My dad worked for Lockheed for about 25 years and just recently retired. He still can’t talk about a lot of it due to security although he was ‘only’ a software engineer at the Deer Creek facility in Colorado. A good friend that he worked with had flown in an SR71 and worked with Chuck Yeager. Also I just realized I have one of those same fold up AR7 .22 survival rifles 😊 it’s all plastic and super light I didn’t realize they had them too. I think they were more for survival hunting than combat lol

So far I've been privileged enough to be able to visit six of the Oxcart ladies as they sleep on display. Every single one takes my breath away.

In the mid 50's, the U.S. government needed to find a way to successfully weld titanium. A small tool and die shop in Brazil Indiana found the solution. By welding titanium "in atmosphere" the welded joint was structurally sound. Thatt same process that is still. used today. My grandfather was the tool room supervisor over this project. I 1st heard this story a few years ago and put 2 and 2 together. I believe the sr-71 was the reason they so desperately needed to find a way to weld titanium. Either way, makes me proud of my heritage and my country! God bless the USA!

I did the voiceover for this. I am so proud to be a part of this project. Dan Rankin is an amazing producer.

Aloha….As a retired Air Force member I was fortunate to start my Air Force career as a mechanic on the SR-71 and then 10 years off and on with the Blackbird program to include the U-2/TR-1. Mahalo nui loa for sharing!

The SR-71 Blackbird. Americas king of the skies.

In 1979 or 1980 this black plane broke many windows at the Argonaut Rowing Club in Toronto. Just the shaking broke the huge panes of glass.What a dream plane.

Thank for listening and watching this

Yes, I saw this bird fly over us in the Tonkin Gulf while on station flying strikes...the whole CIC went nuts...the teletype went crazy and the officer on duty had to de-scramble our ready launch aircraft when it was advised , SR-71 overflight...1971. It took the Blackbird only minutes to turn over all of north vietnam and overfly us again.... rush ! What a rush on the radar screen !!!!

Interesting tour, having a veteran SR-71 pilot as your tour guide is as good as it gets.

SR71 Blackbird . One AWESOME Aircraft. .

While serving in the US Marine Corps, I remember being thrilled at seeing the SR-71 flying over the island of Okinawa, which is where Kadena AF base was located. This was 1978/79.

American military engineering is the top in its field.

What level of professionalism and character. Absolutely loved this. 🇺🇸

These records are the "published" records. The real story is untold.

Ever since I was a kid, I always thought this was the coolest looking plane.

Most awesome aviation thing I've seen was late eighties March Air Base show, two black bird passes. First low speed flyby. Second one, low pass close to runway, then hit afterburners and went up in front of us almost vertical. I'm sure I wasn't the only one looking up with my mouth open as we saw a plane the size of a 727 roar like a rocket ship and disappear in the clouds in seconds. The good old days our kids will never witness.

The coolest airplane ever made by mankind.

My daughter and I were so priviledgded to be one of the first groups to enter the Vehicle Assembly Building (NASA Hanger) at Cape Kennedy when the guide asked us to turn around in the darkened hanger, and there, only feet away, was the space shuttle Discovery. Wow! What a moment! Good to see it is being enjoy by many now. Good memories.

Am so Happy and Glad to watch this. God Bless My Country America. Yes I said it.

Good work done by Montgomery College for the veterans!

The double sonic boom over the Hanoi Hilton has always been my favourite use.

This was a very effective way to handle this kind of documentary. The classroom lecture and then more detailed explanations from the narrator. Having Col. Kinego relate his experiences and profound sense of duty just makes it so real and how can anyone not feel proud of this man and everyone connected to this aircraft.

Don't miss this amazing presentation by Colonel Joe Kinego, USAF (retired). He is remarkably good!

The bullet fact was the one that blew my mind

Dear Montgomery college, thank you for this upload. It was great. I use to watch the SR-71 fly in Okinawa in 87-88. Semper. fi. Marine Corps. ooh rah

Building Oxcart was the original reason for Area 51. I saw the doc with the test pilots and all the covering up they had to do when the Soviet satellites go over. They had to change the heat signature of the plane they were working on because they can pick that heat up and they would know what it looked like. AMAZING!

I generally write negative or stupid comments most videos I watch nowadays....but this was just pure Awesome and Amazing to see what we can do with a slide rule and some guys that keep the pedal to the metal On everything they did .... I'm happy You tube removed my Foggels for a few minutes of Great education and Fun ! GOD BLESS AMERICA! And all of you !

Many years ago now, a Blackbird made an appearance at my local (40 mi. away) air show. I was working a Saturday when a gawd-almighty roar filled the shop; I ran out the side door and saw a young man on a nearby loading dock: "Did a big black plane just fly over?" Yes, he said, it did. Damn, I missed it. A few minutes later the sound began again and I sprinted for the door. The 'bird had already roared overhead and and was rapidly climbing and receding to the west. Then the afterburners kicked in, blue flames right and left, and it vanished like a sci-fi spaceship going into warp drive. That was the only glimpse I ever had of one. I figured it was a good part of the way to Hawaii by the time I sat down again.

Richard says thank you. finest presentation of the Blackbird I ever saw. Habu

There is one of these magnificent aircraft (retired) on display, in Warner Robins Air Force Base, in Warner Robins, Ga. It is at the Museum of Aviation. It is one of the most beautiful aircraft I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in person. The pictures you see of one, is nothing in comparison to see it physically. It is definitely an awesome sight.... Another aircraft that used to be there also, was, the B-1 Bomber, it's another of my favorite aircraft...

The most challenging Aerospace project ever...Nobody in early 1960 believed that a Mach +3 plane could be built by using Titanium as structural material only..Kelly Johnson/Ben Rich , the greatest duo ever worked in an aerospace project..Kudos to William Brown of Pratt&Whithey as without his J58, the most advanced jet engines ever created , the SR-71 would never have reached Mach 3.2 at 88.000 feet and sustain this performance for a duration of 70 minutes without slowing down ..This is where the Russian MIG-25 or -31 couldn't cope with.

Well I never thought I would see a documentary so well produced, balanced and with respect for your veterans. I’m from Australia and this is one hell of a great way to help your fine, and often so young veterans rejoin the normality we take for granted. Great doco, best I’ve watched in a long time… sensitive and respectful, full of terrific information but more so, it’s about getting the veterans to be able to get their lives back from whatever difficult situations they may have had to face… that Colonel is a cracking host with an amazing wealth of knowledge.

I was in the Air Force at March AFB in Riverside, California a few decades ago. The SR71 came to our airshow and I remember being off base when the plane flew at it's slowest speed over a housing area at low altitude. Incredible looking and sounding plane. The next day I was on the flight line when it left. It left the ground and raised it's gear but remained a couple hundred feet off the ground. Just before the end of the runway it nosed straight up and disappeared into a cloudless blue sky like it was never there. I've always thought it was the meanest and best looking plane in AF inventory.

This is a beautifully produced piece. Congratulations to the MCTV team and producer/director Dan Rankin for the two Telly Awards this episode just received!

Great to hear the little anecdotes you get from the actual pilot. I'd love to have a few beers with him and hear some wild stories..

This teacher/ pilot is awesome.

Ah yes Slide Rules, many beautiful, legendary and cool machines were invented and designed with the help of Slide Rules.

He is Bloody awesome 👍🏻🇦🇺❤️🇺🇸

Eye was caregiver for Col. Spike em Wright! When Nature Called, We Referred to those "Handy Dandy Texas Cathidars", When On The Go. Spike had been used to flying faster than most, so it was his way, even from a wheelchair. Great Human Being. It was a privilege to be in His company.

My dad knew COL Kinego & I went to junior high with his son as well. He is a great American.

What a voice of that man giving lecture.fantastic lecture

What a fantastic guy to listen to and what fantastic place to go and see. Amazing engineering.....all done without computers and design programmes..........Real engineering....Serious respect...awesome!!!

Being former Air Force myself and an aviation nerd, I loved this video.

Japan’s leaders recognized that their situation was hopeless and were seeking to surrender. Truman still dropped the bombs.

Straight from the pilot. Kinego himself. Fantastic story.

Every Airman in the USAF who takes survival training, quite a few, is versed in how to evade (run like he$l) the enemy and survive (rating grub worms and pine cone nuts, for example) in the event of being shot down. Thanks for the great coverage!

Great episode, nice to see history told and described by the ones making it.

What an excellent orator.

Excellent! I am 48 years old and I have been a fan of this marvelous spyplane since I was eight, and I really enjoyed this lecture where some aspects were finally clear even considering I I have been learning about this airplane scenes decades ago. Very Great and enjoyable lecture thank you very much from Mexico City

Awesome video. From one vet to another, thank you all for your service.

The SR-71 is my favorite aircraft. Maybe not as heavily armed as the Eagle but it's gonna sneak up on them MiGs real quiet like and shoot them with its camera. My neighbor is an old F-4 Phantom pilot. He saw a little action in Vietnam. I keep telling him to write a book. He had his share of close calls and narrow escapes from MiGs. These are my 3 favorite aviation books: - Her Majesty's Top Gun by Sharkey Ward - A Reluctant Warrior by Kenneth Volker - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson

Awesome video. I was born at Cannon Air Force Base ( Hospital ) , The "BlackBirds" are my Favorite family of Planes.

Absolutely spectacular video. I never knew multiple bombers launched on the atomic bomb missions. Thank you for this presentation.

Thank you for this. Loved watching it.

Black bird: one fine plan!!

That was brilliant. Thanks. xx

Wow! He is a gifted speaker! Very interesting lesson!

Love this video. Saw some footage up high at speed for a brief few seconds. How cool is that!

that was awesome! thanks so much for making this

You know what i like about this plane,as mean as it looks,it saves lives,an is pure speed ,pure human intelligence with no death.

That was a incredibly fascinating talk. What an amazing fella

GREAT VIDEO, thank you for putting this together and posting it.

Great presentation- thank U!

Awesome video. Great to actually be walked through it by an actual pilot of the plane.

WELL DONE! Thank you!

I could listen to him all day!

Excellent I enjoyed watching this video from a former Air Force guy

Only 2 words for this air craft BAD ASS

A fantastic video. It brought back some memories of my dad who worked on the SR-71. He was not able to tell us much of what he did in the Skunk Works but we knew what he did was very important. I have seen the plane fly over at an air show at Point Mugu. It creates a silence among all spectators and bring tears to everyones eyes. Thank you for this.

Very well done!! I would also like to thank you for your services Vet's!

ThanK You Sir' and to Every1 that puts on a Uniform .

if you were a commercial airline pilot in the late 50's or 60's or even 70's and you saw that plane flying twice as high as you at twice the speed...you would think it was an alien aircraft. Even TODAY it looks futuristic.

Brilliant lecture and a brilliant aircraft.

I feel privelaged to hear stories like this from amazing people. Thanks for posting this.

Awesome video! Thanks. A British Electric Lightening intercepted a U2 at 80,000 ft. It zoom climbed to 84,000 ft and then intercepted it on the way down. This shocked the hell out of the Americans!

Thank you for such an entertaining lesson. The Blackbird is one of my favorite subjects to learn about.

What a great presentation video. Enjoyed it immensely....thanks a bunch

Outstanding presentation!!

Thanks people.

Col. Kinego's presentation is meat to my soul. My low aptitude for math has been a hindrance to my high aptitude for technology. The Colonels was very adept at making the technical conseptual which kept me engaged and was easy to follow. He verified many things I had heard and surprised me with things I hadn't. Would love to meet him and pay my respects.

Great video, thanks for making this. Joe Kinego was interesting to listen too.

Absolutely fantastic!!

This is one of the best doc's I have ever seen on the Blackbird, and the help they are providing for ex servicemen and women is fantastic. Wish I had seen it 4 yrs. ago when it first came out. Mr. Kinego you are spectacular. Keep up the great work. You, Sir, are a very good man. Kudos to you Sir. Would have loved to have served under your wing. Jim in Yosemite, Ca.

Big thumbs up. An excellent video, thank you very much.

Great documentary, superbly narrated by Retired Air Force Colonel Joe Kinego. SR-71; what a beautiful, amazing aircraft. Kelly Johnson, Thanks for your vision and guidance that ended up in this fantastic aircraft from the Lockheed Skunk Works.

Fantastic. Excellent!

Incredible stuff thanks so much !! Really impressive and interesting !

This was and is truly stellar

Amazing. This is on the bucket list.

Excellent video. It was very interesting to learn some of what was behind times and events that I have lived through!

Awesome video really enjoyed watching it!

Fascinating insight. Great post.

One of the best docs I've seen.

That’s pretty neat about the sonic boom, and super cool about the star dates and tracking stars! Really enjoyed the video, always liked the “war stories”.

Outstanding

Fantastic!! The format in was exceptional. Really grabbed my attention and kept me interested all the way to the end. And to see the planes inside was just outstanding. Why haven't I found this sooner? Don't know but...Oh my, I enjoyed it now.

The actual "Fastest" Reconnaissance Aircraft ( Spyplane ) was the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) Lockheed "Skunk Works" built A-12 Archangel of the "Oxcart" Program. It's not as well known but it did conduct Reconnaissance Operations over Vietnam and North Korea in the 1960s before being retired early in favor of the twin seat Lockheed "Skunk Works" SR-71A Blackbirds of the United States Air Force like the one seen here that was supposed to replace but later supplemented the Lockheed "Skunk Works" U-2 Dragon Lady built for the CIA under Project "Aquatone" that was later used also by the United States Air Force. The Lockheed SR-71A and SR-71B Blackbird was retired in 1995 by the United States Air Forces and in 1999 by NASA, but the Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady is still currently in service by the United States Air Forces and by NASA as the ER-2. The Lockheed A-12 Archangel was a single seat aircraft and a special UAV ( Unmanned Air Vehicle ) Drone Carrier version called the M-21 was built to carry the Lockheed D-21 Drone on its back, but never became practical because of the danger of carrying them in that configuration. They where later carried by Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Bombers and dropped for their recon flights. So a lot of people think the SR-71 was the fastest Reconnaissance Aircraft but most never knew about it's A-12 brother or even the YF-12 fighter version that was never produced. Have a blessed day! 🇺🇸♠️🔱🦅

The best plane ever ! Legendary ! Bucket list item for sure 👍

Excellent video...Thank You for sharing