Being The Fastest Guys Out There: SR-71 Content

[Selta]

Isn't that an A-12, Pentatonic? Even if it is, I'm confused about the 3rd engine.

The rumored SR-71 successor is the unmanned SR-72, still in development by LM. At least, that's about the best we'll know about for any amount of time

 

[Pentatonic]

Isn't that an A-12, Pentatonic? Even if it is, I'm confused about the 3rd engine.

The rumored SR-71 successor is the unmanned SR-72, still in development by LM. At least, that's about the best we'll know about for any amount of time

I think you are right:

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The "engine" up top is a piggyback drone.

 

[TBird1958]

I saw an SR-71 last weekend in Seattle at the Boeing museum. Awe-inspiring.

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This is the CIA's version of it, note the drone on top as Ray says, an A-12 rare Bird, and it's a wonderful museum too, highly recommended if you visit Seattle. Nice Mig Killer Phantom in the background!

 

[Selta]

Ah, if it's the CIA version, it's an M-21 then actually . I really need to visit that museum... you'd think living within a few miles of it, I'd have been there already!

 

[Stewie26]

And IT IS OBSOLETE; What in the world are they flying now? While in the Army (joint service and intelligence commands mostly) I was hearing rumors of a replacement called "Aurora."

I remember hearing about the rumored Aurora program in the late 80's or early 90's. Witnesses, including many airline pilots , stated it left donut shaped contrails in the sky which gave the speculation that it was powered by a ram jet.

 

[TBird1958]

Ah, if it's the CIA version, it's an M-21 then actually . I really need to visit that museum... you'd think living within a few miles of it, I'd have been there already!

Just be ready to give it the better part of a day - It's beautifully done, many of the WWI,WWII aircraft are in a separate building on what are life size displays.

 

[sissy kathy]

I remember hearing about the rumored Aurora program in the late 80's or early 90's. Witnesses, including many airline pilots , stated it left donut shaped contrails in the sky which gave the speculation that it was powered by a ram jet.

Wouldn't a pulse jet tend to leave donut contrails? I'm not an engineer, so I'll just stand back and insert occasional insipid and flippant comments.

 

[Stewie26]

Wouldn't a pulse jet tend to leave donut contrails? I'm not an engineer, so I'll just stand back and insert occasional insipid and flippant comments.

I am not an engineer either, just a private pilot and aviation enthusiast. I would guess so or at least a doted line contrail since the engine is pulsing.
Here is more info including speculated specifications on the Aurora aircraft. Interesting read.
http://www.fighter-planes.com/info/aurora.htm

 

[Funky Ghost]

I can't figure out what all those red things, (looks like baby red roses) that are on the front canopy frame are. Almost looks like liberal use of Lock Tight. Any guesses.

At a guess? Explosive bolts to blow the lid if trouble happened. Dielectric grease maybe to facilitate said bolts.

 

[Funky Ghost]

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL15188487M/Sled_driver

 

[GIBrat51]

Not a lot of digital in that cockpit.

The Blackbird was designed in the mid-late 1950's (!!!) - digital hadn't been invented yet. And later on, nobody saw any need to change anything; seemed to work just fine as it was.

 

[crikker]

Yes sir GIBrat51. My post was taken the wrong way. I have worked on more modern aircraft with all digital and analog backup. I meant that it is very impressive to see a cockpit with the amount of analog in it. See B-52.

 

[P. Aaron]

Beautiful pictures. Thanks for posting them.

 

[Bob_Ross]

There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital.

In an SR-71 the guy tasked with monitoring four different radios probably didn't give a crap about a "prority transmission from headquarters", his attention was way more focussed on detecting radar signatures and/or coded messages from the Bad Guys®. Remember, it's a spy plane!

 

[Philonius]

I really need to visit that museum... you'd think living within a few miles of it, I'd have been there already!

Maybe they'd be willing to host the next Seattle TB GTG?

 

[TBird1958]

Maybe they'd be willing to host the next Seattle TB GTG?

Some of us wouldn't leave for days!

 

[Bob_Ross]

I just learned this tidbit on another forum: Apparently the titanium needed to build the SR-71 Blackbird was sourced from the USSR during the cold war! Lockheed worked with the CIA to set up fake companies to procure Ti from the Soviets and bring it into the US as our capacity for refining the material wasn't sufficient.

 

[David Jayne]

I just learned this tidbit on another forum: Apparently the titanium needed to build the SR-71 Blackbird was sourced from the USSR during the cold war! Lockheed worked with the CIA to set up fake companies to procure Ti from the Soviets and bring it into the US as our capacity for refining the material wasn't sufficient.

That's just hilarious.

 

[Stewie26]

That's just hilarious.

I bet there was a lot of laughing and back slapping at Lockheed and the the CIA after these guyed pulled that off.
You would also think that when the Russians found out they were scammed they must have been pissed. Mmmm....I wonder how many comrades had to spend a few years in Siberia for letting that happen?

 

[SoComSurfing]

I just learned this tidbit on another forum: Apparently the titanium needed to build the SR-71 Blackbird was sourced from the USSR during the cold war! Lockheed worked with the CIA to set up fake companies to procure Ti from the Soviets and bring it into the US as our capacity for refining the material wasn't sufficient.

I've always heard this, as well. This and the Hughes Mining Barge/Glomar Explorer fronts have always amused me. The cleverness of both sides to execute clandestine ops in plain site was just off the charts.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_Mining_Barge