Is the Lockheed Black Bird still in use?

MadGreebo,
To answer your original question:

but I just wondered if any ATS members are in Cypress to see them with the good old mk 1 eyeball?

No, Apparently none of us here at ATS has been so fortunate as to witness the Black Bird in flight over Cyprus recently. Instead of ripping you apart for even suggesting such a thing I propose that we all unwad our panties and respond when and if we see the Black Bird flying again. Good luck in your quest for proof on this matter.

Originally posted by Amante
MadGreebo,
To answer your original question:

but I just wondered if any ATS members are in Cypress to see them with the good old mk 1 eyeball?

No, Apparently none of us here at ATS has been so fortunate as to witness the Black Bird in flight over Cyprus recently. Instead of ripping you apart for even suggesting such a thing I propose that we all unwad our panties and respond when and if we see the Black Bird flying again. Good luck in your quest for proof on this matter.

at the risk of dragging this poor dead horse out for another beasting it never deserved

you are wrong , and backing the wrong horse -- the dead horse infact

greebos established MO is to post wild and vague claims that were forwarded to him bu a mysterious friend or friend of a friend [ FOAF ] .

when these claims are tested , the only person who gets steamed here is greebo himself

in this instance :

it was explained whyy JP-7 fuel is still produced , bunkered and used by various test programs and one operational aircraft

the fate of the " special " tanker fleet - was also explained to him - as was why they are still flying

the fate and location of the surviving b/bird fleet [ all in museums ] was documented

the official documents regarding the closure of the SR-71 program were cited

the implausibility of flying 2 sr-71 aircraft 24/7 - [you would ned a bigger fleet to allow for servicing , training and repairs ]

all this was dismissed as " govt disinfo "

i finally wrote a short article on the number of potential witnesses that must be ignoring the b/bird flights [ if they actually exist ] at akratiri . and how every other aircraft that flys out of even the most obscure publicly viewable location , day or night -- is reported by aircraft spotters in print and web journals

but greebo would have none of this --- accepting the word of his anonymous " mate " - who has [ aledgedly ] the proof - that has not yet materialised

none of these explainations were reffuted , or even challenged sensibly

greebo just went of on a name calling spat , when he did post photos - they were not the ones he claimed he had -- and edited and renamed to obsfucate thier source and context .

when the aircraft experts correctly identified them and posted the origionals , more histronics followed

so just who had thier " panties wadded " ???

we are STILL waiting for the picture of the b/bird in an akratiri hanger -- why hasnt that been produced

the bottom line is that burden of proof is on the positive claimant , and typically greebo failed to deliver .

ATS is not a hoax friendly place - if people dont like that they should research thier claims better and submit credible evidence

APE OUT

The SR is my second fav air craft, first being the A 10.

If these Srs were not so dang expensive they would be great POVs, I still want one, I already drive a SUV why not huh.

I have heard of NASA haveing two or at least one in service past the retirement.
Maybe it is one Airforce one NASA?

The nasa ones have been retired aswell.

Let's not forget that the infrastructure necessary for operating the Blackbirds is essentially gone.

The simulator has not been functional for the last few years. It is in pieces now.

The surviving trainers (SR-71B and SR-71C) are in museums.

All the spare parts (components, raw materials, engines, ground service equipment, etc.) are in two large warehouses in Yermo, California. (I have been there on several occasions.) NASA and the Air Force are trying to dispose of them as surplus and scrap.

Also, you can't operate the Blackbird secretly from Beale AFB. There are too many people around who would see it.

To be honest I think this has become a dead topic. Most posters have come to the same conclusion that it just wouldn't be possible for a Blackbird to still be flying and MadGreebo who originally claimed to have evidence to the contrary seems to have unsubscribed from his own thread without showing it to anyone!

DENY IGNORANCE

Hello,
I am glad you brought this information to light MadGreebo & yes, you are correct my friend, there are two SR-71's flying out of Akatori.

Originally posted by Primary Mover
yes, you are correct my friend, there are two SR-71's flying out of Akatori.

So... Uh... Are you going to provide this evidence or do like MadGreebo and manufacture it / say you'll show it and never do?

[edit on 6/23/2006 by cmdrkeenkid]

Originally posted by Primary Mover
Hello,
I am glad you brought this information to light MadGreebo & yes, you are correct my friend, there are two SR-71's flying out of Akatori.

ok ... be polite ... be polite ... be polite - lol

hi , and welcome to ATS , now lets get down to basics -- if you are making this claim -- please review all the replies that greebo recieved -- and adress them -- then we can move on , without re hashing previous points .

the bottom line is -- what is your evidence ??

APE < EXPERIENCING DEJA VUE >

To put it not so politely, at this point put up or shut up. Let's see some REAL proof, read pictures that you can PROVE are modern day Crete, with SR-71s or this topic is good and dead.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
read pictures that you can PROVE are modern day Crete, with SR-71s or this topic is good and dead.

Read modern day Cyprus

I agree until people start giving evidence for their unfounded claims this thread is DEAD.

I'm off to Cyprus in early September for couple of weeks and always go to visit Akortiri for a couple of days to see what is flying.

Still September is still a long way off and IF there is ANYTHING there that is unusual it will be long gone by then. Still , will have a look and post any I see.

Originally posted by ajsr71
Still September is still a long way off and IF there is ANYTHING there that is unusual it will be long gone by then.

Nooooo...

You just gave the OP and his supporter(s?) an out! Come September when you report back (provided you remember) and nothing is happening, they'll just say that the operations ended already!

Of course, now that I pointed that out, maybe it won't happen. Who knows, with this thread? As the saying goes, it's an enigma, wrapped in a paradox, and stuffed inside a big, fat hoax.

Originally posted by gfad

Originally posted by Zaphod58
read pictures that you can PROVE are modern day Crete, with SR-71s or this topic is good and dead.

Read modern day Cyprus

I agree until people start giving evidence for their unfounded claims this thread is DEAD.

Yah, that too. Hey, gimme a break. I'm working 14 days without a day off and have a week to go until I get one.

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

Nooooo...

You just gave the OP and his supporter(s?) an out! Come September when you report back (provided you remember) and nothing is happening, they'll just say that the operations ended already!

so why , as i [ and others ] have asked previously -- have not a single 3rd party witness or photographer come forward NOW ??

aetting aside what ever handwaving they may engage in come spetember -- why has no one scoooped the story in june ????

there are several print magazines who would fight for the honour of scooping a story of " sr-71 flys again : exclusive pictures " -- so where the feck are the ??

accordint the greebos imaginary friend and now a new claimant SR-71s are flying 24/7 -- with 2 flights / day .

and EVERYONE ignores it [ alledgedly ] -- but we are wrong to demand some evidence -

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

Originally posted by ajsr71
Still September is still a long way off and IF there is ANYTHING there that is unusual it will be long gone by then.

Nooooo...

You just gave the OP and his supporter(s?) an out! Come September when you report back (provided you remember) and nothing is happening, they'll just say that the operations ended already!

Of course, now that I pointed that out, maybe it won't happen. Who knows, with this thread? As the saying goes, it's an enigma, wrapped in a paradox, and stuffed inside a big, fat hoax.

As they have not posted any proof they always had the option to say the operation had ended before any pictures could be taken
Yes I will remember, but you might see the pictures first in an Aviation Magazine first where I can Make BIG money with pictures of the SR-71 flying again. LOL.

Dont think I will be rich thought as the only " BLACKBIRDS" Flying out of Akoriiri will be the U-2's.

If the SR-71s WERE flying out of there now, we'd already be seeing the pics of them in aviation mags. As Ignorant_ape said, SOMEONE would have published them already. That would be huge news to the aviation community.

EXACTLY!!

NO pictures, NO SR-71 Blackbirds.

Originally posted by ajsr71
As they have not posted any proof they always had the option to say the operation had ended before any pictures could be taken

That's right, they did... But they didn't, as they claimed it was ongoing and actually had images. Of course, when people wouldn't drop it that we actually wanted to see these images, the OP said she/he would no longer be involved with this thread. I still really don't understand why, though.

I have heard from a reliable source that there is some kind of US black aircraft flying out of Akortiri but nothing about the type. I don't bleieve for a second that it's a Blackbird myself, but I wonder if there is something which might be mistaken for one? or whether this is simply dinformation?
Or if the whole thing is a misunderstanding and they're just U-2 or something.

No answers, I'm afraid.