How Was The Blackbirds Program Kept Secret?

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In the 1960s, secrecy, ingenuity and cooperation resulted in a series of airplanes that were invulnerable missiles, because they could outrun them. The best video on KZread about the SR-71 and the rest of the Blackbird family, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs
Music:
Are You Ready - Philip Ayers
Lead - Farrell Wooten
Family Badass - Rockin' For Decades
Flightmode - Chris Shards
This Is Not It - Philip Ayers
Hiding in the Shadows - Experia
Stellar Minds - DEX 1200
Cloak - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
What We Discovered - Philip Ayers
Solve It - Max Anson
There Is No Sequel - Philip Ayers
Torpedo - Tigerblood Jewel
One Last Drama - Philip Ayers
Sidelined - Dip Diet
Full Cycle - Jon Sumner
Footage:
Select images/videos from Getty Images
Shutterstock Enterprise
Videoblocks
Russian Ministry of Defense
National Archives
NASA
US Department of Defense
Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."
REFERENCES:
www.nasa.gov/pdf/736495main_B...
• The Oxcart Story - Fra...
roadrunnersinternationale.com...
nap.nationalacademies.org/rea... JET
permitbook.com/trucking-compa...
/ how_the_thennew_topsec...
www.airandspaceforces.com/art...
www.thesr71blackbird.com/Airc...
• The Oxcart Story - Fra...
wisconsinmetaltech.com/16-sec...
nationalinterest.org/blog/the...
www.quora.com/When-was-the-SR...
theaviationgeekclub.com/black...
www.sandboxx.us/blog/project-...
www.blackbirds.net/sr71/srloc...
00:00 What's inside the box?
1:33 The Blackbird Family
3:36 Play War Thunder
4:58 Why were the Blackbirds built?
6:38 The Blackbird's performance
9:30 The Engineering Challenges of the Blackbirds
13:11 The Engines that powered the Blackbirds
15:19 Why did the SR-71 Blackbird leak fuel?
18:36 Blackbirds' missions and trolling other nations!
20:07 Why I couldn't pilot the Blackbird
21:43 Were any Blackbirds ever shot down?
22:51 What happened to the Blackbirds?
24:23 Play War Thunder

Пікірлер: 2 300

  • @NotWhatYouThink
    @NotWhatYouThink Жыл бұрын

    Join us in War Thunder for FREE on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: Follow my link to get the game, including an exclusive welcome bonus: playwt.link/NotWhatYouThink

  • @mrdumbthefirst8757

    @mrdumbthefirst8757

    Жыл бұрын

    Hello

  • @zohaibtariq7351

    @zohaibtariq7351

    Жыл бұрын

    Hell nah

  • @righty5890

    @righty5890

    Жыл бұрын

    bruh this game is absolute hell, it's either packet loss or pocket loss (as a great youtuber said recently)

  • @glike2

    @glike2

    Жыл бұрын

    Superb history review! Whatever happened to all the airframes and parts? I hope they are in mothballs indefinitely because they could be a vital asset to resurrect in case of the Kessler syndrome that we could soon face if Russia or China use anti-satellite missiles and it's snowballs out of control.

  • @SamGSK

    @SamGSK

    Жыл бұрын

    once you go down the war thunder pipeline its nothing but coping, pain and suffering. 11/10 would do it again

  • @Nexxarian
    @Nexxarian Жыл бұрын

    Imagine being the bus driver and accidentally scraping a wide load truck. You ask what's in the box and they joke it's an alien spacecraft, then men with suits and dark shades step in and give you thousands of dollars to fix your bus and say to not file an insurance claim.

  • @redmatrix

    @redmatrix

    Жыл бұрын

    M.I.B. !

  • @Aresenal1739

    @Aresenal1739

    Жыл бұрын

    Imagine being a passenger

  • @dimosk7389

    @dimosk7389

    Жыл бұрын

    at least they didnt ask him to look at the little flashy thing they were holding to wipe his memory lol

  • @BosonCollider

    @BosonCollider

    Жыл бұрын

    The base where it was tested was area 51 btw

  • @RWBHere

    @RWBHere

    Жыл бұрын

    They made good use of the Pecuniary Neuralizer. The 'Forget It Happened' lubricant can be very effective at times.

  • @ClubBergevin
    @ClubBergevin Жыл бұрын

    It's 2022, some 60 years later, and you're still digging up content on the blackbird that I've never heard of before! Great job!

  • @NotWhatYouThink

    @NotWhatYouThink

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @generybarczyk6993

    @generybarczyk6993

    Жыл бұрын

    Ditto that for me. I thought I'd heard all the lore already, but not even close. Well said.

  • @jaisummons2304

    @jaisummons2304

    Жыл бұрын

    I never heard of black bird I now what a shortsword looks like from halo reach.

  • @SirLoinBeefsteak

    @SirLoinBeefsteak

    Жыл бұрын

    In some instances the creator of these videos is doing their version of presenting what may actually be well-known. But this channel is one of my favorite.

  • @SirLoinBeefsteak

    @SirLoinBeefsteak

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jaisummons2304 you’d have to learn better english too.

  • @johnny_eth
    @johnny_eth Жыл бұрын

    The SR-71 and the Concorde are some of the most impressive feats of aviation engineering in the cold war era. What incredible machines, all developed with slide rules.

  • @jaxsonco1450

    @jaxsonco1450

    Жыл бұрын

    Only difference was the Concorde was a airliner

  • @User0000000000000004

    @User0000000000000004

    Жыл бұрын

    Cold war? Nah. Of all time. Don't forget the XB-70.

  • @isaaccan3155

    @isaaccan3155

    Жыл бұрын

    And amazingly. Were designed in the early 60’s

  • @burgerforcongress1001

    @burgerforcongress1001

    Жыл бұрын

    We landed on the MOON with slide rules & drafting tables. When they closed the Saturn V program, NASA compiled ALL the drawings & specifications needed to make every single part & system for it, & made 3 copies of the whole set (before Xerox machines were a thing - that's where the term "blueprints" came from). They were stored in 3 places spread around the nation, as a "just in case" we found some new reason why we needed to go back to the Moon. These were rather large troves of documents that needed to be stored under controlled climate conditions so they wouldn't degrade, so Hilson into them had a cost, & all 3 of them, without discussing their plan with the others, or NASA, decided 2 copies were enough & destroyed theirs, so the new program to put a woman on the Moon had to be re-engineered from scratch!

  • @sixstringedthing

    @sixstringedthing

    Жыл бұрын

    If I had a buck for every time I've seen this comment I'd be a millionaire. If there was a bonus 1000x multiplier for every time those comments mentioned slide rules, I'd be a billionaire. If there was a further 1000x bonus for every time somebody responded by mentioning that all the early feats of various space programs were also done with slide rules, I could probably afford to run my own space program by now.

  • @krattfan03
    @krattfan03 Жыл бұрын

    My grandfather helped design parts of the Blackbird. He helped with some of the electronics on board. My dad loves to tell the story of when he was in a car with my grandfather and there was a bad driver and my dad had said something like "It would be really cool if we could read their license plate from space" and my grandfather said something like "we already can" before he realized he had to shut up because he wasn't supposed to talk about the plane at the time as it was a government secret. Edit: I don’t know why everyone is so skeptical. I never claimed he made the whole plane or invented it or was the only reason the plane exists. He was an electrical engineer at a time when electrical engineering was huge, especially for the military. He helped design some of the electrical systems on the aircraft. Thousands of people helped create that plane, it wasn’t just one person who made the whole thing happen.

  • @henrybrink8799

    @henrybrink8799

    Жыл бұрын

    Bs

  • @krattfan03

    @krattfan03

    Жыл бұрын

    @@henrybrink8799 Ok? Dunno why you think that lol

  • @stuartwheatley9867

    @stuartwheatley9867

    Жыл бұрын

    Why is it that most people's grandfathers here have worked on the blackbird project

  • @krattfan03

    @krattfan03

    Жыл бұрын

    @@stuartwheatley9867 I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of anyone else’s grandfather working on it. It probably did have thousands of people contribute towards it so I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t too rare but nobody I’ve talked to has had their grandfather work on it maybe because while my grandfather lives in dc I live in Georgia so I guess im less likely to hear about it so it feels cooler to me

  • @jesuslira9729

    @jesuslira9729

    Жыл бұрын

    @@stuartwheatley9867 my friends grandfather supposedly worked on project aurora but its only credibly is that they found blueprints of a aircraft never seen before and had worked for skunkworks

  • @garagegamer6484
    @garagegamer6484 Жыл бұрын

    It's actually a myth that engineers couldn't get the Blackbird to not leak fuel. The engineers did develop a way to 100% stop leaks. The problem was the time it took to maintain it was longer than the required turn around time for the Blackbirds next mission. The Air Force just simply didn't have the time to do the required maintenance. Because of this the Air Force adopted acceptable drip rates before resealing the planes skin.

  • @rdubb77

    @rdubb77

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah it's annoying that the same falsehoods keep getting promulgated. The truth is that the tank sealant would work fine initially, but then once subjected to the temperature difference in a mission of -70f to 600f it would begin to disintegrate. Hence, as you said, they would have to reseal the tanks after probably every mission, which wasn't feasible.

  • @liamwest1326

    @liamwest1326

    Жыл бұрын

    so you could say they couldn't get it to stop leaking fuel *within the time constraints*

  • @clayboi6939

    @clayboi6939

    Жыл бұрын

    @Garage Gamer soooooooo in other words, it's not a myth.. Sounds alot like the engineers tried to develope a way to keep the fuel from leaking but couldn't.

  • @garagegamer6484

    @garagegamer6484

    Жыл бұрын

    @@clayboi6939 no it's not a myth. The video says it's impossible to stop the plane from leaking fuel. It's not impossible to stop it from leaking fuel. The Air Force just didn't take the time to do it.

  • @joshuagill395

    @joshuagill395

    Жыл бұрын

    They literally did not invent a way to 100% stop leaks if it couldn’t by implemented into the plane. If their way to stop leaks stops working after being exposed to temperatures the plane regularly operates in, and can’t be maintained without impeding the mission of the plane, what exactly did the engineers solve?

  • @Tyraeous
    @Tyraeous Жыл бұрын

    The irony of Titanium from the Soviet Union was, at the time, the Soviets themselves could not afford to use it in their top end aircraft - it was too valuable as a trade commodity to be sold to other nations. So their own aircraft would have things like strips of titanium to reinforce steel panels, rather than being fully titanium.

  • @caslboy930

    @caslboy930

    Жыл бұрын

    That and they were probably using all their other Titanium resources on submarine hulls

  • @triscuitpower7196

    @triscuitpower7196

    Жыл бұрын

    Enough of an oversupply on the market that other nations were building bicycles out of titanium

  • @nash6132

    @nash6132

    Жыл бұрын

    "Irony of Titanium" made me smile for some reason 😁

  • @Zanthorr

    @Zanthorr

    Жыл бұрын

    The Soviets were so obsessed with increasing their GDP they starved 10million people to death so they could sell the food for foreign currency.

  • @jesuschristiscallingyou953

    @jesuschristiscallingyou953

    Жыл бұрын

    @@nash6132 Oh, I just got it! 😁

  • @bluesky6361
    @bluesky6361 Жыл бұрын

    I spent a fair amount of time at Air Force Plant 42 outside of Palmdale CA back in the 90's while working on a U-2 program. The U-2 and SR-71 were housed in the same hanger. The path through the hanger was marked in yellow tape on the floor and we were not allowed to wander outside of the tape. The SR-71 would make test flights a couple of times a week. Everything would stop as everyone on the ground would watch it take off. Absolutely amazing. I have many memories of working on our equipment in the U-2 super pods while the bird was parked behind the hanger. The slightest breeze would cause the wings to flap about 3 feet up and down. Also got to sit in the U-2 cockpit. There was an SR-71 engine test stand about a mile down the road from our trailer. When it would fire up, the vibrations felt like an earthquake in the trailer. Watching the SR-71 land was even more fascinating. It would come in pretty fast, smoke would pour off the brakes and then the drag chutes would deploy. Took more runway to land then it did to take off. The U-2 would kind of float into the sky on take off and quickly disappear. The SR-71 took off like a rocket in a steep climb.

  • @epajarjestys9981

    @epajarjestys9981

    Жыл бұрын

    *hangar

  • @TheConleyman
    @TheConleyman Жыл бұрын

    My Grandpa was an engineer on the SR-71 project at skunk works, he has some of the coolest diagrams & pictures I've ever seen of the aircraft. As well as some of the greatest stories from working on it.

  • @spino992

    @spino992

    Жыл бұрын

    My father worked on the Blackbird, in charge of a couple hundred and specialized on landing gears. They gave him a plaque with a model Blackbird on it and it’s the coolest thing

  • @TheConleyman

    @TheConleyman

    Жыл бұрын

    @@spino992 That's actually cool, I've got a couple pictures of the blackbird with pilots signatures and a giant blue print of the aircraft. Man is approaching 90 and he absolutely loves drawing out the engine nacelle moving process.

  • @cunicularium5424

    @cunicularium5424

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah...and my grandpa had a baby Sasquatch in a box in his garage..

  • @TheConleyman

    @TheConleyman

    Жыл бұрын

    @@cunicularium5424 Look up Bill Majors SR-71, and maybe delete your comment.

  • @spino992

    @spino992

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TheConleyman That’s cool! I’ve seen a real Blackbird in person, but I’ve never seen the blueprints. And those pictures with the pilot’s signatures must be awesome.

  • @augl2702
    @augl2702 Жыл бұрын

    The knowledge provided by the Blackbird family of aircraft is invaluable. NASA used theirs as a Mach 3+ research platform. At one point they put early GPS tech onboard and flew it at altitude and tested the instruments.

  • @dr.bright3081

    @dr.bright3081

    Жыл бұрын

    The X-15 was extremely interesting as well lol

  • @hamSAH713

    @hamSAH713

    Жыл бұрын

    your employer would like to know your location

  • @henkhenkste6076

    @henkhenkste6076

    Жыл бұрын

    lol NASA

  • @augl2702

    @augl2702

    Жыл бұрын

    @@henkhenkste6076 lol flat earther

  • @henkhenkste6076

    @henkhenkste6076

    Жыл бұрын

    @@augl2702 how the **** did you ever jump to that conclusion

  • @strikye7
    @strikye7 Жыл бұрын

    16:46 Thanks for the warning bro, I almost did that with my leftover JP-7 fuel.

  • @gwho
    @gwho Жыл бұрын

    as scuffed as the end result was, MAN that is a lot of engineering. you can imagine an entire department just to develop, study, and test the fuel, let alone the stealth, aerodynamic, manufacturing, temperature cycling resilience, materials, GD&T, sourcing, CAD, safety, secrecy, politics, budgeting, pilot insurance, pilot training,... and so many i can't think of...

  • @tomaskovarik7966
    @tomaskovarik7966 Жыл бұрын

    Yes! Blackbird is one of the coolest aircrafts ever built together with XB-70 Valkyrie

  • @brendanh8978

    @brendanh8978

    Жыл бұрын

    It's bizarre to look at WWII era piston airplanes, just barely past the biplane era in the 1940s, and compare them to this just 20 years later. It is an astounding level of advancement.

  • @DonGioification

    @DonGioification

    Жыл бұрын

    All because of the jet engine basically. Without the jet engine there’d be not much advancement

  • @markchapman2585

    @markchapman2585

    Жыл бұрын

    You see the new B21 raider it looks cool.

  • @DonGioification

    @DonGioification

    Жыл бұрын

    @@markchapman2585 it’s incredible. Looks like a ufo

  • @pecceria85

    @pecceria85

    Жыл бұрын

    The XB70 wasn't barely reliable... It was pretty much an ultra expensive, totally useless beautiful hoax

  • @882952
    @882952 Жыл бұрын

    My father was one of the CIA men at Groom Lake during the early 60's, when they were testing the A12s. I was a newborn baby at the time. I didn't know about this until about 10 years ago. Actually I knew he worked for the CIA, but not what he did until that time. Imagine finding out my own dad worked not only at A51, but also with my favorite airplane of all time. =) He has a lot of stories, such as being parked next to the runway one day when one of the planes crashed on landing right in front of him. One of the stories he told me was about the road-trips they took to transport the planes to A51. Just as was mentioned here, he told me that they got so tired of people asking what was in the giant boxes that they just started telling people, "Well... I shouldn't tell you this, but it's a crashed UFO we found". I'm 58 now and he's I think 78, and we still talk on the phone and the A12 frequently comes up. Next year he's going to fly up to visit with me for a while, and I plan to take him to the Seattle Flight Museum where he can see the M21 we have there - the only one in existence in the world. It will be interesting to see how he feels being in the presence of one of the very planes he once walked past or underneath on a daily basis, so many years ago, as a young man.

  • @magicbulletdancers

    @magicbulletdancers

    Жыл бұрын

    How v cool thank you for sharing 👍 These feel good stories are so wonderful, so appreciated, in such trying times as in the current geopolitical landscape ... or "airscape" as it were.

  • @bollockjohnson6156

    @bollockjohnson6156

    Жыл бұрын

    And you "reveal" all of that for what? A tiny dopamine hit from watching your comment get upvotes? Sad.

  • @Krasses

    @Krasses

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bollockjohnson6156 He's just telling his story man, don't be a dick about it.

  • @Shyvorix

    @Shyvorix

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bollockjohnson6156 ???? What you jealous their dad worked on awesome projects while yours was probably a deadbeat?

  • @joshyazg2120

    @joshyazg2120

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bollockjohnson6156 cry some more shittard

  • @fvlse_
    @fvlse_ Жыл бұрын

    1:49 “Relatively small scale” *oh yea they built the hubble 💀

  • @someone_246
    @someone_246 Жыл бұрын

    Fun fact: An A-12 is sitting outside the California Sience Center in Los Angeles, seeing it in-person was so cool, just knowing how fast and how historic it is.

  • @dustymojave

    @dustymojave

    Жыл бұрын

    There are a pair of Blackbirds and a drone in an outdoor public museum at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The museum is named "Blackbird Airpark". I drive pas⅞t it on my way to my bank or the mall or Walmart. Since my dad was an Avionics Electrician for Lockheed and worked on the prototypes they're rather special to me. In 1963 we attended the airshow at Edward's. As I stood under the XB70 displyed on the northern flightline, a Blackbird taxied out of a hanger in the south flightline and took off. The PA announced it was the 1st public showing of the type. Dad had previously worked on U2s. Of course, while I knew WHERE he worked, he was not allowed to tell me he worked on those projects until the 1980s.

  • @Smartass-pl3nx

    @Smartass-pl3nx

    2 ай бұрын

    I saw an SR-71 in airzoo

  • @JessWLStuart
    @JessWLStuart Жыл бұрын

    I knew a mechanic who worked on the Blackbird. He said the Blackbird airframe was stress tested up to Mach 7, and was expected to fly at Mach 5. He also confirmed they needed tools made of special alloys to keep from compromising the titanium skin.

  • @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking

    @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking

    Жыл бұрын

    The only thing my Dad won't talk about (except for classified missions,) is the Max Speed of the SR-71. That is still classified. "Mach 3+!" he says. (He has a ring with an SR, and 3+ on its silhouette.) He then smiles, and shakes that ring at me.

  • @wmlindley

    @wmlindley

    Жыл бұрын

    Friend of Dad's (RIP): "No matter how fast you think the SR-71 can fly, you're still not thinking fast enough."

  • @DeWessel97

    @DeWessel97

    Жыл бұрын

    how do you even test for mach 7!? a hyperturbowindtunnel??

  • @alf3071

    @alf3071

    4 ай бұрын

    u should be able to tell the max speed with the mach angle formula, and get the angle from the top view of the plane

  • @alansimmons7732

    @alansimmons7732

    2 ай бұрын

    The tools were cadmium free

  • @fearthehoneybadger
    @fearthehoneybadger Жыл бұрын

    Even the tools had to be designed with special metals as regular tools would degrade the materials the plane was made of.

  • @elroygrey2899

    @elroygrey2899

    Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely astonishing machine

  • @daveballard8673

    @daveballard8673

    Жыл бұрын

    Cadmium plating was a bitch.

  • @grabacr1251

    @grabacr1251

    Жыл бұрын

    @Auschwitz Soccer Ref. Based off what we've seen from them lately. I'd say whatever there equivalent to harbor freight is where they probably get there tools 😂

  • @dkaloger5720

    @dkaloger5720

    Жыл бұрын

    Knowledge from Real Engineering coming in clutch

  • @jaybee9269

    @jaybee9269

    Жыл бұрын

    @auschwitzsoccerref.8582>> Russia “allegedly” makes entire submarines out of titanium.

  • @EnnesArms
    @EnnesArms Жыл бұрын

    This plane was groundbreaking In every sense of the word. The materials, engines, tools, and auxiliary equipment all had to be designed with this bird and the feats it was capable of in mind. Even the _starter carts_ had to be designed. They took two buick V8 engines (for each cart), coupled them together through a gearbox, and used that to start the blackbird’s engines. They blew up so many engines that they exhausted the supply and had to switch to chevy engines! From nose to tail the blackbird is just _crazy_

  • @Billhatestheinternet

    @Billhatestheinternet

    Жыл бұрын

    425 CID Nailheads. And the sound was apparently never the same after the switch to 454 (one reason was due to the Nailhead having smaller intake valves than the exhaust; the valves looked like the head of a nail, hence the name), so they had to run at max RPM to create any reasonable power, even with dual quads. Hence the high failure rate of the start cart engines.

  • @ssjwes

    @ssjwes

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Billhatestheinternet wow thats crazy

  • @factssboy

    @factssboy

    Жыл бұрын

    very useful and interesting konetnt , I also shoot the same videos rate

  • @WintersFinalstand

    @WintersFinalstand

    Жыл бұрын

    And now, satellites have taken the role the blackbird had. Still funny to see people imagining it with weapons though in various video games.

  • @IGrocker

    @IGrocker

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Billhatestheinternet besides that, those who ran the starter carts would “accidentally” let them over-rev because it sounded so good, leading to way too many blown engines.

  • @smoothiethefriendofjorviks8384
    @smoothiethefriendofjorviks8384 Жыл бұрын

    I personally think that the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is one of the coolest looking aircraft. I've actually seen it in a museum and it looks amazing.

  • @octoglazed3693
    @octoglazed3693 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for the metric units on display! I'm not familiar with imperial units at all, so the inclusion really help me visualize!

  • @tubosolinas
    @tubosolinas Жыл бұрын

    Technology from the 60's that's still mind boggling. Can't imagine what they're making in 2022 behind closed doors

  • @djhaloeight

    @djhaloeight

    Жыл бұрын

    That’s what I always think.

  • @lotus9378

    @lotus9378

    Жыл бұрын

    They are building SR72 blackbird but it's unmanned

  • @tubosolinas

    @tubosolinas

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lotus9378 unmanned for sure,but the capabilities are what scares me!

  • @meep3709

    @meep3709

    Жыл бұрын

    Haha look at the b21 release from a week ago

  • @h5skb4ru41

    @h5skb4ru41

    Жыл бұрын

    So far there's rumours about a Successor of the SR-71 nicknamed "Aurora" I do know there's a render of it being slick and smooth, silver colored too

  • @daveo1002
    @daveo1002 Жыл бұрын

    The only thing you forgot to mention, was the LA to DC trip of the last USAF Blackbird, in 68 minutes and 17 seconds- breaking 4 flight time records, as it flew into retirement and to the National Air & Space Museum's Steven Udvar Hazy Center.

  • @thebigdog2295

    @thebigdog2295

    Жыл бұрын

    My favorite story about the planes, is the pilot who called for a speed check from civilian ground control. Just to take a string of pilots down a peg, including a fighter pilot who did, for trying to pick on a Cessna pilot for doing it. Don't know if it was true, but it's the funniest story I've ever heard of about a USAF SR-71.

  • @norske_ow3440

    @norske_ow3440

    Жыл бұрын

    And also the New York to London speed record of less than 2 hours. Also one that not many people know is that James Sullivan (same pilot from the trans-Atlantic record) once buzzed his bosses house at mach 2 which shattered all the windows in the house. 😂

  • @TheSLOShadow

    @TheSLOShadow

    Жыл бұрын

    Wow I am glad the pilots opened that airplane up one last time. I still think that airplane had more speed to give and wish they would revisit the design with 2022 quality of life improvements and mechanical\engineering upgrades

  • @O-cDxA

    @O-cDxA

    Жыл бұрын

    How is that done, since flying over populated areas is no longer allowed in the U.S. ?

  • @dontcare485

    @dontcare485

    Жыл бұрын

    @@thebigdog2295 agree, great story, was sad to learn is was made up, another pilot came out and said was above their air space and did not monitor regular air space.

  • @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking
    @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking Жыл бұрын

    My Dad programmed the SR-71 flight simulators - with punchcards. [Edit: HOLY MOLY - I think that's him at 20:31 , in white!!!] No mouse, no keyboard - they didn't exist yet. (And he's intimidated by Windows 10! I said Dad, Dad - computers with mice should feel like a cakewalk!) The computers were so large, they didn't fit in a single room. They had to be air conditioned. Dad - today you don't even have to change the drip pans on computers! (He thinks that's marvelous.) He told me, the first simulators were on trains. So top-secret, they didn't have a central location that could be found out. Later, gets moved to Beale. Our family had dinner parties with pilots and crew. My God I'd give anything to remember what was said. Took it all for granted. Today, Dad is shy about talking about it, and is reluctant for me to interview him. Could ya'll do me a favor, and tell him he's wrong? That you'd like to see this? He doesn't even understand the love the community has for this plane.

  • @kylervoie

    @kylervoie

    Жыл бұрын

    That’s not what it’s about… the interest is probably the reason he doesn’t say anything. There’s a lot about these planes (and their successors) we won’t be allowed to know about for decades, at a minimum

  • @Chanpaiix

    @Chanpaiix

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kylervoie yup. government life contract.

  • @Chanpaiix

    @Chanpaiix

    Жыл бұрын

    your dad is the best

  • @wills.5762

    @wills.5762

    Жыл бұрын

    Get him to write a journal about his time there or something, he probably can't say anything while hes alive

  • @muddobber6863

    @muddobber6863

    Жыл бұрын

    One of the simulators is now in a museum at Love Field in Dallas.

  • @xSolraccarloSx
    @xSolraccarloSx Жыл бұрын

    My favorite plane ever! All these decades later and it STILL looks like something from the future. And its performance is practically mythic.

  • @The_big_prooooo

    @The_big_prooooo

    Жыл бұрын

    Mine is personally the Concorde they’re so cool and complex inside

  • @The_big_prooooo

    @The_big_prooooo

    Жыл бұрын

    It really feels like a place you’ve been before and it’s really calming

  • @algebra358

    @algebra358

    Жыл бұрын

    Honestly, I am blown away by the engineering that went into this. Yet you get idiots saying the moon landing was faked. Lmao.

  • @ron5521

    @ron5521

    Жыл бұрын

    @@algebra358 play kerbal space and tell me about the difference between atmospheric flight and landing on mun lol

  • @rebel6301

    @rebel6301

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ron5521 well in the atmosphere you can pitch up very rapidly to bleed off speed (so long as your vehicle is controllable enough) and on the mun you won't be able to use control surfaces, wings, can't rely on air resistance for slowing down, and you can't use airbreathing engines. (so you'll be extremely inefficient with fuel and you'll run out of fuel pretty quickly) I would know. I've developed a KSP addiction in the last few days.

  • @ericcsuf
    @ericcsuf Жыл бұрын

    I saw the SR-71 fly at two different air shows both at Norton AFB. The first was 10/25/80, the second 11/08/81. The first show included two low passes with full power climbout, and and a few other low passes. The second show included one low pass with full power climbout a couple of lame flybys and an apology that they had run out of budget for anything more. Absolutely, the most thrilling thing I've seen at an airshow. I was invited to give tethered hot air balloon flights. We stopped everything while the SR71's were in the air not wanting to miss anything.

  • @sivrxJ
    @sivrxJ Жыл бұрын

    When I was in high school I was in an Air Force ROTC, and we had the first pilot to ever test fly this aircraft come in to give us a speech. It was great listening to his stories and experiences with this aircraft

  • @nickstone7506
    @nickstone7506 Жыл бұрын

    This is my favorite plane ever. One time I was in florida and accidentally drove down a road that was a one way to a Lockheed Martin factory. Security was on us when we were leaving. No joke there

  • @WasabiSniffer
    @WasabiSniffer Жыл бұрын

    Blackbird might be my favorite plane ever. How it was designed, built, the materials acquired, the famous Speed Check at the Navy’s expense, that photo with all the pilots in full garb like it was the cover for the best album in existence, amazing piece of engineering

  • @Evangelion543
    @Evangelion543 Жыл бұрын

    I learned something today; not all planes are capable of gliding, the Blackbird had a glide ratio of a brick.

  • @ferky123

    @ferky123

    Жыл бұрын

    As does the Space Shuttle.

  • @Evangelion543

    @Evangelion543

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ferky123 The shuttle can glide?

  • @allseeingeyezz

    @allseeingeyezz

    Жыл бұрын

    it's more like a flying missle

  • @sixty9inety

    @sixty9inety

    Жыл бұрын

    @@allseeingeyezz flying missile? that’s like saying something is a driving car

  • @allseeingeyezz

    @allseeingeyezz

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sixty9inety yes, but missiles don't land or have landing gear

  • @bradbrandon2506
    @bradbrandon2506 Жыл бұрын

    I'm glad to see your still making regular length videos because this channel, and your voice are very entertaining and informative and I enjoy that there's always something that isn't what a person would normally think. I think there was only one video that I already knew the answer after being a fan of the channel for years. Y'all do a great job and make great content!

  • @NotWhatYouThink

    @NotWhatYouThink

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @bradbrandon2506

    @bradbrandon2506

    Жыл бұрын

    @@NotWhatYouThink you're welcome ❤️

  • @jasonotoole1822
    @jasonotoole1822 Жыл бұрын

    Well done on this video! I have been a Blackbird fan all my life but I learned some new things about this beautiful jet from your video! Thanks!

  • @richiev2923
    @richiev2923 Жыл бұрын

    my cousin was an engineer for the SR-71 project. Not sure what section he was apart of but seeing his house for the first time was like a museum. Such an awesome accomplishment for its time.

  • @JaydenJelly
    @JaydenJelly Жыл бұрын

    I was wondering if I'd ever be able to see one of these flying again at an airshow, but after watching this and seeing how much preparation and maintenance it takes to fly one my hopes aren't anywhere as high as they were a few minutes ago. Edit: apparently they don't make the JP7 fuel anymore either, so having that produced solely for the occasional airshow is gonna be a pain in the ass too :(

  • @allangibson8494

    @allangibson8494

    Жыл бұрын

    NASA retired theirs in 1999. The Borane for the ignition system would probably be harder to find.

  • @asliceofloaf1984

    @asliceofloaf1984

    Жыл бұрын

    It would be too difficult to fly it slowly enough to give people something to look at. The bird is made to go extremely fast, and at slow airshow speeds it would be too unmanouverable and potentially unsafe - especially with an aerodynamic profile like that.

  • @DominikPinkas

    @DominikPinkas

    Жыл бұрын

    @@allangibson8494 TEB is regularly used to start rocket engines.

  • @Stratigizing

    @Stratigizing

    Жыл бұрын

    yeah bud you missed out. theres literal 0 chance to see one considering the last one flew over 20 years ago.

  • @eddiebones20

    @eddiebones20

    Жыл бұрын

    I feel extremely fortunate to have been present for the "Last Flight" and a few flights leading up to that flight. Even got to watch an aerial refueling though tracking camera.

  • @slimyelow
    @slimyelow Жыл бұрын

    The historical footage found for this video are breath-taking. Very well done !

  • @Jake.tm_politics
    @Jake.tm_politics Жыл бұрын

    We either have something today that will blow our mind or these guys were absolute geniuses.

  • @kylervoie

    @kylervoie

    Жыл бұрын

    Both true, we’ve always been this smart

  • @kinuorthel8096
    @kinuorthel8096 Жыл бұрын

    The air refueling while the planes are going operational minimum and maximum speeds is hilarious

  • @aizmk432
    @aizmk432 Жыл бұрын

    I consider this the best and most detailed video on SR-71 with footage I haven't seen before.

  • @NotWhatYouThink

    @NotWhatYouThink

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! That’s what we were shooting for 😉

  • @Larpy1933
    @Larpy1933 Жыл бұрын

    I’ve watched many many videos on the Blackbird project and the history and tech details of SR-71 aircraft. This one is THE BEST! I especially enjoyed seeing the brief segments of movie footage of Kelly Johnson. Thanks! And good luck.

  • @magnitudefallout3944
    @magnitudefallout39442 ай бұрын

    2:22 To think that Kojima used this exact model in MGS3 is amazing, I always though he just made up the jet with a drone (Snake's second infiltration)

  • @henriyoung3895
    @henriyoung3895 Жыл бұрын

    One if the best vids on the Blackbird. Thank you.

  • @NotWhatYouThink

    @NotWhatYouThink

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you :-)

  • @danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307

    @danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307

    Жыл бұрын

    @@NotWhatYouThink 00:50 Yes cause the guy driving the bus owned the Bus! and people couldnt see there was these big trucks on the road ROLL THE VIDEO! 🤦‍♂🤣

  • @geeellzedthegreatestpilot2443
    @geeellzedthegreatestpilot2443 Жыл бұрын

    ‘It still operates on a small scale… making the Hubble telescope’

  • @FosterChild
    @FosterChild Жыл бұрын

    This is THE BEST blackbird documentary I have watched. Very enjoyable to watch and you cover all the information so well and in depth. Huge fan of this channel good work!! Maybe when I am employed again I can make donations to my favourite channels but right now I cannot afford it my broski.

  • @antoniohagopian213
    @antoniohagopian213 Жыл бұрын

    The real question is: how do you refuel that truck on the road if it happens to need more? Of course it would be fueled before but WHAT IF

  • @thomasprice7893

    @thomasprice7893

    Жыл бұрын

    Gas cans exist.

  • @andrewthomson

    @andrewthomson

    Жыл бұрын

    Tanker and fuel hose mainly. My fuel bowser has a 50ft long hose to reach my digging equipment in-situ.

  • @kaing5074

    @kaing5074

    Жыл бұрын

    @@andrewthomson that's quite spooky how often things happen to run out of gas haha. 50ft is no joke to be lugging around

  • @andrewthomson

    @andrewthomson

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kaing5074 meh, their fuel tanks are only so big and they run 16hrs a day. Gotta refuel somehow lol. We fabricated an air driven spool that rewinds them automatically when we throw a valve so it's not so bad lugging them around.

  • @Mr.Manta5988

    @Mr.Manta5988

    Жыл бұрын

    Detatch the container and drive to the nearest fuel station. Or have a tanker with you

  • @globalautobahn1132
    @globalautobahn1132 Жыл бұрын

    0:27 literally where my mind goes every time I hear the question “what’s in the box?“ 😅

  • @johnger850305
    @johnger850305 Жыл бұрын

    By far the most detailed SR-71 or Blackbird related video I've ever watched on KZread, I almost watched every of them and none of them is as detailed.

  • @kcgunesq
    @kcgunesq Жыл бұрын

    There is one on display in Hutchison Kansas at the Cosmosphere. While the entire museum is worth a view, especially if combined with a visit to the salt mine, the Blackbird is in the lobby before you pay to enter. So if you just want to see a blackbird, you can, without charge.

  • @N312RB

    @N312RB

    Жыл бұрын

    And a space shuttle

  • @kcgunesq

    @kcgunesq

    Жыл бұрын

    @@N312RB IIRC, the "shuttle" is a scaled down replica that uses real shuttle tiles. But it is pretty cool too.

  • @adomagala1
    @adomagala1 Жыл бұрын

    I just gotta say that this video and others are very well paced and organized. I actually enjoyed all of the segues to topics! For example, the fuel leaks leading to the panel gaps needed for the heating up of the aircraft!

  • @EllissDee4you4me
    @EllissDee4you4me Жыл бұрын

    “There were a lot of things we couldn’t do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment. It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet. I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn’t match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace. We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: November Charlie 175, I’m showing you at ninety knots on the ground. Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the “ HoustonCentervoice.” I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country’s space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houstoncontrollers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that… and that they basically did. And it didn’t matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios. Just moments after the Cessna’s inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his groundspeed. Twin Beach, I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed. Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check Before Center could reply, I’m thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol’ Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He’s the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground. And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done - in mere seconds we’ll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn. Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check? There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground. I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: Ah, Center, much thanks, We’re showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money. For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the HoustonCentervoice, when L.A.came back with: Roger that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one. It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day’s work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.”

  • @SR71GIRL

    @SR71GIRL

    Ай бұрын

    Beautiful story! 😉

  • @craigs1266
    @craigs1266 Жыл бұрын

    I saw the SR-71 fly out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa in the daylight, spring of 1990. One of the most exciting things I've ever seen.

  • @FATHERKNOSEBEST
    @FATHERKNOSEBEST9 ай бұрын

    I Absolutely Love These Videos and any Documentation I can find on THE SR71! I turned 65 this year and every year I become more nostalgic. Born in Torrance back in 1958 I can remember my father talking about this beautiful jet to my mother. In Spanish! 😂 We moved to Burbank later then to San Diego when I was 5 years old. Dad would come home on the weekends. He always brought me a Benjamin Franklin Half Dollar but, I remember one particular morning he said to me; "we're building a jet plane that will fly from Los Angeles to New York in about 2 hours. It stuck in my head because he was excited about having a part in welding it together! The sr71 Blackbird! I took my Benjamin coin and went outside to wait for the ice cream truck. 😇 The Rest is History! 😎

  • @FATHERKNOSEBEST

    @FATHERKNOSEBEST

    Ай бұрын

    I just turned 66. Has anyone seen The SR71 up close?

  • @remydaitch9815
    @remydaitch9815 Жыл бұрын

    Would've asked for $7,000 if they were so quick with $3,500.

  • @Asuka2077

    @Asuka2077

    Жыл бұрын

    Be careful with that, don't ask more than your life is worth, and with that I mean how much would it cost to hide ur dead ass lol

  • @Succcccccccccccc

    @Succcccccccccccc

    Жыл бұрын

    And then woken up in a CIA black site

  • @mckusipaska7964

    @mckusipaska7964

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Succccccccccccccthey would gladly pay 7k

  • @lazerbeamAndCo

    @lazerbeamAndCo

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mckusipaska7964 even 7k is like a pocket change for such angency.

  • @remydaitch9815

    @remydaitch9815

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Succcccccccccccc that doesn't track

  • @derekedge2089
    @derekedge2089 Жыл бұрын

    Getting to see a Blackbird at my local airshows was a real treat, as a kid. Gorgeous bird. I knew nothing about it's capabilities, but still knew it was something special.

  • @jamescreation6612
    @jamescreation6612 Жыл бұрын

    I absolutely love your videos brotha, thank you for all the effort you put in.

  • @Nikkk6969
    @Nikkk6969 Жыл бұрын

    Im about to see the SR-71C this weekend and am so excited, it’s been my favorite plane my whole childhood. Perfect time to get recommended this video

  • @resurgam_b7
    @resurgam_b7 Жыл бұрын

    I'll never not watch a documentary on the SR-71, no matter how many times I've seen all the information before 😂It is one of the most impressive aircraft every developed.

  • @ronfish8375
    @ronfish8375 Жыл бұрын

    This is an incredible video. The sheer amount of effort and insane detail put into the generated and recreated footage is mind boggling.

  • @thenationdecides7404
    @thenationdecides7404 Жыл бұрын

    You might think the hard bit was machining titanium, but it's not what you think. The hard bit was actually everything

  • @andrewwillingham2287
    @andrewwillingham2287 Жыл бұрын

    This is the best review of the Blackbird family I've seen. Nicely done!

  • @ryanoberfranc9664
    @ryanoberfranc9664 Жыл бұрын

    If you are ever near Blackbird park in California, go lay it a visit. There is a living legend who works there who has flown multiple sr-71 variants and even the test flight of the b-2.

  • @Eduardogiven
    @Eduardogiven Жыл бұрын

    If a family saw an accident involving some secret Russian project, I'm sure that instead of $25,000 they would have had to go live in the gulag

  • @ryanreedgibson
    @ryanreedgibson Жыл бұрын

    I got to see the SR-71 when I was eight. Our third-grade class took a field trip to Tucson. I spend the entire time at the air museum looking and walking around the blackbird. The engines and cockpit electronics where missing, but it was still awesome. None of my classmates seemed to know anything about it. One even got mad at me on the bus ride back and told me to stop talking about it. It is one of the very few memories I have of third grade.

  • @zhuguidai
    @zhuguidai Жыл бұрын

    I think this is my favorite KZread channel. Would love a behind the scenes for the effort, research, number of people, the channel history, and information, etc

  • @joelkeddie9460
    @joelkeddie9460 Жыл бұрын

    I really enjoy the visuals on your videos, historical footage is so much more interesting than an illustration, and they’re applicable to the topic discussed!

  • @NotWhatYouThink

    @NotWhatYouThink

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, and yes, we do our best to find relevant footage as much as possible.

  • @UrMomGoes2College
    @UrMomGoes2College Жыл бұрын

    I love your longer videos like this. Your narration writing is excellent

  • @Indiana_James99
    @Indiana_James997 ай бұрын

    My grandfather, Robert Walker, was one of the head engineers that worked on the SR-71. He was always very quiet about it (he was a very humble guy). It’s fascinating learning more about the blackbird after his death. I wish he were still alive to talk about it.

  • @Whodey-AJ
    @Whodey-AJ Жыл бұрын

    My grandparents noth were SR-71's. The stories and photos they brought back from their flights were awesome.

  • @jodydolphin79
    @jodydolphin79 Жыл бұрын

    growing up during the 80s and 90s the blackbird was my favorite airplane.. so sleek and fast, it just looked tough and badass.. amazing design..

  • @ajword81
    @ajword81 Жыл бұрын

    I was at that Oct 9th, 1999 airshow. It was bittersweet being there for the last flight.

  • @Anonymous..VQ3.5Lg35

    @Anonymous..VQ3.5Lg35

    Жыл бұрын

    That must’ve been epic to hear that bird!!!

  • @Yabroproductions33
    @Yabroproductions33Ай бұрын

    My grandfather worked on this plane in the 50’s and was very excited to share everything he had done when it became declassified. His company made the repair and operation manuals for many Lockheed Martin aircrafts. He took secrets to the grave.

  • @daddypig.5796
    @daddypig.5796 Жыл бұрын

    Iconic bit of engineering. A subject of major fascination for me as a kid, along with the tornado, harrier and the vulcan. Manned flight at this level is such a phenomenal achievement, regardless of the machine’s true purpose.

  • @johnpaulbacon8320
    @johnpaulbacon8320 Жыл бұрын

    Great video. The SR-71 Black Birds are my favorite planes. I am lucky to live in Washington state. Seattle is just a little bit north of Federal Way where I live and I have gotten to and can go to the Boeing Museum Of Flight when I can - the Museum has the sole surviving M21 / D21 pair also there is a cockpit that was recovered from a crashed SR-71 and you can sit in the cockpit. The Museum has a lot of aircraft and other items - The "Red Barn" Boeings original headquarters can be gone through. :)

  • @Krasniye

    @Krasniye

    Жыл бұрын

    the MOF is cool but honestly I liked the McMinnville Evergreen aviation museum more. For anyone interested in cold war aircraft they let you get right up close and personal to them unlike the MoF which keeps you far away. Probably wasn't supposed to but you can easily get close enough to touch everything. So I gently ran my hand across the SR-71s paint because I wanted to see how it felt. It's a real shame that museum has been struggling so much

  • @WatchFelineSpine

    @WatchFelineSpine

    Жыл бұрын

    Are they all called SR-71?

  • @johnpaulbacon8320

    @johnpaulbacon8320

    Жыл бұрын

    @@WatchFelineSpine There all Black Birds - SR-71 is the model flown by the USAF.

  • @onebridge7231
    @onebridge7231 Жыл бұрын

    It’s a badass plane when you dare an enemy to shoot at you just to collect data on the missile.

  • @kennethmiller81
    @kennethmiller81 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely love going to see the one at the space and rocket center in Huntsville, I live like 2 hours away

  • @darksun4523
    @darksun4523 Жыл бұрын

    The ultrasonic fusing of the window and aperture would make a fascinating episode of its own.

  • @stopsign2594
    @stopsign2594 Жыл бұрын

    "please do not try this at *home* " Ah yes I have a SR-71 fuel at home

  • @ibbylancaster8981
    @ibbylancaster8981 Жыл бұрын

    Such an amazing aircraft designed on a slide rule. Imagine if Kelly Johnson would have had the technology we have now , back then? Still an unmatched marvel.

  • @salampresisi
    @salampresisi Жыл бұрын

    Reminds me of the greatest copypasta ever made "There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact..."

  • @SR-rq1ot

    @SR-rq1ot

    Жыл бұрын

    Share the name of the copy pasta? Or a link? I would like to read it

  • @andrewcroyle6208
    @andrewcroyle6208 Жыл бұрын

    Crazy enough. A few years ago I seen a big ass semi with a police escort through a small town near mine with a big ass box (not as big as that one) but covered up and had a few of them. Weird.

  • @JAMESMANHUNT9
    @JAMESMANHUNT9 Жыл бұрын

    One of the two yf12 planes that crashed serial number 61-6934 suffered a fire while landing and destroyed her internal systems but the rear fuselage survived and became sr71c 60-7981 which is now at hill air force base.

  • @brandonogden4272

    @brandonogden4272

    Жыл бұрын

    Is that what that is? I haven’t been to hill since I was a kid, and can hardly remember if we had one, I’ll have to go visit next time im in utah, I only lived but a couple miles, when I was SUPER young, probably 6-7, I got to see a B-2 fly above me coming from base

  • @JAMESMANHUNT9

    @JAMESMANHUNT9

    Жыл бұрын

    @@brandonogden4272 yes that's the only sr71 that couldn't fly straight after the accident

  • @justineo5529
    @justineo5529 Жыл бұрын

    I like how the part of the CIA's secrecy method is "Shut up and take my money!"

  • @Greenmachine305
    @Greenmachine3056 ай бұрын

    This documentary is absolutely fantastic. I cannot express how impressed I am with the curation of this channel.

  • @daleryanaldover6545
    @daleryanaldover65459 ай бұрын

    My grandfather... well he's a cool man, while he did not worked with SR-71 himself. He was the driver on one of those trailers shipping blackbirds. Thought it's fine to share this since people's grandfather in the comments is surprising to have worked with SR-71. He's having a memory loss due to his age but he always had kept a portrait of him in the living room where he is shown smiling near the trailers he once drove. I didn't know what the cargo was, said he couldn't remember what's inside, just knew from the image that it is really a wide object in a seemingly weird shaped box. After watching this video I realized those were blackbirds! I wish I could show you the portrait in the comments.

  • @rykehuss3435
    @rykehuss3435 Жыл бұрын

    3:48 "if youre new to War Thunder" dont even think about installing it, save yourself a lot of future hair loss

  • @corruptedname8839

    @corruptedname8839

    Жыл бұрын

    Ye it makes you mald unless you spend money

  • @NineSeptims

    @NineSeptims

    Жыл бұрын

    too late I'm already top tier in the game no turning back

  • @ripinpieces8387

    @ripinpieces8387

    Жыл бұрын

    I wanted to get into it, my type of game, it's just too complicated to get into like I want to

  • @B01

    @B01

    Жыл бұрын

    World of warships/world of tanks is better for playing without paying. Have had years of fun in warships and spent less than what I would have for a typical AAA title, prob $20-30 total. Just don't buy shops outright and won't spend much to have ton of fun

  • @Photosounder

    @Photosounder

    Жыл бұрын

    I never understood people like you, the best planes are around BR 2.0, there's literally no point in going to BR 4.0 or beyond.

  • @loganwhite8094
    @loganwhite8094 Жыл бұрын

    I remember the story’s my grandfather told me when he worked on the SR-71, there is some crazy cool stuff.

  • @theyeeterg
    @theyeeterg5 ай бұрын

    my great grandfather was a lead engineer in building the blackbird at some point in his life, he was a very interesting person

  • @mo0nstonegirl
    @mo0nstonegirl Жыл бұрын

    This reminds me of one night out in Raglan, New Zealand I was at the beach drinking with my buddies and smoking some green stuff close to 1-2am. We were parked up (I know, so cool - not) listening to music when we saw these strange flashing lights across the road by the museum. They were there for a good while so eventually we decided to go and check it out. When we started heading toward them, they left their spot and drove past us with a HUUUUGE asf trailer and all we could see under the tarp covering it was big rubber looking tubes. Good few cars in front and behind leading it. Naturally we turned to follow it. They drove right up to the harbour and started putting this thing into the water and before they done anything, a lady came up to us and said 'you can't be here'. Clearly military or army of some kind. We talked about it being public land and she again very nicely said we had to leave, and then told us what they're doing is confidential. Anyway we agreed, and left, but instead of going home we parked by the museum where we'd seen them initially, turned off the lights and watched. A freaking hover boat. We then saw them toze the water up and speed away. I'll never ever forget that night lol.... A hover boat. I mean wow 😂

  • @kylervoie

    @kylervoie

    Жыл бұрын

    What year was this?

  • @mo0nstonegirl

    @mo0nstonegirl

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kylervoie Between the years 2007-2008 at the Te Kopua Domain out there

  • @antoniohagopian213
    @antoniohagopian213 Жыл бұрын

    SR71 wasn't a misreading, the head of the usaf liked it better then rs71 and lobbied for the president to read sr71. But since it was a last moment change the press thought he made a mistake.

  • @Martin-hb4il
    @Martin-hb4il Жыл бұрын

    To this day, this is in my opinion, the coolest looking, most literally awesome aircraft ever produced. It was so far beyond it’s time. Some say its too advanced and must have been reverse engineered from alien tech. I think that idea detracts from the mind-blowing work done by the ingeneers, scientists, materials researchers, test pilots, etc. It only took 60 years from first flight of the Wright brothers (thank god they weren’t the Wrong brothers)(yes I know it’s a bad dad joke), to the flight of this insane beast of a plane.

  • @MrJdsenior

    @MrJdsenior

    Жыл бұрын

    Agreed, it is a beauty. Go look up the SPRINT missile. Be prepared to be amazed, same time frame. How about zero to Mach 10, lower atmosphere, glowing MUCH brighter than and incandescent light bulb filament, from air friction alone, about three seconds into the flight. The temp problem there wasn't 600 degrees, it was six THOUSAND degrees, but for a few seconds only. Very different problems that the two programs faced, and some that were actually quite similar. It was designed to take out ICBM RVs coming in at close to Mach 20, and did, IIRC 19/19 in the final 19 tests. There were some SPECTACULAR failures during the testing phase, though. My father met one of those SR71 pilots once and the fellow said that no missile could take out an SR71. Dad laughed and said that he couldn't even tell him much of anything about the program he was working on, but that it would be declassified one day, and he would see that Dad's "it would be like fish in a barrel" was absolutely true. If you can hit something whit hot screaming down through the atmosphere at those speeds, hitting something flying straight and level at Mach 3 is cake. He also met one of the test pilots from the Bell X1 program that told him that Chuck Yeager was NOT the first to fly sustained controlled supersonic flight, that it was one of the test engineers. That guy wasn't the golden boy Chuck was, though, PR wise. I imagine there is a lot of that stuff that has occurred down throughout history.

  • @mtgAzim
    @mtgAzim Жыл бұрын

    There's a Blackbird event that not too many mention or seem to know of. In '95 or '96 (I can't remember now) an SR-71 had developed some kind of engine trouble and had to land at the Mitchell international Airport in Milwaukee. I believe they said they had to use the commercial runway because the nearby military one wasn't long enough for the Blackbird. As far as I know, it was one of the only times that an operational Blackbird was able to be seen landing and taking off a few days later by the general public. By operational, I mean not part of a display or airshow. I was about 5 years old at the time, and it flew right over me as I sat on top of my dads white jeep Cherokee, that was at the end of the runway. There were a lot of other people there too, but I don't know if any had camera's. I've never seen any pictures or videos surface from that event. If anyone else who was there happens to see this, say hi.

  • @Fran_SG
    @Fran_SG Жыл бұрын

    A great vídeo telling a great history!!!

  • @TexasLegionaryGuard
    @TexasLegionaryGuard Жыл бұрын

    Our founders great grandfather was part of designing the black bird. It truly was a amazing aircraft for its time and still is.

  • @bighulkingwar_machine1123
    @bighulkingwar_machine1123 Жыл бұрын

    OMG That civillian footage at around 15:15 of the rare unstart to mach speeds was unbelievable!

  • @mojust777
    @mojust777 Жыл бұрын

    i was sobbing the whole time, where do you get all these images and videos, so awesome man!

  • @Dommy2Hotty
    @Dommy2Hotty9 ай бұрын

    That was a GREAT video! Thanks!

  • @TheMemeBorrower.
    @TheMemeBorrower. Жыл бұрын

    I don’t really know anything about planes. (Even after watching this video.) But I think I can definitively say that I have a favourite plane now. What a beautiful piece of machinery!

  • @gwho
    @gwho Жыл бұрын

    19:30 flybys on enemy territory are almost always information gathering - whether it's taking pictures with camera, or testing weapons defense systems and their locations and temporal habits.

  • @F-22.
    @F-22. Жыл бұрын

    20:05 black bird pilot: we do a little trolling

  • @Kenneth_James
    @Kenneth_James Жыл бұрын

    19:53 love that.

  • @15Kilo
    @15Kilo Жыл бұрын

    SR71 60+ years ago…..imagine what they have now and we won’t know for another 30 years

  • @flechette3782

    @flechette3782

    Жыл бұрын

    Satellites do most of it. Mach 25.