Comments on: Blackbird Drivers Strut Their Stuff

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 03:58:43 +0000

Cancelled initially under George the First; re-activated; then cancelled again by Clinton

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 03:57:35 +0000

A-12 Blackbirds: built 13 lost 5
M-21 Blackbirds: built 2 lost 1
YF-12A Blackbirds: buil 3 lost 2
SR-71A Blackbirds: built 29 lost 11
SR-71B Blackbirds: built 2 lost 1

By: Ntolerant

Ntolerant — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 09:23:57 +0000

This was due to the massive amounts of fuel they would bleed on the ground. Even with all that engine the SR-71 burned (I should say lost) more fuel on the ground per minute than in the air AT ANY SPEED. The seams (actually overlapping titanium plates) would offset and come apart at the speeds it took to land, taxi and take off. Only when she was in the air cruizing at ??? (don’t get me lying to you here) speed would the frame stretch out and these plates would fit togather with tolerances tighter than a Virginian prom queen. As I stated I don’t know at what speed she stretched out at to the point where she stopped losing fuel, but I do know they had to in-flight re-fuel in the first 45 minutes of flight because they were so low on fuel and then boogie to stretch out their frames. Blackbird pilots also had to carefully calculate fuel for landing because of this extreme low speed fuel loss. I have read and been told of how many actual feet the aircraft stretched out to at speed vs. on the ground, it was so long ago and I don’t remember for sure, but I think she stretched out 8 feet further at speed. Amazing, my hats off to good ‘ole American ingenuity and Skunkworks for this work of art.

By: Ntolerant

Ntolerant — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 09:23:14 +0000

I was wondering when someone was gong to mention what Bill McDonald Col US did. I have read all these posts about how fast they would come ot of the hangar and take off. “No more than ten seconds after the doors opened, they were in the air.”

By: Bill Stevens

Bill Stevens — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:57:58 +0000

I was stationed at Beale AFB. from 1985 to 1988. It was awesome when we were on swing shift to watch the Blackbird take off. It would shake you form inside out. The power was awesome to watch. I sure miss her. Too bad that idiot Clinton shut it down.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:27:41 +0000

I read all the stories with interest. Would love to read more. Nothing beats my seeing the Bird lift off for the very first time. AWESOME doesn’t even come close

By: LauraB

LauraB — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:57:28 +0000

It was simply the sexiest aircraft ever built, period. I still can’t believe we mothballed them — what a lot of nonsense that was. Nothing compares, now. Sure, a satellite can do the same observation, cheaper.
But it cannot make a human being stand in freaking awe.
Something to be said for that…

By: Bill McDonald Col USAF ret

Bill McDonald Col USAF ret — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:32:54 +0000

While deployed to Udorn with the 308th TFS in 1972 I was tasked to supervise and help clear a hangar for a sled coming in on emergency. Job done and after the specialized mod KC-135 landed and fixed what turned out to be a pressurization problem I was given a ramp tramps eye view of a walk around of the bird as it was set up to leave. The RSO and I had been in the bar thel night before and he set me up with his ground crew supervisor for that walk around as they readied for take off. As I watched the aircrew dismount from their van and walk to the bird in their silver air conditioned ‘space suits’ my escort motioned me under the bird to see the silver colored tires, massive landing gear and the titanium skin I was in awe. Feeling something wet hit my field jacket I suddenly noticed and smelled fuel. Under the massive airframe I was stunned to see the fuel POURING out between the seams running aft…I have seen many a fuel leak on airframes but that amount of fuel coming down like a rain shower prompted me to say to my escort, “You guys can not be taking off like that!!??” Smiling, my escort told me that leakage is normal and to get my ear protection on and move to the side as the tandem buick engines whined and ROARED to life to the point where I figured they would come apart. The SR-71 engines came to life with a blue flame and it taxied out quickly taking the active and with a hell of a roar…remember the Air Force song.… accelerated to the end of the runway and headed nearly straight up and into the overcast and disappeared. I have flown in fighters and have my mach pin but nothing has ever left me so impressed as that aviation moment. The bird and its capability is still needed today but it was costly and with the current crop of congressional leadership is not likely to rise again.

By: Marc Boyd

Marc Boyd — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:00:49 +0000

That was a fine bird. Sorry she’s gone.
Another fine bird, the F-4, is history also.
I worked on the Missiles the F-4 flew.
I was at DaNang for a year ’69-’70, 366 MMS
( link http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=805151 ). Leave a comment if you were there.

By: Steve Dawson

Steve Dawson — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:21:47 +0000

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/srvid~1.htm
I remember the SR at Mildenhall. They always lied about it. What Plane?
I got to do some Nasa Work with the SR (Photography) after they went to Nasa (see bottom of link).
SFD