They have a SR-71 and the YF-12 at Wright Patterson AFB in the National Museum of the United States Air Force as well as a D-21 Drone on display. A lot of people don't know that the D-21 is the reason we have the F-117. If the CIA would not have allowed the Skunk Works to use the radar cross section data of the D-21 to prove their ability they would of never been allowed into the compatition to build a stealth.

I am willing to bet that this will be the last major breakthrough for manned flight due to the current democratic leadership. Cheap and unmanned is all I hear about anymore.

Lucky! My favorite of all Military aircraft.


Don't know what else I can say aside from great pictures

Hope I can go see this one day.

Cool, since they have cancelled the SR-71 program.

NASA's Research Facilty and Space Camp facility in Huntsville, Alabama has an SR-71 plus the USS Pathfinder parked right next to it as well. I was 14 when I went there for the day.

It's longer then The Statue Of Liberty is tall.

[edit on 8-6-2010 by TheImmaculateD1]

Originally posted by TheImmaculateD1

It's longer then The Statue Of Liberty is tall.

[edit on 8-6-2010 by TheImmaculateD1]

Not quite, though they're close.
The Statue of Liberty is 111' from heel to top of head, and 151' from base to torch.

The Blackbird is 107.5' OAL.

Originally posted by ukmicky1980
Ever since seeing a picture of one many years ago, I've hoped to see one in the flesh someday, and today was that day

What I always found interesting about the SR-71 was how it feels. The skin of the thing actually feels rough, kind of like the bottom of a Teflon skillet, but rougher. Also, if you look along any of the lines of the thing, you'll notice that they aren't straight. They're actually kind of wavy, which I gather is necessary to get the air flowing correctly at high speeds and altitudes.

Yeah, it's an interesting piece of equipment, and really makes you wonder what they're working on these days, if this is 50 years old.

awsome plane,wish to see one some time myself.

what i would give for a ride in that bird presure suit an all
of course.the ultimate T-W-O-C

Originally posted by Blue Shift

Originally posted by ukmicky1980
Ever since seeing a picture of one many years ago, I've hoped to see one in the flesh someday, and today was that day

What I always found interesting about the SR-71 was how it feels. The skin of the thing actually feels rough, kind of like the bottom of a Teflon skillet, but rougher. Also, if you look along any of the lines of the thing, you'll notice that they aren't straight. They're actually kind of wavy, which I gather is necessary to get the air flowing correctly at high speeds and altitudes.

Yeah, it's an interesting piece of equipment, and really makes you wonder what they're working on these days, if this is 50 years old.

Thats because on the Ground the thing barely fits together or flies at all. All of its parts expand under the low pressure and intense heat of high altitude fast flight. On the ground the plane leaks oil and rattles and take off was always a very shaky endeavour!

Once at altitude though it supposedly flew like a Cadillac! Took a few states to turn one around.

Originally posted by ukmicky1980


It truly was/is an awesome machine!

awesome at crashing, 1/3 were lost, should be renamed "flyin coffin".