your first pic, is a Convair Sea Dart.
Convair F2Y Sea Dart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

IMHO, the San Diego Air & Space Museum is well worth the $17 cost of admission. Every time I leave there I get the same feeling I had when leaving the Smithsonian when I was a kid in the 50s. Besides, it is right next door to the San Diego Automotive Museum which has a really cool permanent collection and four or so different exhibits each year.

 

I think I have only seen five of them in my life - so far!!

Would love to see the rest.




PDG

 

I do a good deal of scanning source docs, and came across this at about the same time I joined this forum. I thought those interested in the history of the A-12's development and the related political issues (of which there were many) would find the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence Report (1-2012 version) on the OXCART program a good read. I tried to load the pdf, but it exceeded the board's limit (it is only about 3.5mb, so it should load for you pretty easily- go to the link, and on the line in 2012 where the report resides, the pdf download is on the right of the line).

Interestingly, this report also asserts the program was the true reason Groom Lake was built (for GUSTO, and later OXCART and its progeny) and you'll see a couple photos that used to float around in UFOlogy as "proof" of our transport of alien craft across the Southwest.

This thread is a great read; thanks to those of you who contributed, especially those with first-hand accounts of their time driving the A-12 and its variants. Finally, live in San Diego, and can vouch for the value-for-money of the museum. Free parking, usually not crowded, and it has some great memorabilia, including Scott Crossfield's X-15 flight suit and the windscreen from one of the original 3 built.

Best Regards, Bob H

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/index.html

 

Continued heavily Here
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Many, many years ago, I was flying from SoCal to CO to do some skiing. I heard this over the radio while I was on flight following.

"Albuquerque center, Gismo 544 with you."

"Uh - Gismo five four four, negative contact, say code, route of flight and destination."

"Albuquerque, Gismo 544 is passing north east of the four corners area, negative code, flight level 760, destination is classified."

"Gismo five four four, did you say level at 760?"

"Albuquerque, we are past four corners, turning southwest, descending flight level 720, and will out of your way in a few minutes."

"Gismo five four four - whatever, there's nothing up there so maintain your navigation and remain at or above, gee -- I guess flight level 640, ok?"

"gismo 544, roger, have a nice day."

I just sat there and listened and looked way up, which was of course, ridiculous.