Author Topic: For SR-71 Fans (Read 3025 times)

sentra_dude · « **on:** 25-Jan-2010, 02:26:03 »

The caption says it all.

Stoffie · « **Reply #1 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 02:45:31 »

Awesome.

Always liked the following picture, of a P&W J58 on a teststand

You can read some more here!

TNT · « **Reply #2 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 03:09:10 »

oh yeah new wallpaper!!!

sentra_dude · « **Reply #3 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 06:55:34 »

Quote from: Stoffie on 25-Jan-2010, 02:45:31

Awesome.

Always liked the following picture, of a P&W J58 on a teststand

(Image removed from quote.)

You can read some more here!

Hell yeah! That is such a cool pic, imagine how loud it must have been!

Stoffie · « **Reply #4 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 09:01:27 »

Bone rattling I imagine.

Man I'd give anything to see one of these beauties fly again. Such a shame they retired the Blackbird, and all for political reasons.

pzgren · « **Reply #5 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 09:23:20 »

what a blast!!!

i recently saw in tv that they reactivated two of them but i couldn't find any further information...?

Saadie · « **Reply #6 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 11:14:27 »

the first pic is amazing ... damn thats one huge fireball

spanky · « **Reply #7 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 14:46:14 »

Yeah imagine the noise... When you hear one of those from 100mtrs away and they smack the afterburner on... Makes you put your hands to your ears.... Awesome pictures

sentra_dude · « **Reply #8 on:** 25-Jan-2010, 18:06:23 »

Quote from: pzgren on 25-Jan-2010, 09:23:20

what a blast!!!

i recently saw in tv that they reactivated two of them but i couldn't find any further information...?

In 1995 they reactivated a few because the intelligence community realized just how valuable they were. They were retired for a second time in 1996 and I'm sure by now no SR-71 will ever fly again.

Another awesome pic from Stoffie's post:

"Two J58s powered the SR-71 Blackbird. Individually, they have more horsepower than the Queen Mary."

danidmas · « **Reply #9 on:** 07-Jun-2010, 11:50:15 »

Link: Jalopnik

Holy shit!

stradale · « **Reply #10 on:** 07-Jun-2010, 13:54:32 »

Such an enormously cool plane!!

Every time I see a picture of one it reminds me of the following anecdote from Blackbird pilot Brian Shul:

"I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt (my backseater) and I were screaming across Southern California, 13 miles high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as we entered Los Angeles airspace. Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed."

"90 knots" Center replied.

Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same.

"120 knots," Center answered.

"We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, “Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests groundspeed readout.”

There was a slight pause, then the response, “525 knots on the ground, Dusty".

Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison. "Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?"

There was a longer than normal pause.... "Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"

No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.”

Stoffie · « **Reply #11 on:** 07-Jun-2010, 15:02:29 »

@dani: if you want to see one in the flesh, go to Duxford in the UK. They have a real one on show there. I absolutely marvelled over it, for hours on end, just an awesome and beautiful aircraft!

@stradale: love that story, I've read it many times, but it brings a smile to my face every time!

yeckmohr · « **Reply #12 on:** 07-Jun-2010, 15:24:28 »

i saw also a documentation, i think it was "future weapons", that they will have their new drone Global Hawk, but they will reactivate the big spy planes, why ??
cool pic with 2 afterburner

sentra_dude · « **Reply #13 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 06:41:23 »

@stradale, that story is always a good read!

@Dani, nice pic!

A couple of my own pics of SR-71s

In San Diego:

In the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, close to the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C.

Stoffie · « **Reply #14 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 08:55:49 »

Great pics Sentra ! When I'm in the US in November, I'm definitely going to some aviation museums, you guys have so many of them.

This is my favorite SR-71 pic of all time:

gucom · « **Reply #15 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 11:36:39 »

thanks for the fantastic pics guys!

this and the B2 are the coolest military planes ever probably, or at least since world war 2

Stoffie · « **Reply #16 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 14:51:17 »

I still have some pics from my visit to Duxford, UK. Unfortunately, to my eye, the plane there (the only SR-71 outside the USA) isn't in the best condition, as the skin looks dusty and tired.

I'll try to remember to upload them soon.

Here are some more beautiful shots of the Habu.

sentra_dude · « **Reply #17 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 17:05:47 »

Quote from: Stoffie on 15-Jun-2010, 08:55:49

Great pics Sentra ! When I'm in the US in November, I'm definitely going to some aviation museums, you guys have so many of them.

This is my favorite SR-71 pic of all time:

(Image removed from quote.)

Stoffie, awesome, and welcome in advance to the US!

You are definitely correct about the aviation museums, we have tons. The Smithsonian where I took the pics of the SR-71 is probably one of the best in the country, and it's the annex to the 'main' branch in downtown D.C.

website:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/udvarhazy/

If you want to see an SR-71 kept the way it should be, in perfect condition, out of the elements, and close enough to touch, this is the place to see it. They also have among other things, the most amazingly clean bare-metal B-29 anywhere (Enola Gay), the first Boeing 707, a Concorde (!), F14, and many other interesting and notable aircraft.

It's also probably the easiest aviation museum to see if you are coming in from another country. It's free (woohoo

), and from the Dulles (IAD) airport you can take a shuttle for $0.50 each way and it takes you right to the front door of the museum, so you don't even have to rent a car. If you have an extra day in your schedule and you're flying through IAD, I'd highly recommend it!

Off the top of my head, some other good ones:
-Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas...they have a whole collection of war birds in flying condition, if you happen to make it during a time when they are running some engines/flying a few it's very cool to see

-National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Great, great museum with tons of rare and important aircraft, not just from the USAF.

-Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington D.C.

And I almost forgot,
-The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington...and it's close to Boeing so you can take a tour of the Boeing factory too!

Oh yeah, and I love that pic too.

ZfrkS62 · « **Reply #18 on:** 15-Jun-2010, 20:11:20 »

i need to go to the museum of flight again. I think they still have one on display down there. Haven't been there in decades.

Sentra, I think there's another museum in Everett at Paine Field as well. I haven't been there yet but I keep meaning to. Maybe when the gf flies home next week. (she's not much into planes or stuff like that. She only watches F1 with me because she thinks some of the drivers are cute

)

Stoffie · « **Reply #19 on:** 16-Jun-2010, 00:21:59 »

Sentra, I've been wanting to visit the Smithsonian, but unfortunately, my trip will be touring part of Oregon (girlfriend family visit) and California. Been in Oregon 3 times now and lived in the Portland area for about 4 months, but it never occured to me to visit one of them. Guess that was before my aviation interest resparked. There's a pretty cool one in McMinnville, that also has the Spruce Goose, and an SR-71!

However, if I can, I'd like to visit NY and DC sometime next year, then it'll definitely be on the agenda! (have a friend that went there last week, lucky bastard!)