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If you're anything like me, this picture will be the coolest one you see today:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...skunkworks.jpg
SR-71's under construction at the Skunkworks. Sourced from here with other pictures and stories from a pilot:
http://gizmodo.com/5511236/the-thril...r+71-blackbird
I would have loved to see one of these in the air.
That is pretty sweet.[Beer]
This is all that really needs to be said;
Quote:
On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records
Damn, what a fantastic plane...
Grew up in Palmdale, CA, not too far from Edwards AFB...a few miles outside of town was a small park (2 acres tops) with 2 or 3 SR-71s, one of their drones, and a large trailer full of awesome stuff like photos, space suits and the ejection seats...
My fav. Found it again, heard it a while ago.
One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below is. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed.
“Ninety knots,” ATC replied.
A twin Bonanza soon made the same request.
“One-twenty on the ground,” was the reply.
To our surprise, a Navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was.
“Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground,” ATC responded.
The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter’s mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace.
In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, “Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.” We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
Yes, coolest picture I've seen today. Awesome planes. They always seemed to me to be bigger than they turned out to be the first time I walked up to one.
great pic! awesome airplanes!
I liked the one about Aspen XX asking for FL600, to which ATC replied "If you can get there, you can have it." Aspen's reply... "Roger, descending to flight level 600."
That is a sweet pic
isn't that the hangar from star wars episode 4?