15 Incredible Facts About the SR-71 Blackbird

[fsu1jreed]

I knew a few of these, but some of these are amazing.........be warned, it's a slide show

 

[CobNole]

They have one here at the Huntsville Space Center sitting out front. Keep wanting to go by and get a closer look.

 

[TexaNole]

It's a U-2, not a 71, but James May (formerly of Top Gear) got a pretty cool ride-along

 

[FSUTribe76]

I knew a few of these, but some of these are amazing.........be warned, it's a slide show

Love the SR-71, one of the coolest looking planes of all time. But the CIAs A-12s are even cooler, they're very similar but slimmer and meaner. They've got one of the A-12s on display at Battleship Park in Mobile now.

Having seen the A-12 in Mobile and NYC, the standard SR-71A in Warner Robin, Richmond and DC, the M-21 carrier blackbird in Seattle and the "Big Tail" or "Swayback" SR-71A sub variant in Eglin...those A-12s are noticeably "meaner". Just sharper edges and sleeker.

I haven't seen all of the variants yet though, I still need to see SR-71C I believe (not 100% sure all of those I saw were A models) and the YF-12.

 

[TPANole]

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/a-12/

some interesting history on the A 12/ SR 71.

 

[More Kirk Less Spock]

That was SO cool. Thanks.

 

[noleclone2]

If we had that in 66, makes you wonder what secret stuff they have by now. Especially when you read of the trillions of dollars the pentagon cant account for. ...

 

[DanC78]

I was in love that plane back in the day. What was the movie with the kid who hacked into one and room off?

And I sure as hell don't believe #13.

 

[F4Gary]

I was in love that plane back in the day. What was the movie with the kid who hacked into one and room off?

And I sure as hell don't believe #13.

Which one was #13? Some of the captions didn't come through for me.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Which one was #13? Some of the captions didn't come through for me.

That it never flew over China and USSR. I LOLed at that one.

 

[FSUTribe76]

If we had that in 66, makes you wonder what secret stuff they have by now. Especially when you read of the trillions of dollars the pentagon cant account for. ...

Oh absolutely.

 

[NoleFan2U]

That was SO cool. Thanks.

Definitely!

 

[Bartdog]

That it never flew over China and USSR. I LOLed at that one.

I agree with you there. Thought that was its main purpose.

 

[SoddyNole]

"Over 4,000 missiles were fired at it during its 25-year service, but none ever hit its mark. The standard evasive maneuver was just to accelerate until the missile couldn't keep up."


Cool that it can out run a missle but shot at 4,000 times over a 25 year period? A lot goes on in this world we just don't hear about.

 

[TarponSpringsNole]

Really cool. Thanks for linking.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

That it never flew over China and USSR. I LOLed at that one.

Who the heck fired the 4,000 missles at it then?

 

[tolkien1]

Who the heck fired the 4,000 missles at it then?

Probably the Swedes. On the surface they are all blond and happy, enjoying 6 week vacations and great complexions. Underneath, they're still PO'd Borg retired so young and all their super models move to the states. Result: they fire off a few laconic missiles at the Blackbird and then go back to the fondue pot.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Odd, I was just looking at the cockpit pics of the sr71 the other day and came across this video. Never knew the pilot and recon guy were in seperate compartments and you couldnt really see much once inside.

 

[F4Gary]

Who the heck fired the 4,000 missles at it then?

A lot of those were probably in Vietnam.

 

[Fijimn]

Amazing what alien technology--from the UFO downed at Roswell--gave us.

 

[fsu1jreed]

I was in love that plane back in the day. What was the movie with the kid who hacked into one and room off?
.

D.A.R.Y.L. Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform

 

[DanC78]

D.A.R.Y.L. Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform

yes!

 

[PoopandBoogers]

D.A.R.Y.L. Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform

Ha! Not ashamed to admit that me and 321nole got a DARYL movie poster from the local cinema for memorizing the acronym.

 

[jeffy]

There's one here at the Kansas Cosmosphere. They placed it on its pedestals and then built the building around it. It was pretty fascinating. It's the first thing one sees when walking in the main doors.

 

[Nole Lou]

Not a big plane guy, but I am really fascinated by the Blackbird and really enjoyed seeing the one at the Warner Robbins museum (well worth a stop).