The SR-71 Blackbird

 I was kind of hoping to go out and catch ships today but I got kind of a slow start and missed one of the ships that I really wanted to catch.  As I was about to get ready to head out, it looked like it was going to start snowing.  I'm not a huge fan of going out for the first few snowfalls if I don't have to.  I decided to stick around the apartment.

In keeping with trying to have a post for the weekend at least, I decided to take pictures of one of my diecast models.

In this case, I decided to take pictures of the iconic SR-71 Blackbird.

The SR-71 is one plane that I wish I could have seen in action.  I've seen it in person at the Air Force Museum and the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo but that is not quite the same.  I would imagine this plane would have looked impressive in flight.

I think it is still the fastest air breathing manned aircraft in existence and its top speed is still classified despite having not flown for over 20 years.

The SR-71 came about because the CIA was looking for an airplane to replace the U-2 after Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union.

They wanted a plane that could fly higher and faster than the U-2 after it was discovered that high altitude alone was not protection.

It was also in the early days of stealth aircraft, so much of its shape helps in that regard.  In fact, before the Stealth Fighter was officially released, it was speculated that it looked similar to the SR-71.

The aircraft was designed by the famed Skunk Works of Kelly Johnson for Lockheed.

The SR-71 came out of the A-12 program which first flew in 1962.

The SR-71 itself first flew in 1962 and was retired in 1999.

It had a top speed over Mach 3.5.

Apparently one of the toughest issues was putting the stars on the plane.  They had to develop a high temperature paint that wouldn't burn off in the high temperatures.

There are many stories about the SR-71.  It is definitely a cool aircraft.