25 Mind Boggling Facts About the SR-71. #12 Made Me Wince. [VIDEO]

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• A truely amazing piece of aerospace engineering! Thanks for the link!

• neato

• In early 2002, just before this plane was officially retired, I had the good fortune of attending a "for the general public" air show at Edwards AFB, CA. The highlight of the show was watching an SR-71 take off and land about twenty minutes later, after having flown through the air space of five neighboring states! Man, that plane was loud at take-off and when it got airborne, it was FAST. That plane was totally out of sight less than thirty seconds after it lifted off of the tarmac!

  • I saw it at the same airshow, but a different year. It was awesome!

• I built a couple of models of this plane back in my model building days. There is one hanging in the aerospace museum in Hutchinson, Kansas that I got to see in 2002. Ahhh... nostalgia.

  • I saw one up close, as close as we were allowed to get, at an air show on the base I was stationed at in 1984. When it flew in for the show, it did a low altitude flyover. It was very quiet on approach, almost a whisper, but when it got overhead and passed you, it blew out your ears.

  • We had one at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. I don't know if it's still there, as I haven't been there in many years.

    It's a cool museum, though. If you're ever in Seattle, take a gander.

• Amazing feat of engineering for it's day, late 50's 60's. I have always been fascinated by this aircraft. I remember reading about and wondering if the fuel leaks were true and it is confirmed according to fact number 21. Very interesting facts. Thank you for sharing.

  • Having been in the Air Force, the fuel leak story was one of the things we had confirmed to us early on.
    I love this plane almost as much as the A-10. While the SR-71 was the most beautiful and fastest, the A-10 was the ugliest and slowest, but it was the most awesome piece of weaponry.
    I have a hand carved, wooden model of the SR-71, and want a model of the A-10.

    • I always liked the OV-10 Bronco.

      • Another slow ugly airplane that gets the job done quite well.

        • BTW, I have my A-10 on the way!

      • http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11554&d=1372705879

    • Also known as the Warthog, the Tankbuster and the 'flying gun'. An airplane built around this 30mm gatling gun...
      http://www.hightech-edge.com/wp-content/uploads/gau-8-a-30mm-gatlin-gun-vw-beetle-comparison.jpg

      • Even the model makers are stopping production. Sadly.

        http://www.ebay.ie/itm/USAF-FAIRCHILD-REPUBLIC-A-10-WARTHOG-THUNDERBOLT-II-WOODEN-WOOD-MODEL-REPLICA-/390763090875

        • Actually, if you use the US ebay website, they are available.