Awesome picture

[Hoosier]

If you're anything like me, this picture will be the coolest one you see today:



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.

[cowboykjohnson]

That is pretty sweet.

[Marlin]

This is all that really needs to be said;

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...

[Ridge]

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...

[TriggerHappy]

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.

[Troublco]

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.

[sniper7]

great pic! awesome airplanes!

[MadRabbit]

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."

[spleify]

That is a sweet pic

[tmckay2]

isn't that the hangar from star wars episode 4?