European Reacts to SR-71 Blackbird: World's Fastest Plane Ever Built
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- Patreon: / europeanreacts
Feel free to hit the like button and subscribe for more content. I would also love to hear your suggestions for future reactions-drop them in the comments below!🙏
My name is André, and as a European (Portuguese), I always strive to bring a unique perspective to the topics I tackle. All my reaction videos are crafted with a playful and entertaining twist!At least I try... 🌍
✔️ European Reacts to SR-71 Blackbird: World's Fastest Plane Ever Built
👉🏻INSTAGRAM: / europeanreacts
👉🏻ORIGINAL VIDEO: • Video
📫 PO BOX:
Andre Reacts, POBOX SHICOL
Avda. Ausias March 29 bajo (EUROPEART)
46100 Burjassot (Valencia)
Comunidad Valenciana
Spain
I forward them to Portugal. But they arrive in Spain first. Also please make sure you send them marked as a gift or customs can be a problem for me. Thank you!:)
👉🏻MY EMAIL: europeanreacts@gmail.com
👉🏻Copyright Disclaimer:
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS
#reaction #military
![BOLIVIA vs. COLOMBIA [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zg15uVWjuf4/mqdefault.jpg)
Feel free to hit the like button and subscribe for more content. I would also love to hear your suggestions for future reactions-drop them in the comments below!🙏
Really enjoy your channel. Thanks for the entertainment. You may want to check out “LA speed check story”. A short story told by a former sr71 pilot. 👍
Since you didn't understand the Mach numbers
You use kilometers correct
Just under 4,400 km/h
You should react to the LA speed story
They're talking about flying one and the radar. Tracking them in the Western United States. Very funny
Mach 3.3 is about 2,445 miles per hour or 4,042 km per hour. 3 times the speed of sound
I feel where American and other First World - NATO aligned Pilots and Military in general seem to be 'better' is, each Soldier/Pilot feels they have the Moral high ground, which having been there is kinda a low key Super Power, also knowing you have the best tech/kit going is kinda that Batman/Geared-Up feeling. Both contribute to a confident Force Projection.
Oh btw a telegram scammer is impersonating you on my other comment
Now that you have seen this video and know about the SR-71 Blackbird, you need to react to a hilarious video called the “L.A. Speed Story”. You won’t regret it sir. 👍
Yes! Do it! That story is hilarious!
www.google.com/url?q=m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DILop3Kn3JO8&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiZtNO9rY6EAxXvhu4BHXN0DWIQtwJ6BAgKEAE&usg=AOvVaw3yz8BvIuMOSu0N2WX8nsUv
I'm glad I decided to check first because I ALMOST posted the same comment.
The "L.A. Speed Story" is awesome and (considering the plane) pretty much typical of both the plane and the folks that flew them.
YES!!
I was going to say the same thing😄😄
Major Brian Shul was one of the pilots of the Blackbird SR-71. He has a few videos here on RUclips. Including his 'L.A. speed story". Cracks me up every time I hear it. Unfortunately, Maj Shul passed last year. R.I.P. Major Shul.
Because of the heat created by the speed of the plane, it needed to be built out of titanium. The US didn't have enough, and they used shell companies to buy it from Russia. The heat caused the panels to expand so much that when the plane was cold (on the ground), the fuel tanks leaked. They only sealed up once the plane heated up.
Because of the leaking problem is why a new special airplane fuel was created. The fuel was like a liquid gel and had a very high flashpoint. Which meant that on the ground, a lit match, a lit cigarette, even an open flame from a cigarette lighter, didn't create enough heat to ignite the fuel. Only when the plane was in flight, was the ram-jet engine hot enough to burn the fuel.
It used special Hydraulic fluid and tires as well due the heat at cruising speed would cause the regular stuff to ignite mid flight. It had 2 A/C units that could run a freezer so the equipment and crew didn't get baked to death and if the one for the crew failed. The rerouted the equipment A/C to the crew. Cheaper to replace the equipment then a entire plane. The Glass was made out of crystal...I think it was Quarts. and if the crew touched the glass in flight it would give 2nd or 3rd degree burns and they had to w8t for the plane to cool off before leaving the airframe. Another thing is it had a missive turn radius. If you needed to take pictures of Rome and missed. You would be over the the black sea before you completed the U-turn. Talked to a Pilot Trainer for the A2 (the Aircraft with 2 seats you see in the video)
It was actually because of that leakage that the SR-71 was not filled with fuel on the ground. It was given only enough to get it to high altitude for refueling so that by the time it was refueled the fuel would stay in and not leak on the ground.
For reference Mach 3.2 is 3951.36 KM/h
@@rdramos13 The fuel was actually also circulated around the aircraft as a coolant. When it got too hot, it was sent to the engine to be burned. And in the case of a "unstart", they relied on an injection of another type of fuel that combusts much easier, to build back up flame to burn the proper fuel.
Quote from an SR-71 pilot; "you've never been lost, till you've been lost at Mach 3".
Lost at 3.3 times faster than sound😂
I actually saw an SR-71 flying out of Iran in 1980 while stationed on the USS Okinawa in the Persian gulf.
It was the most incredible thing I ever saw.
I was in the USAF in England back in 80. I worked nights and would watch U-2s and SR-71s take off and land. They were truly Bad Ass!
My Father was a mechanic for these planes. They are badass!
To help you out: Mach 3.4 is equivalent to 4,165 km/hour.
This plane is the hot rod of the skies. In fact, it’s reported speed is unclassified; it’s fastest speed is probably classified. However, it doesn’t carry any weapons, just cameras.
I remember back in the late 80's watching a documentary where pilots of the SR-71 were asked how fast they'd pushed the Blackbird over mach 3.2 one of them answered he'd lost track after mach 3.5 and trying to avoid a SAM before he pulled back on the throttles.
The SR-71 could time warp into any century and still look like it's from 500 years ahead.
You should watch .... l.a. speed Story.
Or longer version.... sled driver.
Both are by pilot Bryan Shul, he has excellent comedic timing. 😂❤🎉
The guy didn't even mention how the SR-71 would leak fuel on the ground because the fuselage wouldn't seal until in-flight because the high speed would heat up and make it swell up! Wild.
Fun fact! The US is currently working on making a plane faster than the SR-71 Blackbird! Keep in mind that the Blackbird went at Mach 3.3, or in other words 3.3× the speed of sound!
We're testing a new plane, the SR72 Darkstar that can hit Mach 6.
Our fastest plane we have now is 7500 MPH, that is Mach 10. almost 2 times faster than the old SR71...
When I was a boy, and this went public 50+ years ago, every boy fell in love with it.
I was in the Air Force, the SR-71 is the greatest aircraft EVER!
That is the genius of Kelly Johnson and the hard work of the men at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works!!!
I saw an sr71 at a airshow in the late 90's
Fun fact: While the SR-71 is currently the fastest *jet* on record, the video was wrong when it called it the fastest *manned aircraft*. In fact, it isn't the fastest on record. That honor belongs to the X-15 and it isn't even remotely close. The SR-71 clocked in a maximum speed of roughly 2500 miles per hour. The X-15's maximum was over 4500 miles per hour.
SR-71 has the only engines on Earth that were designed from the start as "Turbo-Ramjets". The Pratt & Whitney J-58 is still a marvel!! They are worth a reaction all their own. Start as a regular turbo-jet and transition at altitude to ram-jet. Mach 3 is 2200 mph/3541kph
L.A. speed story about the SR71 is worth s look as well as tower flyby.
The Warthog and the Blackbird rank as my 2 (tied) favorite planes. For completely different reasons!
Mach 1 means speed of sound, so if someone says that something can go Mach 3, that means its going 3 times the speed of sound.
If you want to learn more about the SR-71, then I would recommend a few videos.
Why was this place invulnerable: The SR-71 Blackbird Story by Mustard
How was the Blackbirds Program Kept Secret by Not What You Think
The Insane Engineering of the SR-71 Blackbird by Real Engineering
That Time the CIA made a Stealth Drone in 1960 by Found and Explained
3951.36 km/h (mach 3.2)
It's the most amazing aircraft ever created and it was designed 70 years ago. Seeing it fly in person was incredible.
Im a proud American and I'll tell you what boss, , When we see this shit we do the same thing---involuntarily start chuckling and shake our heads.. But I tell you what Chief,, We sleep very soundly at night.. BTW, it shows up on radar as a object the size of a crow!
You are 100% CORRECT regarding your comment regarding the military pilots. These pilots are THE BEST OF THE BEST.....I think we get somewhat blinded by the amazing technology and abilities of the aircraft, but at the end of the day, it is all in the hands of the AMAZING men and women piloting these fantastic machines that make it happen. Love your reactions and your commentary. Thank you so much for all of your video uploads. ❤❤
Warms My Heart seeing you enjoying our Military Jets and other things that we as Americans have. Love From Michigan and again it's a rather warm Evening temp is 35 degrees.
Watch a video called "L.A. Speed Story"...or something like that. It's a great/funny story told by an SR-71 pilot. 😊
This is my favorite plane. But it’s a spy plane and not faster or more capable than modern satellites. It’s also got a lot of design flaws (I’m sure someone will comment about the leaking fuel tanks). But it casts a long shadow on plane designs that we still use. It still looks amazing.
When we lived in Okinawa, my six grade teacher, her husband was a pilot, so we got to go on a field trip and sit in the thing and yes it used to leak fuel We were at Kadena airbase there was two of them were stationed before they were decommissioned.they came to our school and showed us the suits they had to wear one of the cool things we got to do with being raised in the military
That’s what we called it the Habu
Yes we can completely agree that the SR71 is a very sexy plane
Another pilot's story, the "SR-71 Buzzing the tower" is also a great listen. In late 1970s, I was a security guard on the Blackbird. As mentioned earlier it leaked fuel on the ground. However the fuel they created for it could only be ignited with a special chemical injection. You could literally extinguish a cigarette in it! Also Mach 3.5 is 2,685 MPH, or 4,322 KPH!
The SR-71 was really neat to watch. I saw it several times at RAF Mildenhall. You could always tell when it was going to take off...three KC-135Q tankers would take off at 30 minute intervals to get out ahead of it. It started engines in it's hangar, which would open up the front and back, and then taxi out onto the taxiway with support vehicles trailing it. It would line up on the end of the runway and guys would jump out and put chocks under the wheels and they would run the engines up. You could see the cones suck into the inlets as the power came up. Then the ground guys would go grab the chocks and they would apply full power then light the after burners. The noise was very impressive. You could feel your sternum vibrating as it was thundering down the runway.
The Aurora is very much a real plane. My father has now passed away so I can tell this story but he used to work on an Air Force Base and made friends with many of the pilots, including the commanding General of the base. He gained the confidence of many of those pilots and they told him things of their own volition that he was not supposed to know, including some of the specs of the Aurora.
As a teenager we took a trip to an airspace museum that one of these up on pedestals inside. And I thought it was the most beautiful plane I've ever seen in person
These days, it would be impossible to construct an aircraft that could outrun most long-range missiles. The American AIM-120 AMRAAM, the mainstay air-to-air,radar-guided, long-range intercept missile, cruises very easily around 4,5 Mach in the thin air above 18.000 metres. The rapid increase in range and speed of intercept missiles was , indeed, a major reason for the discontinuation of the SR-71 programme. It was my favourite jet, back in the 80s, and, yes-the starfighters in *Star Wars, Episode One* look a LOT like SR-71s with their engines and cockpits turned round backwards.
I would pay any amount of money to just have an hour in the air riding in this plane. It's one of the most impressive engineering pieces ever built. And it's damn sexy also.
The SR-71 is my favorite plane ever built. Leaks on the ground (That's true) but seals up when up to altitude/speed. The A-10 is my favorite sub-sonic plane ever... Both are almost always going to get the pilot home, and that is what matters.
My son in law worked on B-1 bombers. They still use B-52 bombers used in the 1950s. The B-2s are very SCI-fi looking.
When it was retired. The SR- 71 flew from Andrews AFB in California to Edwards AFB in Washington DC Baltimore area in 63 minutes.
My two favorite planes...the newer F-22 Raptor and the older SR-71 !!!
My favorite aircraft ever. Here are some interesting facts I've collected over the years of obsessing over it.
The primary titanium-alloy used was 13% Vanadium, 11% Chromium, and 3% Aluminum.
11,675 hours at Mach 3+ (27,000,000 Miles-ish)
15,000 Miles nonstop, 10.5 hours.
It could photograph/survey 100,000 square miles an hour.
3,551 sorties flown.
At cruise speed, the engines expanded by 6 inches in length and 2.5 inches in diameter.
The engine was comprised of various iron-nickel alloys (Waspaloy, Inkonel, Astroloy)
It was the first use of directionally solidified metals.(All the fan blades expanded at the same rate and same direction)
160,000 horsepower.
It would consume 36,000-44,000 POUNDS of fuel per hour. (8,000 gallons per hour)
Fuel temperatures would reach 350F+
Oil was polythenlyether, the Oil was cooled by the JP7 fuel.
The JP7 fuel was used in the A-12, SR-71, and X-51 Waverider.
The JP7 fuel has a flash point of 140F, and a boiling point of 550F
They used hydraulic computers.
The Speed was truly limited by the temperature of the air entering inlet cones, that being 427F.
The Air temperature exiting the exhaust was 3,400F+
At cruise the inlet spike would have 30,000 pounds of pressure against it.
NASA used their SR-71 as a surrogate spy satellite to test early spy satellites.
The paint was "iron-ball" paint, it had microscopic iron balls to help with radar, it would cost roughly $4,500 per pint adjusted for inflation.
The best plane ever made, as fast as a bullet.
Brilliant engineers back then, even now that aircraft looks modern.
As someone who served with the Marine Corps, I will always have a soft spot for any Close Air Support aircraft. For the Marines that is often the AV-8B Harrier II, but any CAS aircraft is bound to put a smile on my face. The SR-71 (which first flew in 1962) is one of the prettiest aircraft designs I have ever seen. The reason it was no longer necessary to develop extremely high altitude aircraft is because of NASA. Satellites replaced spy planes, so the need to design similar aircraft to the SR-71 never developed.
I've never seen one fly personally. There is an SR71 at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas. Still one of the best looking planes ever.
The ‘Mach’ number is a multiple of the speed of sound.
If an SR-71 is travelling at Mach 3, that means it is flying at 3 times the speed of sound, adjusting for the variation in the speed that sound travels at the aircraft’s altitude.
Yes, it's an impressive plane. Seeing one up close is also a treat. They have one set up in Los Angeles near USC.
For you're travel planning, there's an SR-71 Blackbird at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.
my grandfather was actually an engineer that worked on the black bird, it is an amazing jet. the fact it bleeds most of its fuel before it ever gets off the ground is even more wild
I had a friend in high school who’s grandfather who worked on it as well.
My friend some how did not inherit being smart like his grandfather because he wasn’t very bright 😂😂
My husband was assigned to the SR-71 INTELLIGENCE, ouf of Offutt AF BASE, in the 1980s.
Some additional trivia: the two rocket engines were never able to be fired simultaneously, so the kick from each one firing were like an off-balance kick in the behind. The speed was higher than the metal could take, so it had an additional liquid that oozed from the front edges to absorb the heat. And the top speed of the SR-71 is still unknown, no one ever maxed out the engines.
My father in-law was in the Air Force. He was the first squadron commander of the F-117A stealth fighter squadron and he commanded the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt II operations throughout the deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I loved the A-10’s!
This (plane) looks kind of sexy. Can we agree?
Yes sir. We absolutely can. That's the most sleek and fireball of a plane to ever hit the skies.
Had a wall sized poster of the SR-71 when I was a kid back in the 80's and one of the "Bone" B-1 Lancer bomber..... I was in awe of them🤘
The A10 is amazing too.
❤😂LA speed check
When I was a teenager my neighbor was an SR-71 pilot. I know he set at least one world record in the plane. I think it was the absolute altitude record. 26,000 meters
Fastest plane ever built 🤔??? That the general public is aware of..... 😉😏 *Especially for something that was designed, engineered and built over 60 years ago!!!* 🙂
Thats fair 😅
Yeah at this point in area 51 they are probably hopping on a scooter that can warp all around the planet through wormholes or something.
An audit of defense journals shows that through the sixties there were claims of “promising” anti-gravitic technologies, and then one day it’s never mentioned again. I suspect that something finally worked well and it was all classified. And now when we catch these things on camera we get told that “it’s Aliens” 👽.
'Mach' is the the speed of sound. 'Mach 1' is 343 meters per second. 'Mach 3' is 1029 meters per second...etc.
You should probably check out the LA speed story as told by one of the former Blackbird pilots...it is very funny you'll get a laugh from it like everyone else does. That same pilot has 1 hour or so long video's posted where he tells stories and shares photo's he took while flying the Blackbird as well as flying the escourt planes for the Blackbird crews.
My second favorite, right behind the a10
6:12 😂 That's the XB-70 Valkarie with the 6 big engines that looks like a huge mother spaceship
The only computer that was used to make this Iconic plane was the " Humna brain" the most PowerFul computer ever. The SR-71 and the F-15 both have never been " shot ' down in active missions.
Check Wikipedia for the SR-72 Darkstar. It is assumed to be the replacement for the SR-71. Supposedly it will be test flown for the first time next year... although there are many people who believe that it is already flying.
Just in case you're interested, you can see an A-10 Warthog... AND an SR-71 Blackbird on display in the UK. They are located at the Imperial War Museum's American Air Museum at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire.
Lastly, compared to the A-10, it has no weapon systems. Nadda. No gun, no weapon's hard point, no missiles, no bombs, it was designed to just go fast...... And I adore that.
And gather intelligence
The SR-71 was a beast.
Absolutely 💯 the pilots are as important as the plane itself👍
As a kid, this plane was my favorite!
My old man told me a story about how they were flying through Kadena Air Base in Okinawa (Japan) on their way to Vietnam and when they got off their transport they were all ordered "Eyes Right!" They all turned their heads to the right and he said that all the sudden he heard the loudest thing he'd ever heard (up to that point) on their left. He stole a quick look and saw what he said was the most badass thing he'd ever seen go tear-assing into the sky.
A few years later, he would find out what he saw was the SR-71 Blackbird.
We took our children to an air show, at Dulles airport. I think it was in 1985 or so. It was wild. We went through a C-50, I think it was called. It could carry 3 of the hump back planes, I can't believe I forgot the name. My husband used to mediate disputes between airlines and labor unions. They were 747's! Three of them fit into a C-50, or C-150
In 1973 when I was serving with the Marines in Okinawa, these things were stationed at Kadena Air Force Base and every time I drove past that base there were always people just outside the fence at the end of the runway photographing them taking off.
You asked about the future of aviation, Andre'. Google the XQ-58A Valkyrie which is probably it. The US Air Force is talking about buying 1000 of them.
One of them is available for public viewing at one of the two air and space museums near Washington DC. And it is part of the Smithsonian so there is no admission fee (or there wasn’t when I last went in the 2010s).
Andre, your responses are so much fun, and you really think about what you are hearing and seeing! But let me give you a few explanations about the SR-71. It was designed under the tutelage of air plane designer Kelly Johnson. He had a long illustrious career in plane designs, include some in WW II (the P-38), and post war, the U2 and the F-104. He was a genius, especially realizing all of this design work was done without computers! This explains how he was capable of designing the SR-71, the fastest maned jet EVER built. And to answer your possible question about why isn't it flying in space, the fact is that the SR71 is a jet. A jet is a plane that uses oxygen in the air for combustion, and a rocket has to supply its own oxygen, and thus it can go into space where there is NO oxygen!
Now, about the Mach term. Mach 1 is the speed of sound, but this is a bit misleading because the speed of sound varies by its density. The higher you go in the atmosphere, the thinner the air is. So, the Mach actual speed is different at sea level vs. any altitude. At sea level, the speed of sound is 761 mph. Within that 36,000-60,000 foot range, Mach 1 is about 661 mph. The same at 80,000 feet. So, a Mach 3 plane at 'altitude' is flying 3x660=1,980 mph. Mach 3.3 = nearly 2,200 mph. To get a perspective on this, this speed is equivalent to many rifle bullets! But the SR71 can keep that speed for 90 minutes, whereas the bullet's speed is only for a minute or so, and is decreasing all the way along its path. Also, all other jets in the world, except for the F-22 can attain its Mach rated top speed for just a few minutes also, so you can see how the SR71 could out distance any other plane in the world.
Here are some speed facts on the worlds top fighter jets:
1) US F-15 has a top speed of Mach 2.5+, where the plus means it can actually go faster, but we are not told.
2) Rus The Mig 25 Foxbat, which has a rated speed of Mach 3.0, but this is just BS, like most Russian info. It can really go on Mach 2.83, and if it goes faster than that, it will fall apart shortly.
3) Rus Mig 29 top speed is Mach 2.2
4) Rus Mig 31 top speed is Mach 2.83 (looks like Russian technology ends at Mach 2.83!
5) US F-22 has a top speed of Mach 2.2.
6) US F-16 has a top speed of Mach 2.05.
In addition, 'Operational costs' is calculated on how much maintenance, along with repairs and replacement parts are incurred, divided by the number of hours the plane was flown. Fighter plans do not have long ranges, and thus are flown for relatively short duration. With the SR-71, a 4 hour mission could be flying to Europe and back! Of course, fuel is a part of that cost. Also, for the SR-71, it uses very special fuel to be able to get up to those high speeds, and not let the fuel catch on fire due to the extreme heat generated cutting through the air at such high speeds. Even the plane itself is made very special (Titanium) due to the heat buildup as well. In fact, the fuel tanks for the SR-71 actually leak on the ground (you can see it dripping), but when the plane gets up to altitude and speed, the [lane expands due to the heat, and the furl tanks are then sealed! The fuel is so special that you can pore on the ground and throw a match at it and it will not ignite!
Speed Records
1) On July 28, 1976, an SR-71 set two world records for its class -- an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 mph and an absolute altitude record of 85,068.997 feet.
2) Vida piloted SR-71 S/N 61-7972 on its final Senior Crown flight and set four new speed records in the process: Los Angeles, California, to Washington, D.C., distance 2,299.7 miles (3,701.0 km), average speed 2,144.8 miles per hour (3,45
My favorite plane is the B-52 Bomber, first entered into US service in 1952, with the second largest bomb payload of any plane, and is still today in mainline service, with the last ones built in 1962. My second favorite plane is the F-15, the best fighter plane ever made. My third favorite plane is the SR-71, the fastest jet plane ever. My favoritism is based on the functionality of the plane, rather than its looks. So, my list will of course be different than yours!
You gotta watch "SR71 LA speed story".
That guy passed away last year. I love that story.
i grew up and my dad was stationed at Okinawa in the 70s and this was stationed there. The A-10 is my favorite as well, but this has always been my second.
I got too see one in a museum once, my favorite thing about it is when its on the ground it leaks fuel from the panels because its all designed to expand in the extreme heat at high speed flight
It's very much ok to make the SR-71's your favorite over the A-10's. A FYI - the A-10 has a " Titanium " tub around the pilots to help protect them. Also the A-10's had tripple redundant systems so it could keep flying and completing it's mission and returning back to base.
I used to watch the SR-71 take off from Okinawa, Japan while I was stationed there in the late 1970s. It was then, and is still, my favorite plane ever.
The SR-71's design is Amazing still today. I came up with an alternative " nick-name " of Dagger since it cut's it way through the sky during its operation. The SR-71 Dagger that would of been Awesome as well. Maybe even the " Black Dagger ".
They said the unofficial max speed was mock 3.5. That is 3 & 1/2 times the speed of sound.
We are now building the next version of that plane, which is close to flying. Its twice as fast, more stealthy, and unmanned. Its the SR-72.
All pilots had to have a family, good credit, and clean record. They wanted to make sure they wanted to come back home.
My uncle was a Colonel in the USAF and also worked for NASA. He started flying F-86 Sabre Jets in the Korean War and he was a test pilot for the SR-71 and was decorated by the USAF, the White House, the CIA, and NASA. He’s now deceased, but he once told me that the Russians had to build a new plane every time the Blackbird broke the air speed record. They’d spend years developing a new plane that would break the speed record - and then they’d send up the Blackbird and push the throttle forward one ‘notch’ to break the new speed record. Then the Russians would build a NEW plane to break the record. And they’d just send the Blackbird up again and push the throttle forward another notch. Back to the drawing board again for the Russians. I asked him how many notches the Blackbird had on its throttle and he said, “Can’t tell you that…but a lot more. 😉”
That's right New York to London in less than 2 hours WOW !!! THE RECORD STILL STANDS
I had to do a classified briefing on this Aircraft when I was in the USAF😮❤
It’s been my favorite airplane since ❤
There is an SR-72 in development at this time by Lockheed. It is to travel at Mach 6, 4500 miles an hour. There is a single test plane rumored to be flying at this time. There are several videos on RUclips about it but they are all quite technical and engineering oriented.
There is a quite amusing SR-71 story by Brian Schul, an SR-71 pilot. It is on RUclips and called "The LA Speed Story." I recommend you view it. I suggest you have a map of the United States to have an appreciation of the distances he is covering in just a few minutes from California to Idaho and on.
The USAF have recently acknowledged the existence of an upcoming SR-72.
Drone warfare takes the humanity out of war. Someone somewhere with a joystick and a t.v screen. ie....video games
In 1977, I was on the island of Okinawa, Japan. One weekend, I went for a walk up a three mile road to were I worked during the week. It went though low rolling hills and jungle. Low over the trees on my right, a SR71 Blackbird came low, just above the trees. When I saw it from the front, I thought it was a UFO, but as I saw it's shape from below, knew what it was. It went right over me, I think about a hundred feet above. It seemed to be only going, at best, about 60 miles per hour. This puzzled me, as I figured it needed to be going at least a 150 mph to stay in the air. Just a few years ago, I think I found out. Thinking it was a UFO, at first, my brain went into super fast speed. I had this happen once while on my motorcycle when I was rear ended. It seemed like in slow motion, I had all the time to think how I would push off the hood, but it ended up being another motor cycle and as it and the driver rolled by, I stayed on the bike after it was on it' side, like a surfboard until it was going slower than me and I was on the road, doing a flip as my shoes grabbed the pavement, came back onto my feet and ran to a stop. Seemed to last a full minite or more, but was only seconds. That is why the Blackbird seemed slow, thinking a UFO put my mind in super fast mode.
Yes Andre the SR-71 is one of my favorite along with the warthog and the f-18 hornet and the F-22 raptor
I actually live 15 mins away from the air force museum in ohio and it has the YF-12A and the SR-71 blackbirs on display. I have to say they are bigger than you think, and are even more beautiful in person.
Man, I'd love to visit the museum in Ohio, we have an SR-71 on display down here at the Museum of Aviation adjacent to Warner Robins Air Force Base. She broke 2 speed records flying in to be RETIRED and put on display at the Museum of Aviation. An amazing aircraft and sexy as all get out.
Hello. I live in WA state about 30 mins south of Seattle which is Boeing AirCraft home. The Boeing Museum Of Flight has the surviving M-21 / D-21 pair and there is also a salvaged cockpit from a crashed BlackBird and you can sit in the cockpit there. I have been to the MOF more times then I can count. The SR-71 was meant to be called the " RS-71" but president Johnson introduced it as the SR-71 and you never correct a president - LoL. RS was meant to mean ; Reconnaissance Strike but after president Johnson introduced it ; every one thught it was to mean - Strategic Reconnaissance which fit the plane and it's intended use.
The National Museum of the Air force in Dayton, Ohio, is worth a visit. There is some amazing technology there.
Kelly Johnson was a engineering genius. Designed this without computer, all done by slide rule. Funny thing is they still use the U2 and not the SR-71. Area51 is a famous military base located in the Nevada Desert. I believe it is still denied as a base by the government, even though everyone knows about it.
THe US Gov had to admit it's existence in court due to a class action suit of contract workers who poisoned either by hazardous chemicals or radiation while working there. Area 51 had an atomic weapon tested on it way back but the flat area was too valuable when testing jets without prying eyes later on.
The US Gov didn't want to cover their medical bills and compensation.
I think if I remember right the Gov lost but it was kind of a moot point since the people suing were in the process of dying.
And it origionally was designated the RS-72, but nixon screwed up when announcing it and said SR-72.... No one corrected him so the name stuck, even the top brass never said a word to him.
As far as the A10, its still putting in work till this day, infact, it just helped in runs on iraq and syria today against IRGC.. but as far as one of the most technological mind bending aircraft ever made, this is it.
The sr71 is my favorite plane ever
dang, a good 30 years ago i lived in So. California and i think i attended a wedding at Perris Speedway of all places. on the way to the speedway, if im remembering correctly i passed March AFB and they had a retired [?] SR 71 sitting in their museum. you bet your ass i visited the museum soon after. the Blackbird is a beauty.
Big IQ, helpful. Big Balls, Mandatory!
My favorite plane. To see it in person is amazing. Followed by a tie with the A-10 and the B1-b (which just recently flew over 12,000 miles nonstop round trip from the US to Syria/Iraq) to drop 125 munition on 85 targets in a half hour. One of my favorite parts besides the engine technology they developed so long ago is that the entire plane is basically a fuel tank but with the metal expansion from high heat at cruising speed it leaked fuel constantly when not flying and the manuals actually had a "drips per minute" tolerance for all the joints. Also it's almost all titanium which at the time was only available from Russia (who they were in a cold war with and planning on spying on with the plane) so the CIA made a ton of shell companies around the world to buy the titanium so Russia didn't know it was making its way to the USA.
The A-10 is awesome for a combat aircraft. The SR-71 is awesome as a spy plane. Back in the 80s, there were 2 posters you needed on your wall. The Lamborghini Countach and an SR-71.
Area 51 has long been used for testing of new tech, which is what spawned the rumors of aliens. Just people ignorant of what we can actually build.
The SR71 was based on 60 year old 1960's tech. The current version SR72 is said to be VERY much faster. Also called "dark star" it's reported to operate at Mach 7 to Mach 10.
Using dual a mode jet at slow Mach 3 and low altitude and SCRAM jets at high Mach provides oxygen for near space flight. The 72 is said to use a heat resistant steel skin and other advanced tech to greatly reduce it's radar cross section. If the 72 is flying, as reported, you have to think the US is working on or possesses faster birds. Remember hypersonic glide weapons NOW operate above 100 Km at Mach 25 and can circle Earth in 90 minutes.