The coolest spy plane ever built, SR-71.

Various ^ | 2-5-05

[Indy Pendance]

The coolest spy plane ever built, SR-71. I was watching Modern Marvels on the History channel last night. This aircraft broke all kinds of international speed and altitude records which still have not been beaten today. It was nothing for them to fly at 80,000 feet and it was a piece of cake to fly at about mach 3, or about 2100 mph. For those of you old enough, remember the sonic boom days? About 750 miles would create a sonic boom, or a doppler effect.

Here's the question, this plane was so fast, it was faster than the earth's rotation. What would happen with time over a long sustainable period of flying time? If it goes faster than the earth's rotation long enough, will it be ahead of time when it lands, or likewise in the opposite direction, will it go back in time. Do you think Einstein has an answer? Saturday night ponderings.

[knews_hound]

For years, I lived in Foresthill, a very small town about 20 miles South of Colfax.

I apparently lived in the return flightpath and would hear on warm summer nights, a unearthly rumble that resembled an earthquake more than an airplane.

I always reveled in that sound of power.

Cheers,

knews hound

[CompGeek]

I hear you. HAHA. Ask that guy this question, If you were instantly transported to China what time would it be? It would be whatever time it is in China. Some people believe the earth and its rotation if the universe's keeper of time. I don't know whether to laugh or cry

[SteveAustin]

I'm not sure this has been replaced......

I remember a friend of mine in the AF noting that they still use some SR-71's but that fact is not made public.....I thought he said they may have had a couple up over Iraq/Afhganistan over the last 3.5 years.

I know a lot of good military folks are on these boards....Is the SR-71 still used on a limited basis on the QT? I had heard the answer was 'yes'

[MRMEAN]

Those interested in the "Blackbird" and its development and other Skunkworks projects need to read Skunk Works : A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed by Leo Janos, Ben R. Rich>.

Ben Rich gives the intimate details of projects like the Blackbird and its development; the same technology could have been used to develop advanced bomber and interceptor planes. Cheney, btw, killed the Blackbird before its time.

Rich also documents how Skunkworks developed stealth technology could have been used to build a better B2, and we could have had operational stealth warships years ago.

The only Blackbird I've seen is on the Intrepid, an aircraft carrier museum in NYC, if you are in NYC this is well worth the time.

[djf]

If anything, the military would still have a few in use no matter what.

If there was a bunch of sabre rattling coming out of say, North Korea, we might make a few flybys and drop some Top Ramen on them.

[Petruchio]

Re:#158

Didn't your dad ever tell you not to light a fart?

:)

[Rightly Biased]

They let you Touch the one in Hutch but you can't see in the cockpit because of the way its displayed its neat to stand at the nose and look allllllll the way to the top of the tail fin its a long way back there.

[Rightly Biased]

See my #94

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1336879/posts?page=94#94

With pics and a link

[Capitalism2003]

I recall reading that the jets on this sucker get so hot, the metal around the afterburner becomes TRANSLUCENT! You can actually the fire burning on the other side of a semi-clear orange metal...and it is STABLE even at those temps...awesome stuff.

[cynicom]

He would become dizzy at the south pole and prolly wet at the north pole.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

We can only imagine the black programs that we not REVEALED to the main stream public since the SR - 71 Blackbird.
The only knowledge we have of any of those planes is when the government lets the public know about it.
The SR - 71 Blackbird was revealed to the public over 40 years ago, I wonder what they have now flying in the skies.

[Tommyjo]

So you are disputing Col Graham's research? Remember he tracked down the tape and original script.

[Captain Beyond]

bump

[Tommyjo]

No. It's an urban myth. They forget that they would need to keep a dedicated 'Q tanker' type fleet for the fuel.

[Tommyjo]

The picture you have then is not of an SR-71. The aircraft on Intrepid is a Lockheed A-12. The A-12 is serial number 60-6925. This was the first production A-12.

[Ichneumon]

Does this count?: A half dozen years ago, I departed Perth for Sydney at 11:40 pm Thursday on the redeye...landed in Sydney around 6 am Friday, and spent about five hours in the airport,then departing for Honolulu. Ever so slowly, it rolled back to Thursday during that nine hour segment and I landed in Hono at 11:00 pm Thursday - by the clock,I got there before I left Perth!

That reminds me of a brainteaser: A woman celebrates her birthday on a Monday. Two days later on Wednesday, her older twin brother celebrates his birthday. How is this possible?

[Figment]

It was originally the RS-71 until LBJ screwed up the name in a speech.


Wasn't it actually A12 originally?

[Figment]

Generally when planes become operational they are already obsolete technologically. This is one of the few airplanes that was ahead of its time. It even had features that were stealthy and probably helped those understand some of the principles of stealth technology being used today. It was a sad day when the Air Force retired that airplane. Of all the airplanes I've seen or worked on in the Air Force that one is my favorite.


The amazing thing is that it was all done with a slide rule. Kelly Johnson didn't have the luxury of computers for calculations

[AnnaZ]

We kick ass!

 

 

 

Winners don’t need to hijack airplanes;
winners have an air force.

 

P.J. O'Rourke

[Figment]

XB-70 had SIX engines generating 32,000 lbs of thrust each! It "surfed" the sonic boom shock wave allowing it to decrease its thrust yet maintain Mach 3!


The Valkerie(I know that's not correct spelling) was one awesome plane. It hurts to watch that episode of wings