Moving the SR-71 prototype

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CoorsLight

Well-known member
Sorry to make this thread all political. I was listening to Noam Chomsky and Chris Hitchens interviews this morning. :laughing
 
stan23

stan23

Well-known member
I can't think of a single man who isn't blown away by the blackbird.

I went to the California Science Center a few weeks back and they had an A-12 on display. Blew my mind! It was just as impressive to see that as the Space Shuttle.
 
shaun b

shaun b

waterboy
my Grandfather was a lead flight line mechanic for lockheed for a few years. Early on in the project development.

I loved that plan from the start as a kid. I've gone to see them every time i can at any museum that has them.
 
Brown81

Brown81

Well-known member
Enchanter said:
In the late eighties I was on a deployment on the southeast coast. Our aircraft were holding between the runways waiting for clearance to take off. The tower wouldn't let them go. We were miserable in the heat and humidity. After an eternity and multiple requests, the tower finally told us why they we're not allowed to move: "There is an aircraft inbound with an emergency". OK. So we start looking towards the approach end, and see nothing. Visibility was CAVU and there was nothing there.

The aircraft we're running dangerously low on fuel and the tower won't let us cross the runway to return to our flightline. They are FIRM: "hold your position". The emergency crews are at various positions along the taxiways, and we still cannot see an aircraft on final, and we have MILES of visibility.

The F5's are now below minimum fuel and are about to shut down in place when one of our guys begins waving his hands and pointing up. WAY UP. A few short miles from the runway, and at 9-10K ft we see an aircraft. We're on the radios "No way that is the emergency, no fucking way, he's too close"

Just then the aircraft starts descending. More like FALLING out of the sky. In an instant we see the TOP of the aircraft and instantly recognize it as the SR71. It is nose down and screaming towards the ocean. We're convinced it's going in the drink. At the last minute it flares, the gear comes down and it comes over the numbers and by us fucking moving, 200kts +. It's on the ground, 'chute out and smoking tires trying to stop.

We found out later that they lost a motor on a mission and we were on their closest divert field. They had no support at the field, and our squadron was tasked with providing assistance. We climbed up to get the pilot out, and once he was out, he kicked us off the aircraft to enable him to open the rear cockpit without allowing us near it. Once they were on the ground, they led us around the jet to guide us in properly checking it and preparing it for the hangar. Our hangar.

The next morning a C5 was on the runway and they were replacing the motor. During maintenance, we were not allowed near, but once it was buttoned up, they invited us over to have a look. We were even granted access to the front cockpit.

Their crew was very interested in us due to the recent movie release and all of the hype. We we're interested in them because, well...IT'S A FUCKING SR71!

We partied on Duval that night and helped them load up the next morning. It was something I'll never forget.
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A legitimate "cool story bro"!!

:thumbup:thumbup
 
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paddyofurniture

Well-known member
In the 80s I had a friend who was an officer in the Air Nat Guard and went to an airshow with him at March field.
They flew an SR71 down the runway a couple of times to show it off and on the third pass they kicked it in the ass, pointed it straight up, I counted to 14 and lost sight of it and the announcer said at that point he was at 20,000 feet.
The vibration I could feel on the ground was substantial and the flame and mach diamonds shooting out the back a couple of hundred feet was amazing.
It was one of those things you never forget.
 
fromeast2west

fromeast2west

Well-known member
It's amazing to be able to compare the plane to the cars and other things around them. I can see why people thought Area 51 was full of alien craft.
 
mototireguy

mototireguy

Moto Tire Veteran
packnrat said:
built in the U,S of A. back when we know how and could build stuff.
Click to expand...

I think it's a safe bet that Americuns still know how to and are currently building cool stuff.

And there's probably crazy good stuff in inventory now that would blow our minds if only we had the security clearance to know about it.
 
D

DrSwade

...for limited time...
Thanks for sharing.
No doubt one of the coolest planes ever built. Funny that one is obsolete but they still fly the U-2.

What I find amazing and perhaps appalling is that I don't see anywhere on those photos, markings designating them as Classified. I would imagine that that project is one of our closest guarded secrets but here is a guy documenting all of these movements while someone is snapping away photos. WTF?
Obviously if all of this recording is sanctioned it is OK but then shouldn't all of the records be classified until declassification? Where are all of the markings?
 
Enchanter

Enchanter

Ghost in The Machine
Staff member
Funny, this just arrived minutes ago.
 

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mean dad

mean dad

Well-known member
I was in a boy's home in Palmdale in my teens, and the SR71 would fly over our house every Wednesday like clockwork.
Fuckin thing would shake damn near everything off the shelves. :laughing
 
Holeshot

Holeshot

Super Moderator
Staff member
So way cool! the SR-71 is by far the coolest thing on earth to me, bar none. So bad ass. Even as cool...we've got a BARFer who is a U-2 pilot. Pretty damn cool!
 
wazzuFreddo

wazzuFreddo

WuTang is 4 the children
mean dad said:
I was in a boy's home in Palmdale in my teens, and the SR71 would fly over our house every Wednesday like clockwork.
Fuckin thing would shake damn near everything off the shelves. :laughing
Click to expand...

They would go supersonic over the area of the country I grew up in. Sonic booms were a regular occurrence when I was a kid. :laughing
 
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