Sr-71

[Budnicks]

scotts74birds thanks for the link, I will for sure watch that latter...

 

[64BEL]

I just watched the Great Planes episode about the Valkyrie on the Military channel. Great stuff!

 

[Photon440]

Thought I'd bring this one back with a recent and interesting article:
https://hushkit.net/2020/12/24/decl...s-how-us-lured-north-korea-to-shoot-missiles/

 

[MoparLeo]

Note my Avatar, still holds the records for jet not rocket powered aircraft...

 

[70chall440]

Ive seen the SR many times while I was stationed in Okinawa (9 1/2 years). Got to see the U2 up close in Korea. Amazing machines.

 

[Budnicks]

still some cool stuff, wow, 8+ years ago

 

[70chall440]

Funny fact, back in the 60's a friend of mine was stationed in Okinawa and was doing a parachute jump over Kadena AFB and landed in the SR71 compound (called the Habu Pit) accidentally. The Air Force cops opened the front gate and release their dog onto him.. LOL He is the reason that from then on all parachute jumps with a rifle require the rifle to be upside down (muzzle down).

The funny thing about the SR71 while I was on Oki (86-89, 94-2000) was that its take offs and landings were supposed to be classified but the Okinawans always knew and lined up on Hwy 58 to take pictures; big *** cameras. When it took off everyone on the island knew it because it made a horrendous noise. It was fantastic to watch.

 

[F4R/T]

That article by the pilot was awesome! It was a work of art, the crews and pilots were so talented and the plane itself is awe inspiring.. GOD bless the USA and the men and women who protect her.. I still believe nobody does it better than the USA despite all the political BS ..

 

[Slap Stick]

I have a couple friends in the U-2/SR program.
One was a maintainer, the other was a computer programmer.
The SR at Wright-Patterson was prepped for its flight there by one.
They hold "Blackbird reunions" involving people in the program regularly. Not a lot of em left any more.

BTW, the tanks did leak onto the CONCRETE APRON before flight. If it was tarmac, aka asphalt, spilled or dripped fuel would dissolve it.
Dont know why people call pavement at an airport tarmac.

 

[hemi71x]

My Air Force years were from 1973 to 1980, trained at USAF tech school at Sheppard AFB, Texas as a jet aircraft mechanic.
My first assignment out of tech school was a base in Germany, with the RF-4C Phantom's.
Being trained on the F-4 by a Staff Sergeant that i was assigned too, to get qualified working on them on my own without being supervised.
On the way to the flight line, i would always buy the Stars & Stripes newspaper from and old German guy that sold the paper in front of the base theater.
One day on the cover page of the paper was a picture of the SR-71, taking up the full page.
Holy S#&T.
I never heard of the SR-71 before this, having going thru tech school.
I get to the flight line, line shack, and show the paper to my training sergeant.
He busts out laughing, and tells me he worked on the SR-71 at Beale, AFB in California for 7 years, before he was assigned to this base in Germany.
He couldn't talk about it at all as the aircraft was designated secret.
When the USAF declassified it i guess back in 74, it then became public knowledge that the USAF had that type of aircraft in their inventory.
I really don't think the USAF has a newer plane to replace it.
In this day and age, manned reconnaissance aircraft is a thing of the past.
Now a days there are drones, and satellites, to do what the SR-71, and U2, aircraft used to do.

 

[Slap Stick]

The U-2, now TR-2 is still in service.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

Once had a need to enter an aircraft hanger at a military/NASA base and low and behold there in front of me was a U-2. Unexpected sight on that particular trip.

 

[Cranky]

My Air Force years were from 1973 to 1980, trained at USAF tech school at Sheppard AFB, Texas as a jet aircraft mechanic.
My first assignment out of tech school was a base in Germany, with the RF-4C Phantom's.
Being trained on the F-4 by a Staff Sergeant that i was assigned too, to get qualified working on them on my own without being supervised.
On the way to the flight line, i would always buy the Stars & Stripes newspaper from and old German guy that sold the paper in front of the base theater.
One day on the cover page of the paper was a picture of the SR-71, taking up the full page.
Holy S#&T.
I never heard of the SR-71 before this, having going thru tech school.
I get to the flight line, line shack, and show the paper to my training sergeant.
He busts out laughing, and tells me he worked on the SR-71 at Beale, AFB in California for 7 years, before he was assigned to this base in Germany.
He couldn't talk about it at all as the aircraft was designated secret.
When the USAF declassified it i guess back in 74, it then became public knowledge that the USAF had that type of aircraft in their inventory.
I really don't think the USAF has a newer plane to replace it.
In this day and age, manned reconnaissance aircraft is a thing of the past.
Now a days there are drones, and satellites, to do what the SR-71, and U2, aircraft used to do.

Where were you stationed in Germany? Was at Hahn from late 71 to early 73.....

 

[F4R/T]

Hey before I forget thank you to all who served our country! We all appreciate it!

 

[5.7 hemi]

I’d be willing to bet, the SR-71 still does flights and the public doesn’t know. Think about it, the US says it’s retired, other countries give a sigh of relief, but we didn’t actually retire the bird and program. Just saying from a source.

 

[Photon440]

I’d be way long to bet, the SR-71 still does flights and the public doesn’t know. Think about it, the US says it’s retired, other countries give a sigh of relief, but we didn’t actually retire the bird and program. Just saying from a source.

Well, all the planes are accounted for. For the ones that weren't lost (mostly in the 1960s and 1970s) the rest are sitting in museums. It would be hard to get them back into flight ready condition, let alone sneak them off for use without somebody paying attention. Back when they were in pristine condition, they required $200,000 per hour to maintain. The custom BFGoodrich tires wore out after 20 flights, someone would wonder why new ones were getting ordered. Little things like that make me think that none are flying these days.

 

[hemi71x]

I’d be way long to bet, the SR-71 still does flights and the public doesn’t know. Think about it, the US says it’s retired, other countries give a sigh of relief, but we didn’t actually retire the bird and program. Just saying from a source.

No, the SR-71 program has been over and done, for years.
They are all accounted for.
This one is on display at the old Castle, AFB, near Atwater, California

Don't know what the military might be doing at Area 51, in the secret development department, but hypersonic propulsion seems to be what's in the works.
I GOOGLED SR-72 for an interesting read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_SR-72

 

[Cranky]

Love this comment!! "The jamming equipment is still classified information, but it was so powerful that we were forbidden to operate it over the United States or friendly countries."

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

A-12 Huntsville, BAMA.

 

[Richard Cranium]

A-12 Huntsville, BAMA.

View attachment 1069012

What a shame that it's left outside to deteriorate.