Found something faster than my FZ6... thinking of upgrading

[famous556]

Good day today, I got to go for a very rare January ride in Nebraska where there is normally 12 inches of snow on the ground this time of year. I had the day off so I decided to go here...

The Air and Space museum (formerly the Strategic Air Command Museum) in Ashland, Nebraska. Wait... What's that in the background???

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Oh, it's the SR71 Blackbird. The baddest aircraft ever produced. Mach 3+, 80,000 feet+, Los Angeles to Washington DC in 64 minutes. This is one of 20 SR71's that currently exist in the world, although there are also a few predecessor A12's still around. This one is on permanent display here just 20 miles from home.

The MASSIVE J58 Pratt & Whitney engine that powered the aircraft to over 2000mph.

The business end of said engine. Wouldn't want to be standing here when the afterburner was started.

Not my picture

This aircraft is a cold war icon and is what inspired my interest in aviation since I was really young. After school is finished I plan to pursue a private pilots license and buy/lease a small prop plane. One of very few aircraft that can beat the sun around the earth... try that in a 747.

Next time I go down there I'm going to see if they will let me push my bike in the front door to get a more intimate picture with the blackbird. Its worth a shot to ask!

 

[red_rock_beetle]

that is the aircraft that spawned an interest in aviation for me as well. they have one on display in san antonio that if i'm ever in that side of town i try and go see, no doubt a beautiful plane

 

[wrlomas]

I like the twin exhaust in the tail but I think ya might need a f.e. kit. Not sure where you can put the turn signals but then ........who's gonna catch ya to give you a ticket.

 

[boars]

I like the twin exhaust in the tail but I think ya might need a f.e. kit. Not sure where you can put the turn signals but then ........who's gonna catch ya to give you a ticket.

I'd pay a lot of money to see one of those fly past a manned speed camera. :thumbup:

It'd be worth it just to see the look on the blokes face :spank:

 

[William]

Very cool! Man, if you could get a photo of your bike in front of that it’d be the clear winner of the BOTC (Century) contest.

 

[Cloggy]

Granted, in this case black is the fastest colour

 

[SweaterDude]

try that in a 747.

not contesting that the 747 is by any means as fast as the SR71 but. there is a reason that the US government uses the 747 as Air Force 1. To date nobody knows truly how fast the 747 is capable of, and the engines are strong enough that the plane can fly from LA to Japan with only 2 of them working. I was fortunate to talk to one of the pilots way back on one of them, on my way to Hong Kong. (My dads business at the time flew us over for the world printing expo or something) Anyway the pilot said that its not always the jetstream that makes up lost time. there have been flights going against the stream that have come in up to 3 hours early!


oh, and you could just get a CBR1100XX Blackbird:BLAA:

 

[champion221elite]

You have to see an SR-71 in person to truly appreciate their sheer size. I saw one in Tuscon, Arizona and got to walk around and under it.

What an amazing machine!

 

[Motogiro]

When they used to fuel the SR on the ground it would leak fuel from it's seams. Once airborne the skin temps would change and the seams would seal up. Then they would re-fuel in the air and the SR would continue it's mission. This is the way the aircraft had to be built to be able to allow for the serious temperature variations the aircraft would be subject to at super sonic speeds and high altitudes. A serious team effort for those missions to be accomplished.

 

[SweaterDude]

^ didnt know that

 

[04fizzer]

not contesting that the 747 is by any means as fast as the SR71 but. there is a reason that the US government uses the 747 as Air Force 1. To date nobody knows truly how fast the 747 is capable of, and the engines are strong enough that the plane can fly from LA to Japan with only 2 of them working. I was fortunate to talk to one of the pilots way back on one of them, on my way to Hong Kong. (My dads business at the time flew us over for the world printing expo or something) Anyway the pilot said that its not always the jetstream that makes up lost time. there have been flights going against the stream that have come in up to 3 hours early!


oh, and you could just get a CBR1100XX Blackbird:BLAA:

Dude...you're really arguing for a 747 against an SR-71? Have you completely lost it? The SR-71 is supersonic. The 747? Yeah right. When 747's fly, they cruise. Yes, they have more than enough power to make up lost time (it happens all the time), but to say that it can even DREAM of competing with the SR-71 (which is essentially what you're saying), is foolish.

 

[oldfast007]

Cool Picture, would be nice to see the 6 in front of it....

Some random facts one of aviation's truly remarkable achievements.

The Blackbird was retired by the U.S. Air Force in 1990 after 25 years of service. Three of the planes have been transferred to NASA for research and development of an aerospace plane and for tests that involve high altitude, speed and thermal conditions.
The Blackbird cruises above Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It has set numerous speed and altitude records including the following:

New York to London 1 hr., 54 min., 56.4 sec.
London to Los Angeles 3 hrs., 47 min., 35.8 sec.
Los Angeles to Washington D.C. 1 hr., 4 min., 20 sec.
West Coast to East Coast U.S.A. 1 hr., 7 min., 54 sec.
St. Louis to Cincinnati 8 min.
Kansas City to Washington D.C. 26 min.

The top speed was in excess of 2,193 miles per hour at an altitude of over 85,000 feet. That breaks down to about 35 miles per minute.

The SR-71/A-12 on display was the seventh vehicle of its type built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It recorded 258 flights and 499 hours and 10 minutes of flight time.
The SR-71/A-12 on display is a single-seater. The rear compartment is reserved for sensor equipment.
The two-seater SR-71 was manned by a Pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Office (RSO). The RSO was a rated navigator/bombardier whose primary concerns were the aircraft's electronic and optical sensors and its passive and active electronic defense systems.
Measures 99 feet by 55 feet at a height of 18 feet. It has an empty weight of 60,000 pounds and weights 120,000 pounds when fueled.
Designed primarily for photographic missions directly over a given area. Later versions of the SR-71, however, could remain in international air space and still "see" deep within a given location by using radar, cameras and electronic reconnaissance systems.
The last A-12 flight took place in June 1968. The A-12 fleet (approximately eight aircraft) were moved to Palmdale, California for storage. All flights requiring A-12 capability were taken over by the SR-71.
Blackbirds are constructed with a titanium alloy that makes up about 93% of the plane's empty weight.
Approximately two-thirds of the fuselage and half the wing space is devoted to 84,180 pounds (12,200 gallons) of fuel carried by the SR-71. The fuel helps regulate the plane's center of gravity. The fuel is unique in that it has a high kerosene base and has to be ignited by a catalyst, tetraethyl borane.
Nitrogen is used to pressurize the fuel tanks and also to prevent inadvertent vapor ignition. An in-flight refueling receptacle is mounted on top of the fuselage behind the ****pit.
The Blackbird is painted with a black paint that consists of a pigmentation containing minute iron balls. These dissipate electro-magnetically-generated energy and effectively lower the chances of the plane being picked up by radar. The special black finish also wards off heat caused by high speeds and actually radiates significantly more friction-generated heat than it absorbs at cruising speeds of Mach 3.

 

[Kazza]

Very cool.

I still prefer the FZ in the picture though

 

[famous556]

not contesting that the 747 is by any means as fast as the SR71 but. there is a reason that the US government uses the 747 as Air Force 1. To date nobody knows truly how fast the 747 is capable of, and the engines are strong enough that the plane can fly from LA to Japan with only 2 of them working. I was fortunate to talk to one of the pilots way back on one of them, on my way to Hong Kong. (My dads business at the time flew us over for the world printing expo or something) Anyway the pilot said that its not always the jetstream that makes up lost time. there have been flights going against the stream that have come in up to 3 hours early!


oh, and you could just get a CBR1100XX Blackbird:BLAA:

I think the main thing that limits a 747 speed wise is the airframe. I have no doubt that the engines could push it faster than the airframe will allow. I also would be willing to bet that the 747's used as Air Force One are spec'd to go faster/higher/better in every way imaginable than an american airlines 747.

BTW your pictures are fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

 

[famous556]

When they used to fuel the SR on the ground it would leak fuel from it's seams. Once airborne the skin temps would change and the seams would seal up. Then they would re-fuel in the air and the SR would continue it's mission. This is the way the aircraft had to be built to be able to allow for the serious temperature variations the aircraft would be subject to at super sonic speeds and high altitudes. A serious team effort for those missions to be accomplished.

I have read this and its fascinating. The fuel is a special specification JP-7 that has a very high flash point. Definitely a lot of very interesting information about this aircraft. I also understand the the high cost of constantly running the tankers and feeding the big J58's was a significant factor that led to the SR-71 being retired.

Did you know that the SR-71 got better fuel mileage the faster and higher it went? Very interesting. Those engines must have been at their peak efficiency at full power. Wonder if my FZ would get better mileage on a tank spent riding at 140mph? Doubt it!

 

[famous556]

Cool Picture, would be nice to see the 6 in front of it....

Very cool! Man, if you could get a photo of your bike in front of that it’d be the clear winner of the BOTC (Century) contest.

Yes, I would love to get the bike in there. Just don't know how the museum folks would feel about it. That picture would definitely have to be framed and you bet it would be entered in BOTM!:thumbup:

 

[famous556]

You have to see an SR-71 in person to truly appreciate their sheer size. I saw one in Tuscon, Arizona and got to walk around and under it.

What an amazing machine!

Most definitely, the size of the aircraft is mind blowing. The thing is wayyy longer than it appears. The fact that its made out of titanium really makes you appreciate the cost and work that went into building this thing. The funny part is, that most if not all of the titanuim we used to build them actually came from the Soviet Union, the same country we built the thing to spy on. Ironic.

This particular aircraft, #964, was one of the leaders for most missions flown and hours. I believe it ranks 3rd for either total hours or most missions.

 

[Dave in Houston]

"No test flights without cash in hand."

 

[famous556]

SR-71 OL-Griffiss AFB

If you scroll down just a little bit, Col. Jim Wilson writes about a sortie he flew in the particular aircraft in my picture.


The Thrill of Flying the SR-71 Blackbird

This link takes you to an excerpt from the book "Sled Driver" by Major Brian Shul. The part about the Cessna making a ground speed request to ATC is one of the funniest things I have ever read. I bet the Navy pilot's ego felt a little smaller that day.

 

[iSteve]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1250fZuhUg&feature=related]Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - YouTube[/ame]