Nice Views from Palmdale

Okay Guys I know they are old (bit like me) but how nice does the A12, SR71 & U2 Dragon Lady look here !

Nice and its even got trhe D-21 drone parked in front of the lot. Thats a sweet pic. The A-12 and SR-71 were two of the nicest looking craft ever in aviation

These satellite pics keep stunning me time after time...

Is that a museum or is that LM Aeronautics Palmdale aka Skunkworks?

BTW is there a tour of Lockheed? (can i see those planes in person?)

Re the tour; A12#60-6924 & SR-71A #61-7973 are on outdoor display TO THE PUBLIC at Blackbird Airpark, Palmdale, CA ; NJOY !

here's the same picture using local.live. much better than that google earth think. i can't figure out how to post the picture. but the link works



SR71 at palmdale

[edit on 11-2-2006 by bigx01]

you will notice that the U2 has moved in the recent picture

How often do they update Google earth...??

i didn't use google earth. i used microsoft's live.local web page

WOW I have to say 'Local Earth' wins for clarity, beautiful aircraft from another time, I think we all agree.

Heres the view from local live; much clearer Dude !

Originally posted by bigx01
here's the same picture using local.live. much better than that google earth think. i can't figure out how to post the picture. but the link works



SR71 at palmdale

[edit on 11-2-2006 by bigx01]

Use [img] tags....
or wait until someone else does it while you're drooling over the pictures.

you also see an F4 and an A4 in the upper right

Originally posted by Travellar


Use [img] tags....
or wait until someone else does it while you're drooling over the pictures.

well i know how to post pictures from web pages, but that's different. i don't have an account at image shack and the link that local live gives wouldn't give a picture when i tried.


thanks to Primary Mover though we can all see it. also when you go to the link. you can view it from all 4 compass directions in "birdseye" view

just how many SR71's were made. I know we have one here in Seattle at the Museum of Flight

I would say google earth is much faster & has more tools than local live & places too (I can see my house & kids school for example, in seconds) but its early days in theses 'public available' type of programs, Heres a clearer picture of A12 # 60-6925 on USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, in the New York city harbour.

You dont need an account at Image Shack Dude, its completey FREE

Blackbird Roll Call
Exact maximum speed is still classified, Cruising speed 1,320 MPH, Service Ceiling 80,000+ feet, Range 3,000 miles The SR-71 Blackbird is still considered the world's fastest aircraft, and still holds several speed and altitude records; record speed over a 15-mile course (2,193 MPH), maximum sustained height (85,069 feet), speed record from New York to London (one hour, 55 minutes), and London to Los Angeles (three hours, 47 minutes).
The development of the SR-71 by the USAF and the CIA was shrouded in secrecy, and came into service as a result of a decision by the CIA to acquire an aircraft with a higher service ceiling and a greater maximum speed than the U-2 aircraft. Constructed largely of titanium, it is coated with high-heat emissive black paint and used precious metals (such as gold) components to help retard the 1,100 F degree skin temperature of sustained supersonic flight.
Designed as a strategic reconnaissance aircraft, equipment included electronic intelligence collection and radar surveillance systems plus photographic equipment capable of surveying 100,000 square miles of the earth's surface in an hour.
There are 5 models of Blackbirds. The A-12 (original version) flew from 1962 until 1968 when it was replaced by the SR-71. The YF-12A was an attempt at creating a Mach 3 interceptor/bomber- only three were built. There were two, two-seater M-21s built in the mid-60s, one crashed while launching a D-21 drone, and no more were built. The D-21 was an unmanned drone version (air-launched by B-52s and the M-21) that was used over the Soviet Union after an agreement was reached restricting manned flights through Soviet airspace.
The first three models (A-12, YF-12 and SR-71) are nearly identical. The differences are primarily in regards to performance. The only real visual difference between these first three models is length: A-12 is 102 feet long, YF-12 is 7 inches shorter, and the SR-71 is 2 inches longer.

local live has only 28% of the usa mapped in birdseye. the intrepid looks much better through local also and each compas view was taken at a different time as the planes have been moved around

the city where i live just happens to be in the 28% so my house is in the birdseye view. i'm home in the north and south views. east and west are'n done yet

[edit on 11-2-2006 by bigx01]

Yeh but gooogle earth does every country in the world like reallly quick & not slow. Lets have a picture of your house then ?