Some SR-71 Eye Candy for aviation fans

[Thalermade]

If you can't make it to Tucson, the National Museum of the USAF at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio has one them Blackbirds. Pretty amazing how far the technology progressed in the approx. 50 years between the Wright 1909 Military Flyer and the Blackbird.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/map.asp

A great museum to wander around in.
Russ

[Uncle Cracker]

I think it's also quite remarkable that the airplane was conceived in 1962 and became operational in only four years.

This is because Castro was shooting off his mouth at the time, and Khrushchev was banging his shoe on the desk. When you brush aside all the corporate garbage and governmental red tape, miracles can be achieved with astounding rapidity.

[jackellis]

When you brush aside all the corporate garbage and governmental red tape, miracles can be achieved with astounding rapidity.

Scaled Composites (Burt Rutan's firm) was approached by the Army about developing a prototype small troop transport. Rutan asked for a two page spec and $2 million. He also told the Army to keep their inspectors in Washington. What he gave the Army was probably too weird looking for their taste, but he met the specs.

I've dealt with a few government contracts and I don't like fooling with all the red tape. They'd have to pay me very well to jump though those hoops.

[gerti]

We used to have an A-12 here in the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum. I visited a number of times, and once even got to sit in it! That plane always amazed me, being so close to one was great!

Sadly a couple of years ago Langley called pulled rank, and in an almost covert operation they came and took our 60-6931 from us. It's in Virginia now.

I hope to one day make it to Dayton, I'd really like to see the XB-70A Valkyrie.

[BobSch]

My favorite SR-71 graphic: