1989 VHS footage of SR-71 Blackbird inflight refueling while flying out of Kadena AFB Okinawa.
Пікірлер: 754
@ilanberelejis34454 жыл бұрын
2020 and this is still the strangest, yet most beautiful machine that mankind has ever conceived.
@santiagoecarbajal Жыл бұрын
That we know of so far.
@sennfred1830 Жыл бұрын
no, my coffee machine it is😂😂
@laKennyr Жыл бұрын
I would argue B2 looks a bit stranger than sr-71😂 that thing looks just like an 🛸 if we are not told
@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248 Жыл бұрын
I have to agree.
@Cynsham Жыл бұрын
I think it's of a design that truly is so far ahead of its time that it almost seems alien. It's crazy to think that the craziest aircraft that looks most like a spaceship capable of warp speed was designed using slide rules back in the early 1960's.
@bigjoel35992 жыл бұрын
It is still to this day mind boggling to know that this magnificent piece of a enginuity was built from the mind, slide rules, calculators, and trial and error. No computer graphics design
@mattmenefee3889 Жыл бұрын
That and no one had ever built anything out of titanium before.
@michaelloder6159 Жыл бұрын
Thank Kelly Johnson for that!! One hell of a math guy!!
@bbaff8622 Жыл бұрын
and done in record time. something like 6 months.
@DrMurdercock Жыл бұрын
We were smarter back then. I believe this to be true due to the fact that now a days, we rely on technology to remember things for us as to where back then, you remembered everything. For example, those old enough, think about how many phone numbers you knew as a kid. We all must have known at least 20 phone numbers. It also blows my mind how the SR71 never caught fight while waiting to take off considering it poured fuel out everywhere due to the airframe not being properly expanded due to the thermals of high speed flight
@bbaff8622 Жыл бұрын
@@DrMurdercock most of the JPs IE 5 and 7 do not light up very easy.
@michaelbell9475 Жыл бұрын
Came across this footage by chance and it brought back fond memories from long ago. That left seater is Captain Jerry Varner my aircraft commander during that Kadena deployment and I was the boomer MSgt Spike Bell. Both of us now long retired.
@Vlad_Portnov Жыл бұрын
It’s amazing that a random KZfaq video of this beast has comments from the people actually working with it. Thanks for sharing! This must require a crazy amount of skill and concentration to pull off. How many times did you get to complete the refueling?
@boostintalon96 Жыл бұрын
So you were actually the one operating the boom in this video?
@edjarrett3164 Жыл бұрын
What a great mission. I’ve flown with both of these characters and they’re both top notch. Ed Jarrett, Beale alumni.
@colinashby3775 Жыл бұрын
Amazing that the tracker is going flat out and the sr71 has to almost idle and juggle power as it gets heavier.
@edjarrett3164 Жыл бұрын
@@colinashby3775 when the SR is approaching half full on gas it will have to light a burner. It’s flying at a high aoa and has to stay in the flight envelope.
@hankh62242 жыл бұрын
Can you imagine the first people who saw this in the 60’s who first saw this and what they must’ve thought- Looking at it in 2021 it still looks so far ahead of it’s time
@togowack Жыл бұрын
Everything we have has been re invented. Before our time in the ancient days they had things that would shock people today. Photos from thousands of years ago are beginning to make their way onto youtube though during this reset.
@delten-eleven19104 жыл бұрын
The SR-71 looks relevant as 5th-gen jets today; was decades ahead of its time. Just imagine an airshow flyby of a SR-71 flanked by a F-22 and F-35.
@rickyanthony4 жыл бұрын
Naw, this is a rare interracial.
@suunto614 жыл бұрын
Imagine what they have today we don't know about.
@SlipFitGarage4 жыл бұрын
Yes, please!!!
@neilbishop16864 жыл бұрын
@@suunto61 Yes but drone type A/C aren't near as exciting compared to the Habu.
@RipRoaringGarage3 жыл бұрын
@@suunto61 Nah, all you gotta realize is the kinds of people that go to college today. They can hardly design paper airplanes
@bryanguzik3 жыл бұрын
One of the most almost magically engineered projects of the period. The half - century? No matter, forever incredible.
@DavidEVogel3 жыл бұрын
I am fortunate to have seen the SR-71 refuel from inside the KC-135. I moved to the back of the aircraft, and set to the side of the boom operator. As the SR-71 closes distance, I remember thinking “Holy shite this is really happening!”
@yhird2 жыл бұрын
Still the most beautiful aircraft ever built. Great video.
@alant9517 Жыл бұрын
The pilots are so blessed
@danielorbell45174 жыл бұрын
You could put any other aircraft up in the sky, anything that man has built before or after, you can even throw a UFO in there if your that way inclined, with all their alleged wizardry, but nothing will ever capture my attention like that aircraft. For me, there is just some unexplainable awe that they invoke.
@davehudson14784 жыл бұрын
It was beauty and power. They will never make its equal.
@danielorbell45174 жыл бұрын
I agree Dave. Like a classy lady, brandishing an M16.
@bendeleted91553 жыл бұрын
UFOs went back home and reported seeing the SR-71. Got reassigned to mental institution.
@jshipley0013 жыл бұрын
Me too
@miminewman94953 жыл бұрын
It was a thrill to watch it take off and land at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Unforgettable.
@altsticksman19512 жыл бұрын
My stepfather was a Skunkworks engineer. He was so brilliant that he was just bizarre. He had a triple Doctorate; Physics, Philosophy, Religions. That alone seemed off the wall to me. He had several Patents that paid him well, and Lockheed kept him on Retainer when he retired. Interesting character!
@evodawg4 жыл бұрын
My dad was an engineer on the SR71 and Skunkworks Projects. Including X15 and the Bell aircraft. He also was involved with the F-111.
@chrissmith13604 жыл бұрын
Yes sure he was.
@asiftalpur37583 жыл бұрын
My dad too!
@xandercage22933 жыл бұрын
@@chrissmith1360 stfu your just mad your dad didn't do anything cool like that
@chrissmith13603 жыл бұрын
@@xandercage2293 go back to playing fortnite kid.
@norinco87243 жыл бұрын
@@The300ZXGuru It was meant to, moron.
@goldenmanuever11764 жыл бұрын
If we had technology in the 50s/60s to make that, imagine what we have now....
@cryopunch4 жыл бұрын
Aurora
@matthewwindisch94494 жыл бұрын
SR-72
@klab39294 жыл бұрын
We can reach tripple the speed now, but we can't have it manned due to the g-forces. Check out the Nasa x-43. Also the new stealth fighter F-35 :)
@user-ge8fn4jr5q4 жыл бұрын
corona
@losttribe30014 жыл бұрын
Advance satellites, drones, and an active intelligence agency. While the SR-71 is one of my favorite planes, there isn’t too much of a need for these types of planes.
@jayb2961 Жыл бұрын
Lived at Beale as a kid and marveled on a daily basis as the SR would fly around with the T38 chase plane right behind. Early 70's to the early 80's. We'd go to the Beale airshow every year. Incredible flybys and one on display with canopy covered of course. Never saw them when I was active duty but, was flying over Sydney, NE, in 93 and heard a Blackbird call sign radio that he was entering SLC and calling out an outrageous time to over Sydney. I was in a Huey so, could not get any altitude to see him. Never saw him but his radio traffic was indicative of the incredible speed he was moving at. Great video!
@louisjacques80853 жыл бұрын
I was fortunate to be part of ground support for the SR-71 at Beale AFB Ca in 1965/66. Biggest thrill was when I did an engine start on the run up pad for the first SR-71 delivered to Beale. On the run up pad we trimmed each engine in afterburner. What a thrill.....
@DavidEVogel3 жыл бұрын
I was also stationed a Beale AFB, but not until 1976. I moved with the U-2 aircraft from Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ to Beale AFB.
@joeg5414 Жыл бұрын
@@DavidEVogel i worked in airfield management and was around the u2 a lot. Loud as fk. I used to hate when they would depart at 5am waking the whole damn base up 😂
@dgrat100 Жыл бұрын
was a crew chief on the 135s at beale from 66 to 70 remember the sound of the buick wild cat engine used to start the 71 great times
@redcapote476011 ай бұрын
I spent 4 years as a kid at Beale, from 88-92. My step dad was ground crew for the SR. I feel so fortunate to have spent that time at Beale. I think about it all the time. It was a magical place for me.
@stevenfrawley8866Ай бұрын
I wish I could have seen that. Maybe a little jealous. Lol. Tell your step dad I said thank you for the service. He was truly apart of history!
@jimmurphy6095 Жыл бұрын
Huge respect to both pilots, and mad props to the cameraperson
@RangieNZ4 жыл бұрын
That boys and girls, is how baby-blackbirds are made.
@brandondaniels94713 жыл бұрын
@@danielrunyon8534 ikr 🤣😁
@delten-eleven19103 жыл бұрын
Yeah...a fledgling D-21 drone piggybacks momma.
@myusername36893 жыл бұрын
@Lis wtf
@drips10302 жыл бұрын
😂😂😂😂👊
@nitroneal48 Жыл бұрын
Lmao
@baileyhendrickson15174 жыл бұрын
Nice video. I like how the camera zooms in on the various parts of the aircraft. The SR-71 was such a beast.
@lordfargone82194 жыл бұрын
1989 and the quality is pretty good.
@ddorn043 жыл бұрын
Thank you to the servicemen for the dedication and skill it takes to do this. Nerves of steel, no distractions doing what exactly has to be done.
@Mogry515 жыл бұрын
Simply breathtaking. Thank you sir!
@davidmihevc39904 жыл бұрын
Everything about the Blackbird was just awesome. I have always been fascinated with this aircraft. I had the opportunity to to listen to actual pilots and techs talk about their experiences in the SR program a few years ago at the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in Mcminnville OR. I hung on every word these guys said.
@xboxgorgo183 жыл бұрын
Even the way it leaks fuel if it was grounded?
@xelanoxin4 жыл бұрын
God I love this video. I work at Tinker AFB in Okc, Oklahoma. I've always loved planes and the best one to be 100 yards away from on takeoff on a roof 80ft up is the B1B lancer, its deafening.
@mudskipper00754 жыл бұрын
There just no words ,this is from the 50’s sometimes I can’t get my head round that...👍
@octaviusdelmonte90194 жыл бұрын
Perhaps, but at the end of the day it's just metallurgy.
@Texaca4 жыл бұрын
@@octaviusdelmonte9019 --- and Technology and Engineering!
@tm13tube3 жыл бұрын
No wonder there were UFO sightings. I doubt this was the only miraculous thing in the sky.
@robertsullivan47733 жыл бұрын
I bought a $5000. Watch made of Titanium just so I could have something this amazing creation was made of.
@flipchipchips40343 жыл бұрын
@@robertsullivan4773 ur cringe
@ChrisDIYerOklahoma Жыл бұрын
Still remains the KING of SPEED. So ahead of it's time...even in Sep, 2022. I got to see one in the Boneyard Museum in Arizona and physically touch it. It is like seeing a UFO from Omicron Seti 5 or some other Sci-Fi dreamed up world. It is one sexy machine -- out of this world looking air/spacecraft. It doesn't belong on the ground aging away...it belongs in the sky breaking it's own records. I know the economics and technological advances killed it off...but, the KING of SPEED deserves better IMHO.
@dronepro7316 Жыл бұрын
What also killed it off was the advent of satellites. Remember: SR 71 had no offensive or defensive capabilities. It was there to take pictures at a high altitude for reconaissance purposes.
@velocitymg Жыл бұрын
Same, I am from Australia and visited the states many years ago, and stopped by the museum in Houston Texas and they have or had one out the front. It was the most beautiful aircraft I have ever seen, I remember reaching out and touching it like in a dream. Just amazing.
@Sammydx12 жыл бұрын
Absolutely amazing. That black beauty coming out of the clouds
@j.m.15243 жыл бұрын
Just think, they designed those beauties with a slide rules and pencils..
@ricardocandela19364 жыл бұрын
Awesome skills from pilots and crews, thanks for making such a fascinating video and for sharing it!!!
@touchm33 жыл бұрын
This has better quality than CCTV cameras during a crime
@johnnyholland87652 жыл бұрын
I once worked with a boom operator on KC135 tankers. He said you would be laying on your belly at the boom controls and aircraft would appear out of nowhere like humming birds coming to a feeder...
@xTravisMarx4 жыл бұрын
Wow! On the ground it looks like a fancy concept plane but in the air it looks almost surreal in it's design.
@0sh0tgun04 жыл бұрын
Now THIS was AWESOME to watch ...
@slowneutron61633 жыл бұрын
The Blackbird is still the most elegant aircraft ever to grace the sky. The F-22 runs a close second, but the SR-71 can't be beat.
@jternesto19813 жыл бұрын
I agree 100percent!
@53glowe Жыл бұрын
Concorde?
@RipRoaringGarage3 жыл бұрын
I saw the SR-71 at an airshow in Europe. It was something I can never forget. It was the clearest day you can imagine, and you could see the snow capped Carpathians from Bucharest, as well as the Black Sea, and watching him go out until you couldnt see anything, then a dot, then a silently growing silhouette, low fly by and Mach...only he knows (and ATC lol). The benefit of air shows in a former communist bloc country, right after 89. No FAA or any kinds of regs so these guys knew they could do stupid cool stunts. Did windows break? Yes. Did your ears ring? Yes. Did some people feel their guts rumble so much they puked? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. What happened to you America? XB-70, SR-71, 747, F-14...Younger kids will never know this growing up.
@lesteralford51893 жыл бұрын
This is the coolest aircraft ever made.
@DeltaTango2 жыл бұрын
Agreed. The KC-135 is the coolest airplane ever made! (But I'm biased as a former Cold War SAC crew chief)
@clearingbaffles2 жыл бұрын
Actually I think it’s the hottest just look at leading edge temperatures and even fuel temperatures in the tanks but it’s a sweet ride
@clearingbaffles2 жыл бұрын
The 135 is balls to the wall and the SR driver is using all his tricks to keep from stalling
@liquidbraino2 жыл бұрын
And it was designed by hand - not with computers.
@billhenry36092 жыл бұрын
And the fastest.
@jungletension28354 жыл бұрын
There's a beautiful SR-71 at the Air and Space Museum in Dulles Virginia
@pascalburcker37144 жыл бұрын
Still a beauty !!! One of the most exciting birds .....
@robertgolden1080 Жыл бұрын
That’s history right there. Such an outstanding airplane.
@scottbennington29364 жыл бұрын
Airforce- What's the MPG on that model? KellyJohnson- Not sure...but it gets better the faster you go?! God bless all the test pilots and engineers at Skunkworks.
@seanbradley38063 жыл бұрын
On that beast it was game not mpg but she was worth every bit of it
@NicholasSpartan4 жыл бұрын
80.000 pounds in 15 minutes.... and of you go ! What an amazing bird !
@RifullOfTheWest3 жыл бұрын
Considering this was 1989, the film was pretty steady, we are so pampered today with image stabilization lol.
@souloftheage2 жыл бұрын
Incredible that humans have come so far and we have the knowledge and technology to do this.
@quicksilver4622 жыл бұрын
Im sure most of you know, this bird had ductwork that bypasses the compressor stages of the engines at high enough speeds, this "ram air" was fed directly into the combustion section for mix with fuel and burning, this increased engine power, all the while reducing fuel consumption! GENIUS, ... eFFing GENIUS!!
@mostlynew2 жыл бұрын
The most impressive feature of the aircraft IMO.
@richardmillhousenixon Жыл бұрын
This is a slight misnomer. In actuality compressed air was bled out from the 4th stage of the compressor into bypass tubes which led to the afterburner
@quicksilver462 Жыл бұрын
@@richardmillhousenixon Thanks for the correction!
@alexgataric Жыл бұрын
I saw an engine at the Air Zoo in Michigan. It was quite impressive.
@wicked11722 жыл бұрын
Those were some very nice smooth and precise contacts by the Boom Operator.
@sgtphil65retiredinfantryco764 жыл бұрын
What a magnificent aircraft.
@hotchihuahua15464 жыл бұрын
Wicked engineering marvel , and it was made in the USA ! 🇺🇸
@victorparker3084 жыл бұрын
Right here in L.A.! For decades Southern California was the epicenter of America's aerospace industry.
@Weptek9114 жыл бұрын
Before computers with slide rules and such.
@matthewwindisch94494 жыл бұрын
With Russian titanium....🤣
@nczioox11164 жыл бұрын
@@matthewwindisch9449 That the Russians unwittingly sold to their enemies
@matthewwindisch94494 жыл бұрын
NCZIOOX I know.. Kinda funny.. They must have been steaming when they found out..
@rollingthunder62154 жыл бұрын
KC 135 MUSTVE BEEN FULL THROTTLE!!!!!
@matthewpeavy28634 жыл бұрын
No doubt
@BartHull4 жыл бұрын
It was, the throttles were full forward when they showed the cockpit view. God knows what altitude they were at also.
@a-hvlogs20464 жыл бұрын
theaviationgeekclub.com/former-sr-71-pilot-explains-why-the-blackbird-had-to-light-one-afterburner-during-aerial-refueling/ Check this out!
@rsrt69104 жыл бұрын
Yeah, and the Blackbird was on the verge of stalling.
@shimmySchermerhorn-dk1gi4 жыл бұрын
400 mph is standard for most refueling..SR71 pretty stable at 400 MPH..
@yuvanbaldwinew92823 жыл бұрын
The airframe alone is worth more than the fuel and the plane refueling it. They will never be such a awesome jet like sr71. Just awesome
@barryallender48614 жыл бұрын
Incredible aircraft. Looks like it could fly into space.
@drmayeda19304 жыл бұрын
@Big truck The giant No, it can't even do low earth orbit. Very high altitude hypersonic heights. Most aircraft would stall and crash the air is too thin.
@bradjames67482 жыл бұрын
You know you're getting old when you see a top of the line sophisticated aircraft in constant use all the way to becoming dead technology
@dezerep3 жыл бұрын
SR-71: A wonderful testament of the American mind!
@la7dfa Жыл бұрын
Sadly, Donald, the con is the new kind of stable genius people admire. Could not even get profit from casinos.
@matk47314 жыл бұрын
What a fantastic piece of footage 👏. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻👍🏻🙃🙃
@mcahill135Ай бұрын
KC-135 “Q” Model. With the itty bitty J-57 water injection engines. Round dials with the old APN-59 Radar. 2nd generation fuel panel with the “little switches” (for the boost pumps, override pumps and A/R pumps). Digital FSAS display next to the radar scope. Glad I flew the A model briefly, but I’ll never miss it. The R model was a whole lot more fun (and safer) to fly! Got to see several SR-71 launches out of Mildenhall RAFB back in the late 80s. Magnificent aircraft.
@BAYBAY_316 Жыл бұрын
Hard to Fathom that thing was designed in the 1950s. Such a beauty, looks like something from a Sci-fi movie.
@grisslebear Жыл бұрын
It's really amazing that the engine inlet cones, at maximum speed, take 2,000mph air & slow it down to less than 700mph air so the engines can use it to push the plane past 2,000mph.
@quattordicimontenapoleone31134 жыл бұрын
Awesome. No wonder people saw UFOs with that other-worldly thing around.
@koksionglee79783 жыл бұрын
Just wondering, how those pilot do this from the visibility of a pressurized suit... damn they are good!
@FoCoPuffs3 жыл бұрын
The SR-71 has got to be the coolest-looking object ever created by humans.
@marksauck84812 жыл бұрын
It's hard to still look at that plane as an obsolete aircraft that is a museum price now.
@natestakely1478 Жыл бұрын
That 71 flew to Barksdale and out during the air show when i was in. Every yr we stood outside for departure Monday while the sound tore at tin roofs.
@rigmat98724 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing...video quality is great for '89 The beautiful SR71 about to go high altitude
@AnonymousBlix4 жыл бұрын
A beautiful thing to behold
@danapeck53824 жыл бұрын
Amazing skills; no idea how you keep an SR-71 that stable at refueling speeds.
@klab39294 жыл бұрын
I do belive you can actually steer the airplane :)
@Imustfly4 жыл бұрын
Well,...for starters, t's NOT an unstable platform,....from all the accounts I've read, handled very nicely at all speeds.
@Enzoxvx4 жыл бұрын
While refueling it became fairly unstable. The weight increased significantly to the end of sometimes 15 minutes of refueling. The crew had to use one afterburner to keep up with the tanker.
@michaelmichaelagnew85033 жыл бұрын
Remember those planes had two types of engines built into one it doesn't engage the part of the engine that makes it really fast until it hits a very high altitude where the air is really thin requiring them. That's where it goes really fast.
@DanSlotea2 жыл бұрын
@@Enzoxvx i highly doubt they had to use one afterburner, the yaw would have been huge
@iamgriff3 ай бұрын
I laid in a body cast for 8 weeks during the summer of 1989. I built a Testors model blackbird while sitting there. It hung from my ceiling for years and years on some 10lb stren.
@mr.lordfuzzthegeorge8746 Жыл бұрын
Alternate title: Black Bird getting a drink. The SR-71 is literally like two steps away from being a friggin space ship
@jonnymoka4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing Bill!
@bumflik Жыл бұрын
SR-71 is an amazing combination of mathematical metallurgy, aviation, chemistry, and engineering marvel . I put it up there with the Luftfwaffe Horten's Ho 229 Bomber flying wing as being so far advanced and game changing in their respective Era. Alien and majestic both. Just imagine the jaws dropping of common people and adversaries watching these aviation miracles fly upon the blue yonder.
@lucastekkan Жыл бұрын
The HO-229 didn't change anything and had little to no influence in aviation technology
@entropica11 ай бұрын
@@lucastekkanExactly. The SR-71 was on another level.
@vashrulesall Жыл бұрын
I had the pleasure of seeing an SR-71 in person at a museum. I was laughing like a child, It is MASSIVE in person. I even touched it. :)
@topfuelbike95563 жыл бұрын
For me this is like watching "UFO Inflight Refueling 1989" ..So unbelievably unbelievable !
@leefury74 жыл бұрын
We had 57's stationed at Eielson AFB when an SR landed and went straight way into a shed near the end of the runway, just across from the F4 shacks. It was funny, there were 2 F4s at the end of the runway that were about to take off when the SR came out of its hiding. It must have excited them because they took off at max power and did their version of a vertical take off. The SR did nearly a true vertical ascent right past them and then disappeared for about 1/2 hr before "cruising" by. I think I counted 10 rings flaming out behind it. Then our 57's took off. Not sure if they got permission because of the strain on the wings, but they did their own version of a vertical take off. Much more elegant though also much slower. NASA still uses one or two of the 57's as well.
@jerryturner2522 жыл бұрын
B57, F57, what the heck is a 57? J57 was a 135 engine.
@leefury72 жыл бұрын
@@jerryturner252 WB-57. Now NASA is flying them. Also 50+yr old birds.
@jerryturner2522 жыл бұрын
Thanks, my bad.
@DIOSpeedDemon4 жыл бұрын
I bet those TANKER BOYS, wish they were piloting that SR-71!!!
@rsrt69104 жыл бұрын
I bet EVERYONE wishes they were piloting that SR-71!
@harveywallbanger31234 жыл бұрын
Pros and cons. They both fly 18hr+ missions, but at least the tanker's got a bunk and a chemical toilet.
@CoHigh4 жыл бұрын
Do you want to stand on an open deck that high in the air trying to guide that that shit into that black beauty? My answer no.
@GT-fh5no3 жыл бұрын
I bet everyone in that tanker was licking the windows trying to get a look at that absolute legend of a plane
@brutonano952110 ай бұрын
I don't know what's more precise in terms of all elements in order to execute this kind of perfection. A F1 pit crew on a 2 second pit stop or these pilots and refuelers. Amazing.
@biketech60 Жыл бұрын
From Naha AB , Okinawa I saw one approaching Kadena AB a few miles up island . Didn't know they were there , but it's profile is like none other . CHILLS ! Lovely people there .
@alteregos89494 жыл бұрын
The SR-71 was the aircraft that made me want to join the Air Force and become a pilot to actually fly one. Being nearly impossible to become a pilot of one by the time I would have become eligible they decommissioned it sadly. Thank modern satellite photography for its retirement.
@danielbunger62013 жыл бұрын
It couldn't do what it was designed for. That's why it was retired, as it had no real use except recon.
@alteregos89493 жыл бұрын
@@danielbunger6201 yes, exactly. Satellite imagery as i said. But it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sad that such a fantastic airplane was mothballed.
@danielbunger62013 жыл бұрын
@@alteregos8949 it's unfortunate that it was retired. I'm only stating the reason why.
@alteregos89493 жыл бұрын
@@danielbunger6201 oh I know, I wasn’t trying to sound snide or anything. I’m in total agreement with you why it was decommissioned. The ironic part is that it’s still the fastest aircraft in history but being it has no other function than taking pictures is a shame.
@alexgataric Жыл бұрын
Blackbird required a week of maintenance after each mission. Mach 3 is hard on the airframe.
@Xtariz3 жыл бұрын
Rare footage of alien craft making a connection to the mothership
@jessecabaniss40705 жыл бұрын
I can't even imagine
@padroooo Жыл бұрын
I was in Okinawa in 1970 on my way to Vietnam when I saw by first SR-71 climbing out of Kadena. I didn't know what it was.
@vettebecker1 Жыл бұрын
Very cool, love the Blackbird!!
@trentmiller75323 жыл бұрын
“Umm sir, the gauge says we delivered 70,000lbs of gas, but I just washed off the back half of the fuselage with 69,000lbs”.
@mountainmandale1587 Жыл бұрын
That is probably the thirstiest bird in the history of mankind!
@MrSanteeclaus3 жыл бұрын
My first air base was Beale. Where these flew out of also. Loved watching them take off and land
@timothyhopper88043 жыл бұрын
For those traveling down here in the south you can see the SR 71 on display in Mobile. Quite a sight to say the least!!
@triple67582 жыл бұрын
Best part about the Blackbird? Russia unknowingly sold us the titanium to make them.
@snydedon9636 Жыл бұрын
Had to be a huge thrill for that boom operator. Imagine looking down at that beautiful plane? Very cool!
@beagle7622 Жыл бұрын
Mak Brian Shul wrote in his book how terrifying this process could be on a dark stormy night when they couldn’t hook up.
@Ryan-90004 жыл бұрын
Amazing video!
@thebossnocompetition875711 ай бұрын
The most bad ass Plane ever created
@beavishawk16 ай бұрын
Yet
@MatthijsvanDuin4 жыл бұрын
4:58 What he's talking about here is the fact that as the SR-71 gets close to full it starts to have trouble maintaining adequate airspeed at maximum throttle without afterburners ("military power"), so the pilot would have to light one afterburner and for the last minutes of refueling fly with one engine at minimum afterburner, carefully controlling the other engine's thrust to maintain the desired airspeed, and using the rudder to compensate for the skewed thrust. I'm not sure why they can't just refuel at a lower speed, but my guess would be they're already uncomfortably slow for the SR-71 and slowing down even further would just be unsafe (and more unsafe than having to light an afterburner during this nerve-wracking procedure). Another thing that puzzled me for a bit is why increased fuel would cause it to slow down in the first place. -The only plausible explanation I could come up with is that refueling causes the centre of gravity to shift in a way that changes its pitch and increases drag as a result. I know it can move fuel between fore and aft tanks to adjust its centre of gravity but the range of adjustment would obviously decrease as the tanks fill up completely and the centre of gravity when completely filled up has no reason to be optimzied for efficiency at subsonic speeds.- (EDIT: that was silly in retrospect. more fuel means more weight, hence more lift required, which means airspeed and/or angle of attack would need to increase, and more thrust would be required either way.)
@abdulazizsaleh95674 жыл бұрын
i appreciate your explanation... Thanks dude
@joj40964 жыл бұрын
What?
@op3l4 жыл бұрын
I think part of the reason is the engines don’t really work below a speed. Also the speed they refuel at was as you’ve said close to the threshold for control of the 71
@lp11thewolf794 жыл бұрын
Damn you are smart about air to air refuiling
@MatthijsvanDuin4 жыл бұрын
@@lp11thewolf79 this bit of trivia is straight from Brain Shul's "Sled Driver", it's a great read
@RR-pw5nb Жыл бұрын
They have one on display indoors at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson. They have it displayed with the gear down, and it sits' on pedestals that bring the tires up to about waist high. I actually got to touch the airplane, and was thinking that if I got this close to one 25 years ago, I would've been shot on the spot. They also have one of the D-21 drones they launched off the back of the 71. Awesome musem...it's right across the street from Davis-Monthan AFB. The musem offers boneyard tours in buses. If any of you ever are in the Tucson area, this museum is a MUST visit. They have a huge collection, and many are outside. They have alot of one-of-a-kind stuff too.
@heelerhealer7552 Жыл бұрын
As beautiful this footage may be, a stabilized version would be awesomer!
@charlesbonkley Жыл бұрын
Nah, VHS is so in right now.
@asther113 Жыл бұрын
Brilliant piece of engineering, no country on earth has possessed such a powerful machine except America and to think it's already old skool technology.
@mofo7689 Жыл бұрын
As a new Marine (1980s), I was on the rock driving btwn bases. Going along the Kadena runway fence line in the old style JEEP, my driver tells me to pull over and "eyes left" to see a SR-71 take off, go vertical, then level off to a vapor trail I could only assume was a refuel point. Until then, I thought they were only "CIA aircraft". The runways sound did not reach us until we saw it vertical in the sky.
@danfreeman90796 ай бұрын
excellent video quality for 1989.
@Mamahabu2 жыл бұрын
My ex Husband was a Boomer at Beale AFB for 10 years. Got to refuel the SR71 almost weekly.
@OneSkiWonder Жыл бұрын
With the lack of visibility from the pilots, I can't even imagine holding that beautiful beast still long enough to refuel like this. Damn!
@Zouldari3 жыл бұрын
Its like seeing the rarest Animal in the wild.... and you know that nobody would belive you if you told em.
@fuzzy5610 Жыл бұрын
That’s some pretty clear camera work for 1989.
@marty5300 Жыл бұрын
This timeline was America at it's greatest.. how far we've fallen in such a short time :(
@philglover29734 жыл бұрын
Wow that's awesome thanks bud
@bigern324804 жыл бұрын
With all the vintage jets that fly at air shows, You would think they would fly this beauty, I bet people who grew up with the SR-71 would come from miles around.
@jimmurphy6095 Жыл бұрын
The Maint. and operating costs are literally astronomical. It's a shame, but at least they have a few set up all over the country to see. There's one we visited on the Aircraft Carrier Intrepid in NYC that you can just about walk up to. Very cool birds.
@stevecurd3944 Жыл бұрын
fanatstic footage i loved as a kid watching Blackbirds flying out of Raf Mildenhall in the 80's