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
Yea they were for foraging for food and not meant as a combat weapon. It's interesting though that Curtiss LeMay wanting a more powerful but still lightweight weapon for air crew's is what led to him having the hots for the M16 once he saw one and famously shot some watermelons with one, from there Robert McNamara who had been his chief of staff during the B29 campaign in the Pacific and was currently the Secretary of Defense got the hots for them when he saw the price tag compared to the M14 because at the time he was trying to slash defense spending which is why Kennedy brought him in as Secretary of Defense in the first place, if I recall I think Eugene Stoner may have even been a part of developing those .22 survival rifles.
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!
Can you imagine what they have now. Considering how long ago it was. Kinda crazy to think about. What we can see that came from her is pretty amazing. Just imagine what we can’t see. Gotta love Skunk Works!
When I got to Guam, back in 1988, (Andersen AFB) a guy I worked with in vehicle maintenance, said that I just missed an airshow, where they had an SR-71. He said he saw it coast buy, pull up, start to fall, then kick in the afterburners. He said the exhaust swirled off the ground, as it went straight up, like a rocket. Was he telling me a story, or, as an SR-71 mechanic, do you know if it could do that? 1992, I worked on the chase cars in England, for the U-2. Test driving the chase car was fun, when it came into the shop. For those that don't know, the chase car was a Mustang GT.
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.
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!
👋 i hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace 💞❤️🕊️🕊️ all over the world 🙏🌍 I'm originally from Forth Worth Texas currently. and you where are you from if i may ask?
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 !!!!
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.
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!
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.
Blackbirds didn't climb anywhere even close to vertical, they were very lightly built despite their looks, their wings were only rated at 2.5 G's which is why they had a 50 mile turning radius at their cruising speed not because of their speed alone as most people assume, listen to the interviews with the pilots who go through a mission step by step, max climb out angle was something like 30° whether they were taking off or they'd just come off a tanker, anything more than that was unsafe for one and could cause them to break apart at the expansion joint right in front of the wings. U2's could take off and get to 10,000 ft before an SR71 can according to a pilot who flew both in an interview in watched just yesterday.
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.
It’s my biggest regret as an airplane lover for more than 45 years that I never got to see this amazing bird devour air and scream skyward! I couldn’t agree more it’s the most amazing aircraft ever built.
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.
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.
Maybe even a 24 pack or two!!! I'd like to spend more time than it would take to just drink a Few!!! The Courage it took to basically strap a Mach 3+ Rocket to your Butt is INSANE!
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.
+Mike Nelson My mind is still blown my father worked on this plane as well, I had no idea how few were made. I've seen these planes and even sat in the cockpit. I just got to ask your last name is Nelson, is your fathers name Neal? If so then our fathers knew each other and we have met as young boys haha that'd be crazy
Point Mugu? Must be from California right? I also am from Ventura county. Grew up there in Vta. My two older brothers worked there in the 70's. I was just a child then. Been a very long time.
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.
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.
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.
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
Just because we are religious does not mean we hate science. FYI most of the people that help mankind get to space in this century were all religious people. what you said is pure judgemental attidtude
@AquaticBoardwalkEngineer Why would there need to be a Distinction between Belief of God and the Study of Science? Is it not possible that someone can be both?
@L_B42 __ You are one of those self righteous people that cannot seem to accept that without the religious monks who took in science as a field of study, science as we know it today would exist. To narrow minded folks like you, it's only either anti-science or religious clowns. No compromise, no middle ground, nothing. That's just divisive, hateful zealotry. If you think being a science zealot like yourself are higher forms organisms than us who hold science and religion in balanced objective light, explain to my how come thru billions of years, that every single living creature that live have the same building block DNA?
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.
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!!!
👋 i hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace 💞❤️🕊️🕊️ all over the world 🙏🌍 I'm originally from Forth Worth Texas currently. and you where are you from if i may ask?
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.
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!
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 !
Agreed. Many people scoff at the slide-rule now that everyone has computers...but computers are only as good as they are programmed. At P&W when we were building what would become the F-22 engines the fan was not working well at all. These were computer generated and despite several attempts they just were bad. In the engineering dept. was a fellow who had been there from the beginning in the '50's and about to retire...and had designed fans for many other engines, so they asked him to give it a go...and he did with his slide-rule and the resulting fan worked pretty well! Well enough that it showed them where their computer designs were lacking which helped move the program forward to success. If you know what you're doing with a slide-rule...you can do miracles that someone else punching buttons on a computer could never do.
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.
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!
vivalaphill They took a lot of math, that's how. All computers now really do is calculate things. Once their parameters are defined, they can go over an equation much faster than we can, giving us more time to define the equations themselves, which is really what matters in anything engineered. Which is just about everything, in some way, shape, or form.
the calculations were all done with slide rule, slide rules were used until the last day of service for some measurements like fuel calculations prior to takeoff dependent on equipment installed for the mission.
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.
That's just a little faster than any of them were capable of going. More like 3.2+ as normal cruise at 78-80,000 feet. But they could absolutely sustain that as long as they had sufficient fuel to safely hit a tanker or land. I worked them 79-88.
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.
This is such a Rare & Privilege Access to learn more about the iconic spyplane >>> Lockheed SR71 Blackbird from the Pilot who flew it in his Top~Secret Reconnaissance missions >>>
In the late 80's I was working outdoors under the flight path to Beale AFB and a SR-71 came in to make a landing. (I was just outside the base , not in the military). At first glance for a split second I thought it was a spaceship , then of course I realized what it was as it came in low and slow directly over me . It was the only time in my life that I stared at something speechless, totally in awe . What a fantastic piece of equipment.
I was in Okinawa from 1970 to 1972 and used to watch you take off and fly over our barracks. I also knew one of the men who worked on the Ingen. I had a good amount of photos but were lost when I shipped home .
Yeah, love that old place. Anywhere you can see a Spit, SR71 and Concorde whilst sipping on tea is my kind of place. I moved to Canada 4 years ago, Miss home some times.
I know very little about general aviation, never served in the military, but I’ve been entranced by the Blackbird since I was ten and found a Revel model kit if it in the drugstore in the early Seventies. It’s a design icon and an engineering marvel to equal my other fascination, the Apollo Program. The problem solving exercised is so elegant, the deep command of engineering so complete, these were built with a slide rule and no wind tunnel testing yet later review could not find any room for improvement. The benchmark of American ingenuity.
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!
There is a SR-71B trainer at the Hill AFB museum in Utah. Amazing that such a large aircraft was so fast. This thing is roughly the size of a MD-80 airliner. First time I saw one was in the late 80's on display during an airshow. It was fenced off with armed MPs guarding it. It really was leaking fuel as it sat there. Thanks for the fantastic video!
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever watched. I’m a current student and an engineer hopeful. Been in love with aviation since i was a little boy. Although I’ll probably never fly, I’d love to be part of the community one day.
It's just, ya know, you can tell them people, I don't know if all were, but, mostly were locked onto him talking. They speak for all of us when we say we respect that information. My god amazing, it had to have been to had the honor of a pilot with so much time in that amazing aircraft to explain and share all of this
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”.
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 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
I never really thought the SR-71 was as intriguing as the smaller, less well known sideshow of Naval and SAC-run reconnaissance flights. The primary reason for Naval flights was for "ferreting" runs, tracking, identifying and jamming enemy radar in preparation for possible strikes. In effect, this isn't spying as much as it is directly preparing for aggressive action - a ferreted radar on the map can be snooped to the point that the SAC knew where it was, what model it was, if it was attached to a SAM site, and what frequency to transmit a jamming counter-signal and render it helpless and blind. These runs were made by various aircraft (P4M-1Qs, C-130s, U-2s, RB-47s), but there are over a hundred and fifty US personnel "lost on exercises" over Vladivostok or China due to direct action by interceptors (not including those eventually returned alive), just as there is a corresponding number of Russian deaths and aircraft losses over the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Indeed, the Russians reacted to incursions so badly that at one point they had a jammer set up at Yerevan that mimicked guidance signals at high intensity to lure in US and NATO recce flights and set them up for MiG-17 passes. The SR-71 and U-2 only really did the more boring job of performing overflights to map Soviet missile beds... As for the SR-71 being stealth, there are interviews with crew mentioning them seeing Soviet interceptors desperately trying to get to altitude and dwindling into the distance. They definitely knew it was there, stopping it was another proposition entirely.
When I was in the Marine Corps I was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station at Fatenma, Okinawa Not very far from Kadena Air Force base.I used to go there and watch the SR-71's Land and take off from Kadena AFB.Through the fence. Every 8' they would have a sign that said no photographs Allowed to be taken. My military occupational specialty code (MOS) was Avionics. CoM/Nav. Spent my whole time in working on the Flight lines. Also in California and Illinois.
I was next-door on Camp Foster, 1986, I remember seeing them a few times! I recall feeling the ground shake from the thrust power as it went almost vertically to get altitude
This man and the men who have and do risk their lives when they test flight for the first time an experimental aircraft? Are no doubt some of the bravest men on our planet! They have to be made different in order to strap into a craft that they don't know will fly or not? Wow! I have lots of admiration and respect for these men.
THE POWER OF GOD ALMIGHTY AND THE LOVE FROM GOD TO MANKIND FOR WHAT MAN HAS DONE IS TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND FOR THE BENEFITS OF. MANKIND AND I PRAISE THE MANUFACTURERS AND THE FIRST PILOT TO FLY IT.
@@frankogieva989 yes most definitely! Man was not made to fly? However on account of our Heavenly Fathers grace man were able to soar near the heavens. Many deny this but even when man reached the moon they knew well enough to give GOD the glory. God bless you bro.
OMMG Fouche again!!!That is exactly what Edgar Fouche said when he went to Area 51 he said, "One thing you don't forget is being uncomfortable, if a tank was in front of me I wouldn't have seen it with those glasses on.!!!! Vindicated again Fouche and the TR3 B RIP Buddy!
I did the voiceover for this. I am so proud to be a part of this project. Dan Rankin is an amazing producer.
Heather Welliver
Lovely clear voice!
Heather Welliver You did an absolutely "outstanding" job! This Marine Veteran truly appreciated your groups hard work!
Wayne Fletcher thank you very much and thank you for your service.
15:53 that is me son.
Your voice over work is nice and clear ........ the background music is sadly very annoying.
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
Yea they were for foraging for food and not meant as a combat weapon.
It's interesting though that Curtiss LeMay wanting a more powerful but still lightweight weapon for air crew's is what led to him having the hots for the M16 once he saw one and famously shot some watermelons with one, from there Robert McNamara who had been his chief of staff during the B29 campaign in the Pacific and was currently the Secretary of Defense got the hots for them when he saw the price tag compared to the M14 because at the time he was trying to slash defense spending which is why Kennedy brought him in as Secretary of Defense in the first place, if I recall I think Eugene Stoner may have even been a part of developing those .22 survival rifles.
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.
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!
Thank you for your service, I sincerly thank you for your great contribution, I hope all is well and you are in good health.
Can you imagine what they have now. Considering how long ago it was. Kinda crazy to think about. What we can see that came from her is pretty amazing. Just imagine what we can’t see. Gotta love Skunk Works!
I salute you Sir
Empire cuk!
When I got to Guam, back in 1988, (Andersen AFB) a guy I worked with in vehicle maintenance, said that I just missed an airshow, where they had an SR-71. He said he saw it coast buy, pull up, start to fall, then kick in the afterburners. He said the exhaust swirled off the ground, as it went straight up, like a rocket. Was he telling me a story, or, as an SR-71 mechanic, do you know if it could do that?
1992, I worked on the chase cars in England, for the U-2. Test driving the chase car was fun, when it came into the shop. For those that don't know, the chase car was a Mustang GT.
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.
What level of professionalism and character. Absolutely loved this. 🇺🇸
Military people are always good for that. Great guys to have on your side.
Interesting tour, having a veteran SR-71 pilot as your tour guide is as good as it gets.
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!
👋 i hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace 💞❤️🕊️🕊️ all over the world 🙏🌍
I'm originally from Forth Worth Texas currently. and you where are you from if i may ask?
Ever since I was a kid, I always thought this was the coolest looking plane.
The Bat Jet -.-
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 !!!!
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.
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!
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.
I’m
those engines are absolutely gargantuan & have a ramjet mode -.-
Blackbirds didn't climb anywhere even close to vertical, they were very lightly built despite their looks, their wings were only rated at 2.5 G's which is why they had a 50 mile turning radius at their cruising speed not because of their speed alone as most people assume, listen to the interviews with the pilots who go through a mission step by step, max climb out angle was something like 30° whether they were taking off or they'd just come off a tanker, anything more than that was unsafe for one and could cause them to break apart at the expansion joint right in front of the wings.
U2's could take off and get to 10,000 ft before an SR71 can according to a pilot who flew both in an interview in watched just yesterday.
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.
Bishop J this plane came to Tucson,AZ and I was amazed at how awesome this plane was. I loved going to airshows at Davis Monthan AIrForce base.
It’s my biggest regret as an airplane lover for more than 45 years that I never got to see this amazing bird devour air and scream skyward! I couldn’t agree more it’s the most amazing aircraft ever built.
How old are you
Oh there's more where that came from. Not for public consumption
People call these UFOs. To them I guess they are. But UFOs aren't from outer space. They're man-made and highly top secret.
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.
Richard says thank you. finest presentation of the Blackbird I ever saw. Habu
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.
Good work done by Montgomery College for the veterans!
The double sonic boom over the Hanoi Hilton has always been my favourite use.
Don't miss this amazing presentation by Colonel Joe Kinego, USAF (retired). He is remarkably good!
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
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..
Maybe even a 24 pack or two!!!
I'd like to spend more time than it would take to just drink a Few!!!
The Courage it took to basically strap a Mach 3+ Rocket to your Butt is INSANE!
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.
+Mike Nelson My mind is still blown my father worked on this plane as well, I had no idea how few were made. I've seen these planes and even sat in the cockpit. I just got to ask your last name is Nelson, is your fathers name Neal? If so then our fathers knew each other and we have met as young boys haha that'd be crazy
Point Mugu? Must be from California right? I also am from Ventura county. Grew up there in Vta. My two older brothers worked there in the 70's. I was just a child then. Been a very long time.
@@bwilson7804 dangdut
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.
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.
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.
try 2.5 to 3 times the speed
true
BITLINE engine
GPU Big core active
?
Being former Air Force myself and an aviation nerd, I loved this video.
Awesome video. From one vet to another, thank you all for your service.
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
Am so Happy and Glad to watch this. God Bless My Country America. Yes I said it.
Just because we are religious does not mean we hate science.
FYI most of the people that help mankind get to space in this century were all religious people.
what you said is pure judgemental attidtude
@AquaticBoardwalkEngineer Why would there need to be a Distinction between Belief of God and the Study of Science?
Is it not possible that someone can be both?
@L_B42 __ You are one of those self righteous people that cannot seem to accept that without the religious monks who took in science as a field of study, science as we know it today would exist.
To narrow minded folks like you, it's only either anti-science or religious clowns.
No compromise, no middle ground, nothing.
That's just divisive, hateful zealotry.
If you think being a science zealot like yourself are higher forms organisms than us who hold science and religion in balanced objective light, explain to my how come thru billions of years, that every single living creature that live have the same building block DNA?
Straight from the pilot. Kinego himself.
Fantastic story.
Ah yes Slide Rules, many beautiful, legendary and cool machines were invented and designed with the help of Slide Rules.
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.
think of how technically proficient these pilots must be o.0
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!!!
The SR-71 Blackbird. Americas king of the skies.
Thank you for such an entertaining lesson. The Blackbird is one of my favorite subjects to learn about.
👋 i hope you're safe over there? I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace 💞❤️🕊️🕊️ all over the world 🙏🌍
I'm originally from Forth Worth Texas currently. and you where are you from if i may ask?
Awesome video. Great to actually be walked through it by an actual pilot of the plane.
The coolest airplane ever made by mankind.
that we know of lol, this was from the 60's
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.
the level of detail is crazy & the technical ability of the pilot us top 1%
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!
3 rd c
Probably more likely to take cover and hide. Just because the Blackbird could outrun bullets, didn't meen their crew could do the same on ground.
Not in a spacesuit you wouldn't.
American military engineering is the top in its field.
5 years from the Douglas Dauntless retirement to the first flight of the Blackbird. Hard to get your head around
Wow! He is a gifted speaker! Very interesting lesson!
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.
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 !
Agreed. Many people scoff at the slide-rule now that everyone has computers...but computers are only as good as they are programmed. At P&W when we were building what would become the F-22 engines the fan was not working well at all. These were computer generated and despite several attempts they just were bad. In the engineering dept. was a fellow who had been there from the beginning in the '50's and about to retire...and had designed fans for many other engines, so they asked him to give it a go...and he did with his slide-rule and the resulting fan worked pretty well! Well enough that it showed them where their computer designs were lacking which helped move the program forward to success. If you know what you're doing with a slide-rule...you can do miracles that someone else punching buttons on a computer could never do.
Absolutely my best video ever on UA-cam, I learned more than I had in all my studies.
Absolutely spectacular video. I never knew multiple bombers launched on the atomic bomb missions. Thank you for this presentation.
SR71 Blackbird . One AWESOME Aircraft. .
Great episode, nice to see history told and described by the ones making it.
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.
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!
Dreamland was built to test the U2. It was fully established by the time the sr71 was developed.
What a voice of that man giving lecture.fantastic lecture
how was that possible without computer technology? The amount of work that went into those supersonicjets was insane.
vivalaphill Considering they went to the MOON with that tech...this plane isn't really that surprising. AMAZING, yes. Surprising...not so much.
vivalaphill They took a lot of math, that's how. All computers now really do is calculate things. Once their parameters are defined, they can go over an equation much faster than we can, giving us more time to define the equations themselves, which is really what matters in anything engineered. Which is just about everything, in some way, shape, or form.
+vivalaphill even today, it all starts with a drawing.
the calculations were all done with slide rule, slide rules were used until the last day of service for some measurements like fuel calculations prior to takeoff dependent on equipment installed for the mission.
James Robinson damn. thats impressive.
The bullet fact was the one that blew my mind
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.
I could listen to him all day!
My dad knew COL Kinego & I went to junior high with his son as well. He is a great American.
Awesome video. I was born at Cannon Air Force Base ( Hospital ) , The "BlackBirds" are my Favorite family of Planes.
I've been several times to the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center. It is an amazing place and I could easily spend the day and still not see everything.
Someone that was in the air force during Vietnam and was a pilot told me the SR-71 could maintain Mach 3.5+ for almost 90 minutes
That's just a little faster than any of them were capable of going. More like 3.2+ as normal cruise at 78-80,000 feet. But they could absolutely sustain that as long as they had sufficient fuel to safely hit a tanker or land. I worked them 79-88.
Very well done!! I would also like to thank you for your services Vet's!
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.
Shezzah Purdy Byrd
Fantastic lecture from a very interesting man on a fascinating subject. Could have watched this man tell me about this stuff all day long.
Jammsbro a
COULDN'T AGREE MORE
SR-71 was the most beautiful and elegant war bird ever.
it was unarmed
Fantastic video, priceless learn from pilot who flew the black bird. Black bird is a modern marvel for sure
This teacher/ pilot is awesome.
This is such a Rare & Privilege Access to learn more about the iconic spyplane >>> Lockheed SR71 Blackbird from the Pilot who flew it in his Top~Secret Reconnaissance missions >>>
Thank for listening and watching this
Brilliant lecture and a brilliant aircraft.
In the late 80's I was working outdoors under the flight path to Beale AFB and a SR-71 came in to make a landing. (I was just outside the base , not in the military). At first glance for a split second I thought it was a spaceship , then of course I realized what it was as it came in low and slow directly over me . It was the only time in my life that I stared at something speechless, totally in awe . What a fantastic piece of equipment.
I was in Okinawa from 1970 to 1972 and used to watch you take off and fly over our barracks. I also knew one of the men who worked on the Ingen. I had a good amount of photos but were lost when I shipped home .
We have the SR71 at Duxford in the UK. Its engined are also set outside on display. Great experience to see one for real. Amazing aircraft even today
Yeah, love that old place. Anywhere you can see a Spit, SR71 and Concorde whilst sipping on tea is my kind of place. I moved to Canada 4 years ago, Miss home some times.
interesting,could listen to this guy for hours.
I know very little about general aviation, never served in the military, but I’ve been entranced by the Blackbird since I was ten and found a Revel model kit if it in the drugstore in the early Seventies. It’s a design icon and an engineering marvel to equal my other fascination, the Apollo Program. The problem solving exercised is so elegant, the deep command of engineering so complete, these were built with a slide rule and no wind tunnel testing yet later review could not find any room for improvement. The benchmark of American ingenuity.
I feel privelaged to hear stories like this from amazing people. Thanks for posting this.
Excellent I enjoyed watching this video from a former Air Force guy
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!
That was a incredibly fascinating talk. What an amazing fella
He is Bloody awesome 👍🏻🇦🇺❤️🇺🇸
There is a SR-71B trainer at the Hill AFB museum in Utah. Amazing that such a large aircraft was so fast. This thing is roughly the size of a MD-80 airliner. First time I saw one was in the late 80's on display during an airshow. It was fenced off with armed MPs guarding it. It really was leaking fuel as it sat there. Thanks for the fantastic video!
ThanK You Sir' and to Every1 that puts on a Uniform .
Black bird: one fine plan!!
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever watched. I’m a current student and an engineer hopeful. Been in love with aviation since i was a little boy. Although I’ll probably never fly, I’d love to be part of the community one day.
Love this video. Saw some footage up high at speed for a brief few seconds. How cool is that!
It's just, ya know, you can tell them people, I don't know if all were, but, mostly were locked onto him talking. They speak for all of us when we say we respect that information. My god amazing, it had to have been to had the honor of a pilot with so much time in that amazing aircraft to explain and share all of this
The best plane ever ! Legendary ! Bucket list item for sure 👍
What an excellent orator.
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”.
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 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
I never really thought the SR-71 was as intriguing as the smaller, less well known sideshow of Naval and SAC-run reconnaissance flights. The primary reason for Naval flights was for "ferreting" runs, tracking, identifying and jamming enemy radar in preparation for possible strikes. In effect, this isn't spying as much as it is directly preparing for aggressive action - a ferreted radar on the map can be snooped to the point that the SAC knew where it was, what model it was, if it was attached to a SAM site, and what frequency to transmit a jamming counter-signal and render it helpless and blind. These runs were made by various aircraft (P4M-1Qs, C-130s, U-2s, RB-47s), but there are over a hundred and fifty US personnel "lost on exercises" over Vladivostok or China due to direct action by interceptors (not including those eventually returned alive), just as there is a corresponding number of Russian deaths and aircraft losses over the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. Indeed, the Russians reacted to incursions so badly that at one point they had a jammer set up at Yerevan that mimicked guidance signals at high intensity to lure in US and NATO recce flights and set them up for MiG-17 passes. The SR-71 and U-2 only really did the more boring job of performing overflights to map Soviet missile beds... As for the SR-71 being stealth, there are interviews with crew mentioning them seeing Soviet interceptors desperately trying to get to altitude and dwindling into the distance. They definitely knew it was there, stopping it was another proposition entirely.
Japan’s leaders recognized that their situation was hopeless and were seeking to surrender. Truman still dropped the bombs.
when i watch this documentary or sort of meeting i never fall asleep
but went i go for my work course i always fall asleep LOL
As a former AF crew chief I always heard that the SR-71 was a maintenance nightmare!
Only 2 words for this air craft BAD ASS
When I was in the Marine Corps I was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station at Fatenma, Okinawa Not very far from Kadena Air Force base.I used to go there and watch the SR-71's Land and take off from Kadena AFB.Through the fence. Every 8' they would have a sign that said no photographs Allowed to be taken. My military occupational specialty code (MOS) was Avionics. CoM/Nav. Spent my whole time in working on the Flight lines. Also in California and Illinois.
I was next-door on Camp Foster, 1986, I remember seeing them a few times! I recall feeling the ground shake from the thrust power as it went almost vertically to get altitude
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your service. We respect you. We salute you. My Dad is Air Force.
This man and the men who have and do risk their lives when they test flight for the first time an experimental aircraft? Are no doubt some of the bravest men on our planet! They have to be made different in order to strap into a craft that they don't know will fly or not? Wow! I have lots of admiration and respect for these men.
THE POWER OF GOD ALMIGHTY AND THE LOVE FROM GOD TO MANKIND FOR
WHAT MAN HAS DONE IS TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND FOR
THE BENEFITS OF.
MANKIND AND I PRAISE THE
MANUFACTURERS AND THE
FIRST PILOT TO FLY IT.
@@frankogieva989 yes most definitely! Man was not made to fly? However on account of our Heavenly Fathers grace man were able to soar near the heavens. Many deny this but even when man reached the moon they knew well enough to give GOD the glory. God bless you bro.
OMMG Fouche again!!!That is exactly what Edgar Fouche said when he went to Area 51 he said, "One thing you don't forget is being uncomfortable, if a tank was in front of me I wouldn't have seen it with those glasses on.!!!! Vindicated again Fouche and the TR3 B RIP Buddy!
GREAT VIDEO, thank you for putting this together and posting it.