- 18 hours ago
For educational purposes
Breaking records in speed and sustained altitude, the SR-71 spy plane was one of the airforces best kept secrets of the 1960's.
Its technology and achievements astounded even the experts of the day.
Breaking records in speed and sustained altitude, the SR-71 spy plane was one of the airforces best kept secrets of the 1960's.
Its technology and achievements astounded even the experts of the day.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:30Transcription by CastingWords
01:00On the 1st of May, 1965, an American plane designated YF-12A set four world records.
01:12One for sustained altitude and three for speed, including a mark of 2,070 miles per hour.
01:20While the achievement was hailed in Washington, it did not add any joy to the annual May Day festivities in Moscow.
01:27Following the high-profile record-setting flight, the aircraft receded into its customary obscurity.
01:37Record-breaking has been the public face of one of history's most mysterious families of aircraft, the Lockheed Blackbirds.
01:45These planes were so ahead of their time that radical new methods and materials were developed to build them.
01:53The technology they employed and their achievements astounded even the experts of the day.
01:58The Blackbirds were so far ahead of their time that they seemed unreal.
02:03The planes, and in fact the entire program, was so secret that their existence had not even been suspected.
02:25In February 1964, when President Johnson officially revealed the existence of the plane, the experts were astonished and the general public, uncomprehending.
02:37The confusion was further heightened when the President mistakenly referred to the plane as the A-11, when in fact it was the A-12.
02:46Further confusion arose when photos of the wrong plane, a fighter version under development, were circulated.
02:53Four months later, a third aircraft in the family, the SR-71, was announced.
03:07The world's first aircraft to cruise at speeds above Mach 3 came from Lockheed in a series of proposals for a high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
03:21Limited approval to develop the twelfth of these submissions was given, hence the number A-12.
03:27The date was the 29th of August, 1959.
03:31On the 30th of January, 1960, an order was placed for 12 examples.
03:38Literally everything on the aircraft would have to be invented from scratch, right down to the paint.
03:44Yet the first flight would take place only two and a half years later.
03:55The original concept gave rise to four models.
03:58Following the reconnaissance A-12 version, the design appeared as a long-range interceptor for the Aerospace Defense Command, called the YF-12.
04:08The refined reconnaissance version, the SR-71, emerged in 1961.
04:15There has also been a smaller espionage drone version, the D-21, which is still almost totally shrouded in official secrecy.
04:28The security surrounding these planes over the years is not in any way surprising.
04:38They have been centers for the most secret activity, and as a result, have been secrets themselves.
04:44Facts about them have been part of an envelope of carefully controlled information.
04:50For example, the records they set in 1965 were no reflection of their full capability.
04:57The figures were simply sufficient to be radically new marks.
05:02This was suspected by some of the time, and demonstrated later.
05:06The planes have shown more of their capacity, and set new records since.
05:10Typically deceptive, the program to develop the Blackbirds was given the codename, Oxcott.
05:34Obviously conjuring up a mental image of lumbering wooden wheels in a slow, lurching motion.
05:40An ironic reference, given the abilities of these planes.
05:59Some figures about the aircraft are available.
06:02An SR-71 is 107 feet long.
06:06Its wingspan is 55 feet, and it stands over 18 feet high.
06:11It carries no armaments.
06:13Instead, its payload was made up of cameras and sensors.
06:17Empty, it weighed over 67,000 pounds.
06:20And its maximum takeoff weight was given as over 172,000.
06:25It could speed along with its 3,500 pounds of reconnaissance equipment for an unrefueled range.
06:32Of 3,250 miles.
06:35However, figures are not necessarily facts.
06:38They serve more perhaps as guidelines.
06:40For example, the 32 SR-71s were built, in all likelihood is correct.
06:45But it is really only a confirmation that at least that number were built.
06:50The Blackbirds originated at the beginning of the Cold War, from political needs in an era of growing uncertainty.
07:10Ironically, they reflected the danger of security.
07:14The unease generated by the Soviets' nuclear capability demanded more intelligence gathering.
07:21An absence of facts always encourages speculation.
07:24And speculation concerning the bomb has a tendency to generate paranoia.
07:29President Eisenhower promoted an open skies policy to permit reconnaissance overflights.
07:39The Soviets declined.
07:40However, the proposal was not simply a polite inquiry.
07:44It was also an effective declaration of intent.
07:47The U.S. would be taking a look at whatever was there, no matter what the residents might think.
07:53The nuclear stakes were seen as too high to permit any other course.
07:57In the early 1950s, the United States had a real requirement to overfly Russia to find out the status of their development of long-range missiles.
08:17There was no airplane in the United States or in the world that could safely overfly Russia at that time.
08:22In the early 1950s, Lockheed made an unsolicited proposal to Trevor Gardner, the Undersecretary for Research and Development for the Air Force, on a very specialized airplane.
08:35We promised to build, within eight months, 20 airplanes for $22 million, including spares, that would do the job required.
08:45The program was turned over to the CIA, who then chose Mr. Richard Bissell, an economist, to run the program.
08:55Richard Bissell became a very good engineer, and he not only was our director on the U-2 program,
09:02but he also followed through with the development of the Mach 3 Blackbird.
09:06When I first met Kelly, I had been working for nearly a year for Allen Dulles.
09:14I joined Allen's organization early in 1954.
09:19Toward the end of November, I was summoned one afternoon into Allen's office,
09:23and I was told, with absolutely no prior warning or knowledge,
09:30that one day previously, President Eisenhower had approved a project involving the development
09:37of an extremely high-altitude aircraft to be used for surveillance and intelligence collection
09:45over denied areas in Europe, Russia, and elsewhere.
09:49We had, on the basis of Kelly's proposal, an almost impossible schedule to meet.
10:01It was almost impossible for Lockheed, but I can assure you that it was also an extremely tight schedule
10:08working within the bureaucracy.
10:10The mission of the plane, to overfly the USSR, dictated several things.
10:20First, it would have to fly very high, to be outside the range of interceptors and anti-aircraft weapons.
10:27It would also need a very long range.
10:29There would obviously be no fuel stops en route.
10:32These two aims complemented each other.
10:34Being out of range, the plane did not need to go particularly fast and could cruise economically.
10:41The shape which emerged was that of a glider with extraordinarily large high-aspect wings
10:47and reflecting an obsession with weight conservation.
10:51The prototype arrived at the Groom Lake test site on the 29th of July, 1955.
10:57Kelly Johnson's impossible, self-imposed schedule was met.
11:01The plane flew on time.
11:04As part of the secrecy, the designation U-2 was intended to give nothing away.
11:31The U stood ambiguously for utility.
11:34In fact, the U-2 has performed many roles in addition to its primary espionage function.
11:40And the word utility has proved, over time, to actually be a fair description.
11:45The U-2 is a demanding plane to fly.
11:52There are many things about maneuvering this powered glider in extremely thin air at great altitude
11:57that are not applicable to flying any other aircraft.
12:00For example, at altitude, there is only a very narrow envelope between its stall speed and its entry into transonic flight,
12:08the point at which supersonic airflow over the wings begins.
12:13In the U-2, at 70,000 feet, these two points were about 12 knots apart.
12:17Below 400 knots, you would fall out of the sky looking for denser air.
12:22Above 412 knots, your wings might come off.
12:26This is a very restricting slot to occupy.
12:28Over the years, with increased load and more powerful engines, the gap actually narrowed to less than 5 miles per hour.
12:37Given the stresses of the missions and the fragile nature of the planes,
12:53Kelly Johnson did not expect the U-2 to have a long lifespan,
12:58particularly when the frustrated Soviets concentrated their attention on knocking it down, as they most certainly would.
13:05However, the design has proved to be enduring.
13:07And the very unusual step was taken in 1979 of restarting production.
13:13And the plane was rechristened the TR-1.
13:19The TR-1 maintains the design and abilities of the U-2.
13:25The aircraft that Kelly Johnson's team produced provided a solution that is as valid today as it was in 1954.
13:37Of course, optical cameras are no longer the primary loads of U-2s or TR-1s.
13:55Which now fly electronic and communications intelligence missions using their high-flying capability and small size.
14:14But these technological spying measures were not the original reason for U-2s.
14:20And in the 50s, that reason, to overfly Russian territory, carrying cameras and taking photos, was a priority.
14:28But as the likelihood of the Russians developing weapons to shoot U-2s down increased, so did the urgency of replacing them.
14:37A new plane was needed, one that could fly much faster, if one was no longer protected by being out of range of interception.
14:46Then, one needed to be able to outrun it.
14:49About a year after that first flight in 1956, I came to the conclusion that we should start working on the successor to the U-2.
15:05Because it was clear to me that sooner or later the U-2 would be vulnerable to interception.
15:10It was not a matter of simply commissioning the final design and production of an aircraft that was within, although at the edge of the state of the art, as had been the case with the U-2.
15:25This time, it was a really pioneering effort.
15:38The U-2's replacement was equipped with four large equipment bays to handle a wide range of specialized reconnaissance and surveillance gear.
15:47Mission equipment included side-looking radar, a terrain objective camera, two operational objective cameras, two technical objective cameras, and infrared mapping, mission recorders, and an EMR system.
16:13The airframe is essentially a blended body and delta wing built around two huge engines.
16:20The long forward fuselage performs a number of aerodynamic functions.
16:24Its flat profile helps the Blackbird achieve a low radar visibility while retaining plenty of room for fuel and payload.
16:32The chines on the fuselage effectively make it act as a lifting surface and help improve directional stability.
16:39The enormous engines are positioned midway out on the wing and are housed in nacelles that have unique intake systems to control airflow.
16:51This is a critical factor in generating the plane's amazing power.
16:56Because of the Blackbird's speed, its wings are very thin, and a large part of their area is taken up with a honeycomb of fuel storage.
17:06But most of the fuel is carried in five tanks that occupy the majority of the fuselage.
17:11It's worth noting that in 1958, when the plane was first being developed, even the most advanced fighter designs of the day were flat out at Mach 2.
17:33They had ranges and operating ceilings that were hopelessly short of the espionage requirement.
17:40Everything about this new plane would be revolutionary.
17:43There would be new materials for the aircraft's parts, and even the machines to make the materials and parts would have to be developed from scratch.
17:52Lockheed had some experience with titanium fabrication, but this would be only a starting point for the metals needed for the job.
18:04The plane would have to withstand very high temperatures for long periods.
18:09Different areas of the skin would be between 800 and 1100 degrees Fahrenheit at Mach 3.
18:15As a result, despite the expense of the material and the research and development costs of inventing it,
18:22around 93% of the plane is composed of a titanium alloy.
18:32Of course, metals designed to operate under extreme conditions require even more extreme conditions to fabricate.
18:39Some of the major parts had to be shaped in a huge press designed to operate at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.
18:47No such press existed before the need for parts for the Blackbird, so it had to be developed.
18:53In fact, the company would go through countless experimental processes in developing the aircraft.
18:59Many samples were produced, but the standards to be met were so rigid that a high proportion were rejected.
19:07Eventually, parts of reliable strength and integrity were produced, but only after much anxious trial and error,
19:14and an undisclosed, but presumably very large expenditure.
19:19Hot forging of the metal in special ovens and presses was only the first step in the processing.
19:45These shapes were, in effect, rough outlines of the parts.
19:49The forgings then had to be machined to extremely fine tolerances.
20:01The milling machines were advanced designs.
20:03Tape-controlled early robots with special cutters developed by Lockheed to handle the metal.
20:09The cutting fluid was new, too.
20:11One of its features had to be that it would not corrode the titanium alloy.
20:16At each step of this plane's development, everything was either new or specifically adapted, right down to the smallest factors and the most routine processes.
20:32Finished parts then moved into sub-assembly processes.
20:39Finished parts then moved into sub-assembly processes.
20:42Once again, everything was affected.
20:44Spot welders had to be specially adapted.
20:47Normal tools had to be recast in different metal.
20:51Nothing could be taken for granted.
20:53Early in the project, Kelly Johnson offered $50 to any one of his staff who could come up with an easy problem to solve.
21:01The impish humor barely disguises the core truth in the offer.
21:06The designers had to develop the aircraft in the abstract.
21:14Their function was, as much as possible, to foresee the implications of each consideration
21:20and to follow them until each problem had been identified and solved.
21:25They did this without the aid of digital equipment.
21:28They did it in the main with slide rules, pens, and bits of paper.
21:32There were many problems that arose, either unseen or half-appreciated, during the course of early production.
21:39And there were flaws in the original A-12s that were dealt with in later models.
21:44However, the project ran very smoothly.
21:46And the success of the design team has remained a pinnacle of engineering achievement, despite the passage of years.
21:53Each Blackbird came together as a series of sub-assemblies, with each of the major fuselage and wing components being produced in two sections.
22:08In part, this system was developed to save as many man hours and as much assembly space as possible.
22:16Not only would the skin of the plane be subjected to extreme heat, the same applied to the interior.
22:28Wiring, which could be relied on at 900 degrees, had to be developed.
22:33The problems and solutions went on.
22:35Of course, no matter how good something looks in theory, there's always a need for more practical reassurance.
22:44A full-scale static test program was conducted.
22:48The kind of aerodynamic loads the aircraft would experience in flight were hydraulically forced,
22:54and the integrity of the design was studied.
23:04Individual components were also tested to destruction.
23:08Wheel assemblies were subjected to violent landings and various lateral stresses
23:13to test not only the landing gear, but also the tires and the brakes.
23:24On the 30th of September, 1964, the YF-12 became the first of the Blackbirds to be presented to the press.
23:36It can safely be assumed that no one turned down an invitation voluntarily.
23:41In aviation, this was the story of the day.
23:45During the presentation, journalists were able to study the plane at close quarters, meet its makers,
23:58and watch a demonstration of the aircraft in flight.
24:02As with many things about the Blackbird, it's difficult to determine where the plane's original concept came from.
24:19Kelly Johnson said that at times the early work began as a long-range interceptor,
24:24a role the YF-12 was expected to fill.
24:28Johnson was adamant that the submission was a serious contender for a fighter contract,
24:33and not merely a cover for intelligence planes.
24:37The YF-12's obvious external difference was the cutaway of the chines at the nose to accommodate radar needs.
24:58To compensate for the loss of stability caused by the cut-down chines,
25:03small central fins were added under the engine nacelles,
25:06along with another larger central fin, which was lowered once the plane was airborne.
25:11So, we'll try not to take the chance,
25:13but the drone is to be able to identify for the rearrangement on the surface of the plane.
25:14So, a huge meu belt is able to display the force of the plane to Crisis Airborne.
25:18As for your next steps, we will continue to display the plane's AH-8654.
25:19We can still see the plane's in the design of the plane's in the pose,
25:20here in time, as well as the plane's going to be on the plane's plane's plane.
25:21So, it's the plane's plane to be on the plane's plane.
25:22It's the plane's plane.
25:23Now yet, we can still go through the plane's plane and for the plane's plane.
25:24So, we can see the plane's plane.
25:25Both will agree.
25:26And we can still deal with the plane's plane aids and fear.
25:28It's advanced flight, even though the plane's planes,
25:29the interception fighters function is to catch something and shoot it down when the fighter is
25:48flying faster than a bullet guns are not of much use rockets capable of launch at Mach 3 did not
25:56exist in 1960 so once again something had to be invented because of the blackbirds the Hughes
26:06developed missile system for the YF-12 would later be reborn as the Phoenix system of the Grumman F-14
26:13Tomcat because the big black plane was never adopted as a long-range interceptor as a sole
26:20function aircraft it simply did not fit the prevailing mood
26:24many people were astonished at the decision for if the requirement had
26:51been solely for an interceptor then surely here was the plane however politically it reflected
26:57the wrong philosophy resentment over the decision lingered for many years
27:09now coming to the YF-12 and the SR-71 I guess perhaps the unique thing the real unique thing about those two
27:24airplanes unhappily is we built the wrong one we built the SR-71 which undoubtedly is the finest
27:33airplane that has ever been built but in terms of what the need for this country was at that particular
27:38time I think Kelly will agree with this we built the wrong airplane today we don't have an interceptor
27:44that can really bear the name of interceptor and here's an airplane that 14 years ago was exceeding all
27:52the world speed and altitude records even today in the form of the SR-71 is a considerably greater airplane
28:01than anything we have but we needed an interceptor and we didn't get it
28:05Kelly Johnson had to accept with some bitterness that this masterpiece would not be produced in
28:20significant numbers only a few would ever be built and they would be shrouded in the most effective security
28:27possible limiting manufacture to the SR-71 reconnaissance version ensured the mystery of the Blackbird
28:34third whereas the more public role of a fighter version might have allowed the crescendo of
28:39worldwide acclaim that the achievement warranted the SR-71 was announced by President Johnson on July 24th
28:491964 it came as somewhat of a surprise to Lockheed because the SR-71 was supposed to be the RS-71
28:58or the R-71 the R stood for reconnaissance and the S ambiguously for strike however it was decided that
29:06the president's name would stick as standing for strategic reconnaissance
29:10the SR-71 took off for its first flight on December 22nd 1964 the flight was a complete success
29:22everything worked and the pilots and mechanics were happy with the aircraft
29:26the flight testing program proceeded well most major problems having already been sorted out during
29:35the experience of the A-12 and YF-12 projects
29:38the SR-71 progressed to acceptance tests at Edwards Air Force Base on August 13th 1965
29:53and proceeded smoothly through testing and into service
29:57enough information about the Blackbirds continued to seep out to ensure that they became one of the
30:12most famous secrets in the world aircraft enthusiasts came to know enough about the plane and its capabilities
30:19to develop an appreciation of the achievement it represented
30:23then in September 1974 the Farnborough Air Show received a very special visitor
30:45the SR-71 had flown from New York to London in one hour 54 minutes 56.4 seconds
30:53needless to say this was a record aviation enthusiasts turned into fans and film processors made a small fortune
31:11whenever the SR-71 turned up at an air show it attracted a large crowd on its own in fact even the
31:18unfounded rumor that one would show up led to good crowds the SR-71 spent so little time in public that this was understandable
31:26on its way back to the U.S. after the 1974 Farnborough show the SR-71 set another record London to Los Angeles in three hours and 48 minutes
31:45this included rendezvous for refueling in flight in terms of local times it arrived about four hours before it took off
31:54among other records claimed by the blackbird was the flight on the 26th of April 1971
32:11which covered 15,000 miles in 10 and a half hours non-stop this was the equivalent of San Francisco to Paris and back
32:20the U.S. Air Force flew its SR-71s with the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing based at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California
32:32California they received their first blackbirds in January 1966 in the next 24 years they flew
32:41thousands of long distance missions regular deployments were made to bases around the world
32:47and flights covered most of the world's surface
33:01only top of the line pilots were eligible to fly the SR-71 requirements were about the same as for
33:08the astronaut program there were no shortages of applicants for the job however
33:38there were no fancy escape capsules built into the aircraft Kelly Johnson figured that the spacesuit the
33:47pilot wore was already an adequately controlled environment and he concentrated on how to get the
33:52pilot clear of the plane at Mach 3 the ejection seat and parachutes inevitably had to be specially developed
34:09of course there is no real way to test such an escape system obviously you cannot simply take a blackbird up
34:16to Mach 3 at 80 000 feet and shoot the crew out at some point in the process you have to accept whatever
34:24can be proved in adequate tests and deduce the rest
34:40at those heights and speeds what was achievable could at best be only partially guaranteed
34:46over the years at least 11 SR-71s were lost for various reasons and several crewmen died
34:54the blackbird was troublesome to maintain and became progressively more expensive to keep flying
35:15each airframe had its own personality a fact that pilots became very aware of
35:21this may in part be due to the nature of the metal Kelly Johnson asserted that each flight above Mach 3 would
35:29effectively re-temper the alloy theoretically giving the planes the strength to go on forever
35:35however coupled with what was essentially hand construction this also gave each plane its own characteristics
35:43pilot instruction called for a special training variant the SR-71 was a plane
35:52unlike any other and simulators and other training aids were little preparation for the real thing
36:03the trainer sat in a second cockpit stepped above the normal clean lines of the airframe
36:19it was cramped and afforded little view but there was only so much that could be done to the shape
36:25without losing supersonic ability to give an example the a12 trainer nicknamed the titanium goose
36:33was not even capable of flight at Mach 2 far short of the standard aircraft's ability
36:40most of the serious candidates for the job of SR-71 pilot had logged over 3 000 flying hours
36:46there were around three jobs a year and one can only guess at the number of applicants
36:51one pilot colonel robert powell was to log a total of 1020 hours flying the SR-71
36:59this meant that he had more hours in his logbook at above Mach 3 than any other pilot in the world
37:05in those hours he flew over a million miles he also earned 17 air medals and two distinguished flying crosses
37:25kelly johnson led a team of designers that produced a string of remarkable aircraft
37:30from the second world war p38 through the p80 f-104 u2 and the blackbird family his workshop became the
37:39most celebrated aviation think tank of all time the designs produced were always adventurous but
37:45practical assessments of the problem to be overcome as an engineer he was courageous and as a team leader
37:52he was a dynamo he expounded simple virtues in a world of complicated considerations
37:59it appears to have been his belief that his greatest achievements were in getting the best out of his
38:05subordinates his only experience in supersonic flight came in the a12 trainer for the father of so many
38:13remarkable aircraft designs this was surely an experience he would savor for many years
38:28kelly johnson would probably have preferred a trip in each blackbird wouldn't we all it is not
38:42surprising that there were so many applicants for the job of pilot it is also not surprising that the
38:49criteria were exclusive selection for the training took about a year special care was taken to weed out
38:57top gun types sr-71 operations required a steady team-oriented temperament that was as important as a
39:06security clearance the ability to manage the systems correctly and constantly was given as much weight
39:15as flying ability at over 30 miles per minute there is not much piloting to do once a mistake has been
39:22made no one could be allowed to fly one of these birds like a cowboy
39:39a critical key to the blackbirds had been the development of a fuel that would not burn
39:44simply because of the heat in the tanks which like the rest of the plane got very hot at high speed
39:51in addition unlike virtually any other fuel it had to be burnable at extreme altitude
39:58once the fuel had been developed other problems seemed small by comparison
40:04soon after each takeoff the plane refueled
40:20in some aspects blackbirds are quite basic to allow for the expansion of the skin at mach 3 heat
40:28there are corrugations like an old ford trimotor in addition to save weight and complexity the skins
40:35are also the fuel tanks fuel actually leaks from an sr-71 constantly until it heats up expands and seals
40:44the tanks and once hot they stay hot even after a blackbird lands it is unwise to touch it because you
40:52may burn your hand
41:05time did not pass these planes by admittedly the pilots continued to face a traditional array of round
41:12dials but the surveillance system cockpit became home to a procession of advanced technologies
41:19as computers became smaller the functional capabilities of these big spies increased
41:26they already presented the peak of operational capabilities an sr-71 can survey 100 000 square
41:34miles of territory per hour that has been a fact for a very long time
41:40what it can glean from that area in that hour has during its lifetime increased considerably
41:51when work on the blackbirds first started a basic fact to be accepted was that normal tools
41:57which are coated in cadmium would cause corrosion of the titanium alloy normal tools were out this
42:04aircraft was a major step forward and everything changed or did it kelly johnson probably thought that
42:13he was starting a new technological race that the next generation of aircraft worldwide would be
42:20blackbirds of some sort or another that the next step to higher speeds or perhaps more refined maneuverability
42:27would push past the new marks that his masterpiece had created
42:38but that was not the way it went the russians developed small bands of high speed limited range
42:45fighters which were in large part drones because their weapon systems were controlled from the ground
42:52the pilot's only real function was to land and take off the aircraft and try to get the fighter in close proximity to its target
43:00apart from soviet attempts at interceptors kelly johnson's masterwork continued to rule the skies
43:16what the cia and u.s air force did with them remains very secret but there is enough information
43:23about their operational parameters and the equipment they could carry for one to spend hours in informed
43:30speculation about what they actually did
43:46back when kelly johnson's design team set to work on the problem of a u-2 replacement
43:51they studied anything that could be considered a possibility among their early work was a proposal
43:58for a hydrogen powered space aircraft which johnson described as a big flying vacuum bottle
44:05this was well outside the technical ability of the time and was dropped the plane that evolved
44:11bore no resemblance to a vacuum bottle super sleek and futuristic the a-12
44:17it should also have been outside the technical feasibility of its era but has flown into history
44:24as one of the greatest achievements in engineering and one of the greatest aircraft ever constructed
44:38the air force was paying a reported 400 million dollars a year to keep its 20 sr-71s operational and congress
44:56decided this was too much the allocation was cancelled the blackbirds were doomed
45:06they had spent their entire career in secret
45:16they had spent their entire career in secret and the immensely high cost of developing them
45:24was probably their best kept secret sometime in the next century information about them may be released
45:31until then much about the sr-71 remains a mystery
45:37the last sr-71 flight on march 6th 1990 was a fitting end to the story
45:52the plane flew from california to washington in 68 minutes 17 seconds the flight was another record
46:12there has been no other plane like the blackbird there probably never will be if a major factor in establishing the greatness of an achievement is to compare it with its contemporaries
46:29to what do we compare the blackbird certainly nothing else of 1958 vintage and nothing that has been produced since
46:38the blackbird stands alone and is probably the greatest aircraft ever built
46:45that at least is not a secret
46:58the blackbird stands alone and is patented out of last year
47:03is not a secret
47:06not a suspect
47:07but in theirstrip
47:09is not a suspect
47:12we have done in some cases
47:14but it is safe
47:14we have done in some cases
47:16there is an accident
47:18and we have done it
Comments