Faster, Higher And More Secret Than The SR-71 Blackbird - The A-12 Oxcart

[@desertdog3432]

My father worked on the A-12 project in 1959 with Kelly Johnson, along with about 130 other engineers, at the Skunk Works in Burbank, CA. It was funded by the CIA. Testing was done at Area 51. I did nor learn that until decades later. All us kids knew is that dad went somewhere for a week or two and came back with silver dollars for us kids. I still have all those silver dollars. Lockheed gave my mom a phone number to call in case there was a emergency at home. We learned about what he had been working on in 1964 when President Johnson announced the existence SR-71 on the radio when we were driving home from a ski trip in Mammoth. In the late 1960's we had gone to bed and I got up and I heard dad talking to one of his fellow engineers in our living room about designing a periscope for the SR-71. A few decades later dad told me that the periscope was for launching the drone from the back of a SR-71. Dad always said that Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich were the most brilliant men he ever met. He described Kelly as a natural leader who knew each engineer by their first name. The SR-71 was the last Slide Rule aircraft. I still have my dad's slide rule. It was made in 1936 in Germany.

[@roberts9785]

Paul Dostie .Amazing story, thanks for sharing.

[@xrayjosh]

As Robert S says, cool story. Must be a good feeling to know your dad was involved in the bleeding edge of technology, pushing the boundaries of what was possible.

[@mariano7699]

Interesting story, but what is that Slide Rule ?

[@BothHands1]

That's pretty cool, thanks for sharing :)

[@thisismagacountry1318]

@@mariano7699 Slide Rule was a precision instrument used by Mathematicians to do complex calculations on what looks like a fancy white ruler.

[@SzabokaMusic]

Scott walks up to the SR-71C: "I'm Scott Manley, fly straight!"

[@xmlthegreat]

I spit my coffee out. Well done.

[@coobk]

I don't see how you could fly gay...

[@hourujuna]

@@coobk easily... Do funny maneuvers while flying; As gay means literally "joyful" in late 1800's and early 1900's english

[@zakelwe]

Very good ... :)

[@TheGreg6466]

😂 genius comment, was quick witted, made me giggle, cheers dude

[@TROPtastic]

That is some pretty dramatic video stabilization/face tracking

[@Divrann]

I'm wondering what the white frames are for (probably editing mistake?)

[@ppsarrakis]

i bet he is useing an iphone

[@izzad777]

Dji osmo?

[@jetfuel_]

Post processed

[@scottmanley]

Those white frames may be a glitch at some resolutions.

[@EDesigns_FL]

When they developed the fighter version, they also developed an extraordinary high speed missile that was compatible to the aircraft. It had an operational range of 100 miles and traveled at mach 5. This missile (AIM-54 a/k/a/ Phoenix) ended-up on F-14 Tomcats and was just one of many things that made those planes very special.

[@spazboy8962]

95% of the information in this video I had absolutely no clue existed, and I've been fascinated with the SR-71 since I was a little kid! Brother! Thank you!!!! Absolutely loved this video!!! 🤘✌️

[@ZenZaBill]

If you're into SR-71 tech, lore, and pilot stories, go find some of the talks given by Brian Schul. An amazing story of fortitude and a "never give up attitude" in being shot down in the F-4 over Vietnam, getting hurt and badly burned, rescued, and told he might not ever walk again. Not only did he get out of that hospital bed, he went back to flying, and ended up in the front seat of a Blackbird. He is also the source of the infamous "LA speed check" story that is all over the 'tubes.

[@ethanpoole3443]

I do love the “speed check” story and the manner in which he tells it so well. Talk about being in the perfect position to put an end to the oneupmanship as there aren’t very many airplanes that flew faster short of a pilot literally being strapped onto a rocket. Of course, if an X-15 just happened to be in LA airspace at that exact moment then the story might have had a slightly different ending for the Blackbird pilot.

[@ZenZaBill]

Funny... yeah, that would be the final speed check call that afternoon on freq. if it was an X-15 calling LA Center... @@ethanpoole3443

[@mrkeogh]

@@ZenZaBill YOU AREN'T EVEN AN AIRBREATHER, YOU ROCKETPLANE HACK!!! 😂

[@TrickyClaw]

Yeah, his whole speech was inspiring. It also makes the "and a 12 year old was reaching for the mic button" comment a bit more profound.

[@n7565j]

Also check out Col. Richard Graham, he flew that beautiful machine and wrote 4 or 5 books to boot. I met him in Fl. at Sun-n-Fun in 03, what a great guy and patriot!!! All of those men were great :-)

[@mikeclarke952]

I love the SR-71 it's so futuristic looking, if you wiped everyone's memory of it, they could roll it out today and everyone would say, "Wow look at that!".

[@dinoschachten]

Visually and performance-wise absolutely. But I guess the 50s cockpit design and the leaking fuel on the runway would raise a few frowns these days. ;)

[@blakelowrey9620]

Dino Schachten I’ve heard that the fuel leaking on the runway was actually a hoax and misdirection, hiding the transpiration heat shielding which is the true purpose of the leaky fluids

[@fokjohnpainkiller]

@@blakelowrey9620 I don't know about the latter part but people always exaggerate how much it leaked

[@prateekkarn9277]

@@blakelowrey9620 oh? I thought it was because it got so hot from air resistance that they had to make gaps so that the metal could expand into it

[@fixpacifica]

@@fokjohnpainkiller When I was at Beale AFB, (which is where the SR-71s and U-2s were based) in the late 70's and early 80's, I was around the SRs and U-2s almost every day. The SR-71s had wide, shallow drip pans underneath them when parked. I never really paid too much attention to the rate, but I'm guessing the plane would leak one or two drops per minute. It wasn't that bad. As for transpiration cooling, which I had to look up, I would doubt the SR had that. The skin of the aircraft was solid and slightly rough, and I don't remember any holes in the skin. The dripping was coming from expansion joints.

[@johnpainter3426]

The folks at Testors, the model company, called up the air force to try to get size information, every question they asked came back ‘classified’ so one enterprising guy called and asked how big the concrete squares were on the tarmac. They got the answer. From that estimated the aircraft size. Accurate to within a few inches.

[@A-G-F-]

Thats a really cool story

[@Bartonovich52]

Apocryphal at best. It’s not hard to determine the size of an aircraft through photos, and Testors doesn’t need those exacting dimensions. The real stories are better. First was Testor’s with the F-19. Enthusiasts knew that the USAF was operating a secret aircraft out of Groom Lake, and they figured the designation would be F-19 in line with the next available 1962 unified designation. Testors made a model of what they thought the plane would be like.. a tailless aircraft with short rounded wings and inwardly canted dual fins. It inspired numerous military and technical publications and video games and toys and even was mentioned and described by Tom Clancy in his WWIII epic Red Storm Rising. What’s more is the USAF supposedly tested the radar cross section and found it to be very low for the size of the aircraft. The other story was the B-2. It was revealed to the public in a rollout display but the rear of the aircraft was heavily guarded to prevent the invited guests from determining its true shape. Unfortunately for them, they neglected to close the airspace and an enterprising photojournalist who rented an aircraft got the entire plan view of the aircraft in broad daylight.

[@Wildcat5181]

@@Bartonovich52 He was in violation of the restricted airspace whether it was declared or not. All he had to do was look at a sectional.

[@greggv8]

@@Bartonovich52 cool thing about the B-2 is it has exactly the same wingspan as the YB-49. When Northrup got the contract, Jack Northrop was still alive. He was wheeled into the Northrop-Grumman office and handed a box. He removed the lid to find a scale model of the B-2. Lifting the model from the box he wrote "I know why God has kept me alive for the past 25 years.". That was in a documentary on the B-2. Vindication years after the blatantly obvious incidents of sabotage and collusion between Convair and the Air Force to get the B-36 selected instead of the Northrop flying wings. Convair was attempting to forcibly take over Northrop and Stuart Symington, Secretary of the Air force, became President of Convair after retiring as USAF Secretary. Pretty good compensation for getting an obsolete piston engine airplane chosen over a jet bomber with the latest technology. To further screw over Northrop, Symington ordered all completed and partially completed YB-49's and other Northrop flying wings (except the sole YRB-49A reconnaissance version) destroyed in 1951, with portable smelters brought to Northrop so their employees could see their work destroyed. The YRB-49A was flown 14 times before testing was ordered to be stopped in 1951. The plane sat for two years before it was ordered to be scrapped. Symington wanted all traces of Northrop's flying wings eliminated, wouldn't allow the Smithsonian or other museums to have any of them.

[@calvinnickel9995]

@George Rivera There is no restricted airspace around KPMD. You need USAF permission to land and take off, and likely to enter the control zone, but there are no TFRs or restricted airspace that prevent you from overflying the airport at a relatively high altitude. That’s what the reporters from Aviation Week did. Flew high and used a telephoto lens to photograph the aircraft. Nothing the USAF could do about it.

[@NauticalCoffin2404]

Lol, "congressman would sit in the back and thus sully its name." - Scott Manley 2019

[@Deeplycloseted435]

alan li ha! Yeah.....joyrides for funding. I don’t think I’d be able to say no if they offered.

[@k1dicarus]

Cool plane. Can relate to naming a baby X Æ A-12 a little bit more.

[@Revanchist2]

Lmfao

[@crimzonempire4677]

Yeah, No😂

[@andrewdevine3920]

No, it doesn't make turning your baby into a meme to distract from public criticism any less pathetic.

[@mountain-roots]

It is to inundate search engine machine with hit on a stupid baby name and not a jet that can proof long asked questions.

[@Auxius.]

You have to pay for being born into wealth one way or another.

[@ekscalybur]

This plane was in development 60 years ago. Imagine the hotrod the Air Force is flying now they don't want us to know about.

[@azmike1956]

No doubt!

[@bigdaddylongstroke3559]

TR-3 Baby!

[@sawspitfire422]

Makes you wonder doesn't it. So the F-35 cost how much? And its capable of what? Nah you're lying, you got something else you just don't wanna tell us about and you're using the F-35 as a scapegoat. Always over budget and behind schedule? Come on guys, I'm not stupid, and neither are you, something is going on there

[@drako3659]

Satellites. They're called Satellites.

[@davydovua]

(This comment will probably get deleted by the CIA in 0.000013 seconds, or they will just add some stupid lines to it to make me seem like an aluminiumhead conspiracy theory freak) Have you heard about Aurora?.. Also JFK's been shot by aliens.

[@mpk6664]

Dayton air force base in Ohio has an A-12, SR-71, and a D21 next to each other if anyone is interested. They also have the only surviving Valkyrie.

[@erbenton07]

At least he didn't name him Betelgeuse!

[@miltonlightfoot9091]

Yup. True Story. I remember being very near a U-2 after landing, in the mid 80s, and feeling the heat coming off of the skin....... Yikes 🇺🇸

[@simflyr1957]

After watching the video again I may have to take a trip to CAL...

[@ghost307]

Dayton's nicer...and has TONS of stuff to see and do. They even have simulators that you can 'fly'.

[@dmckenney42569]

Not to mention the XB70 "muscle car" is not far away either. Beauty!

[@shanemonsees4798]

This is amazing!! Love your story on these beautiful black ladies. Glad you took my recommendation to stop by. My wife and I got married in front of those very aircraft right where you were standing.

[@russdill]

Beautiful black ladies.... I didn't see any ladies in the video... Oh wait, ya, duh. I'm an idiot.

[@cypheir]

SR-71 - Longsword YF-12 - Shortsword SR-71c - Bastard Sword

[@bobski8203]

SR-71c was a mother-ship designed to launch hypersonic spy drones. One spun out of control during separation at drone launch. It was the only SR-71 ever lost in action. Johnson halted the drone launching from blackbirds out of grief at the loss of a pilot on his watch. Other than that, none ever saw any danger from hostile action. No missiles or pursuing aircraft could come close enough to harm them. They teased even the fastest MiGs by waiting til the last moment and then easily accelerating away from them at speeds well beyond mach 3.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

But which one is the arming sword

[@cypheir]

@@HappyBeezerStudios probably the YF-12, but I thought I would sound better with Long and Short in there... good call. :p

[@asherdie]

Which one has a removable pommel?

[@vtwinbuilder3129]

grumpybill what do you mean by “pomel”? The noses on all of the A-12/SR-71 series can be changed out to configure the intelligence collection equipment. They also have the SR-71 trainer that has the distinctive “double hump” cockpit arrangement, the backseater in the trainer has a comparable view and set of controls to the “pilot” in the front seat.

[@billymcnutt116]

The Lockheed D-21: the world's most expensive disposable camera.

[@mrmurphypiers1241]

I would not call it disposable fastest camera. The plane can fly faster than the missiles shot at it.

[@noti7510]

@@mrmurphypiers1241 I think they are talking about the drone that took a bunch of pictures, dropped the film and self destructed

[@jedigecko06]

What about the Corona satellites? (Also dropped film for recovery.)

[@billymcnutt116]

Yeah. But did the satellite *explode*? 🔥💥🔥 Anyway... I'm sure all the one use rockets various space agencies launch aren't low-cost either.

[@NordboDK]

It dropped both film, camera and avionics.

[@sbvera13]

So you're saying they added more boosters....

[@Not.Your.Business]

MOAR*

[@DrewLSsix]

And struts in fact.

[@davecoz4227]

there's not a problem out there that cannot be solved by more boosters..

[@nicolasflamel2027]

@@davecoz4227 - World pollution? Just add moar boosters!

[@QUANDACIOUSLY]

@@nicolasflamel2027 Exactly! MoAr bOoStErS fixes everything!

[@Kevin_Patrick001]

I like how the plane burns less fuel the faster it goes. I had the opportunity to see a night launch of one of these and it was absolutely amazing. After its wheels were up it went straight up like a rocket launch with both afterburners producing flames as long as the aircraft. Up, up and up it went ,passing through the thick cloud layer and so high that you could not hear it anymore. Once it hit the clouds it illuminated them and it really was something to see. I just wish video camera technology was as advanced back then as it was today.

[@TrickyClaw]

They all had to take off like that to be in the public eye for as short a time as possible. My mom used to get stopped on Sierra highway in Palmdale and have to wait for one to take off fairly often in the late 70s early 80s.

[@Kevin_Patrick001]

They took off like that because it was the most efficient way to reach the speed of sound. They would climb straight up and then dive to achieve supersonic speeds as it was more fuel efficient that to fly straight and just knuckle the throttle forward.

[@ClassicStreetIron]

KC135 had to take off 45 minutes before the Blackbird because it lost so much fuel on the tarmac and runway. The fuel bladders didn't seal up until it hit mach.

[@larrypinkston1448]

Yep. They had to heat up the airframe so as to stop the fuel leaking. And then they fueled up and continued the mission.

[@airgliderz]

@@ClassicStreetIron no, it actually it leaked a d mall amount of fuel. It The reason it had to refuel so quickly was take off weight fuel limits, the amount of fuel burned taxiing and taking off and loading full of special fuel for high altitude high skin temp flights after it was airborn.

[@joho0]

I'm 48. I've been following aviation since I was a kid. I've seen the SR-71 at Wright-Patterson AFB, but I was clueless about the A-12. Thank you Scott, for creating such an interesting and informative video.

[@pisnotmynamesisnotmygame3757]

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio, has all of these planes. It is a great place to visit.

[@Erodgeful]

“Ugh Archangel, predecessor to the SR-71 and coolest plane ever - - it’s true!”

[@cuzzinbri]

@Erodgeful…I know who you r…

[@kadarisii2291]

Im here because of that sentence 😭

[@ericanderson4801]

A12 pilots referred to the Blackbird as "the family model."

[@fredgarvin4482]

in the famous LA speed check story the pilots called it the family model

[@Najstar43211]

SR71 Black Bird has been my favourite jet since I was 15. Thanks for the video Scott 👍🏿

[@JH-ji6cj]

This and the X-15

[@sirtaylor2569]

Imagine the adrenaline, the rush, the nervosity and the thrill piloting an A-12 ALL BY YOURSELF

[@johnnyboythepilot4098]

Especially the very first take off!

[@rdubb77]

Search Frank Murray, or look to the right at the suggested videos.

[@b.t.sanson4727]

I think at my age I would do just fine seeing it in an IMAX

[@rdubb77]

deadboy600 they were as selective and had much the same criteria for selection as the Astronaut corps, so yeah

[@HuntingTarg]

That's not the right situation to get nervously excited about. If you know anything about Top Gear, take note that James May was chosen over the other two to drive two of the most exotic of exotic vehicles; the Bugati Veyron (fastest from-factory production-scale car ever made), and the orphaned Moon Car from the Orion project. [Flashy keyboard music] "Don't lose your head, don't lose your head!"

[@petrokansis]

Kelly Johnson was a genius All that CIA cloak and dagger, scooping the titanium from USSR. Incredible story Scott.. Thanks!

[@nonnodacciaio704]

When I read your comment it says stuff related to the video I seen previously about the guy who was gonna win 1 million dollars. Then I open it and it's about Scott's video. What the hell

[@Bartonovich52]

The Soviets must have had a good laugh. The SR-71 never overflew the USSR... and if it did, lots of mild steel jets were waiting for it.

[@samdherring]

Bartonovich52 delusional to believe anything Russia had at the time could touch the SR-71

[@theworldoverheavan560]

@@samdherring but they knew it was flying over

[@laurogarza4953]

As a small boy, I read a book about the YF-12A in 1972. President Johnson accidently mentioned it and its capabilities in the 1960s. I hope you enjoyed your visit. I wonder if you visited Johnson Space Center.

[@Strype13]

"Congressmen would fly in the SR-71 and, therefore, sully its name." Lol. So sad, but so true.

[@billsnyder5863]

It was a single seat aircraft, I don' t believe any congressmen were pilots in the A12 program.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Those aircraft flew so fast, instead of experiencing *"jet lag"* the pilots probably experienced *"jet lead".* 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@zachhoefs9543]

@Agent J 🙄 thanks Buzz Killington

[@Eihort]

Pilot that experienced an unstart and break up of the jet around him simply stated "We were somewhere over the 4 corners area of the US", because "that fast"

[@brianpayne2478]

Fast enough to outrun the missiles fired at it.... lol

[@calvinnickel9995]

Couldn’t outrun anything. The missiles simply lacked range. Iraqi Mig-23s outran US Navy AIM-54s in the 1990s. Were they fast aircraft?

[@eekee6034]

I've done that in Kerbal Space Program. It's weird to see even though I'm just looking at it from the outside; it's not happening to me for real. Fly a regular plane and the night catches up with you. Fly a hypersonic plane and you catch up with the night.

[@tehKap0w]

The remaining blackbird mothership is on display at the Seattle Museum of Flight with a drone piggybacked on top.

[@manifestman132]

Is this the same one you can sit in?

[@diltzm]

@@manifestman132 nope, I'm not sure where the cockpit mockup came from. Maybe a pilot familiarization tool used in training?

[@tehKap0w]

@@TheRambler-pz1gx thanks for the update! I'm glad you all got to see it.

[@terrywbreedlove]

Been there a couple times and sat in the cockpit as well. Now they have a B 52 so I need to drive over.

[@enjibkk6850]

They built such amazing things in the 60s... those planes, moon rockets, supersonic jetliners... even spacex feels a little dull in comparison

[@58jharris]

The X-15. We could have had a reusable space plane that took off and landed like a regular airplane in the 1970's if that program had been continued.

[@b.t.sanson4727]

@jonny j they probably aren't old enough to know about the true muscle car era.

[@vaelophisnyx9873]

@@58jharris didn't that thing inject serious amounts of like...nitrous oxide as exhaust into the atomosphere?? (or would have*?) I'd rather use rockets like we do now than have that floating about up there

[@065Tim]

If the defence budget would go to NASA they could be on that path within years.

[@airgliderz]

Now we have it even better with SpaceX.

[@TheBenb1999]

I spent a bunch of time as a kid in the late 80s or early 90s building a Testors A-12 model kit that included the D-21. You could build it as these different variants by swapping out sets of parts. Cool video. I’ve gotten to see 3 or 4 different static SR-71s as an adult but never any of the other variants. Cool video!

[@donneuschwander583]

I worked for Lockheed 1958 to '91. Was in a meeting once when Kelly Johnson was the speaker. Had a friend in the Blackbird support team, flew a KC 135 tanker to refuel the Blackbird wherever in the world it may be. Last public flight was over LAX to over Washington to try in less than one hour, missed it, took 62 min. MacNemarra cancelled the program and had all the tooling cut up and destroyed. Six Blackbirds that were built never flew. I have seen one in front of NASA building in Huntsville AL, the air museum in McMinnville ,OR ( that holds the Hughes Spruce Goose ) and at Castle airport at Merced, CA ( used to be Castle Air Force Base , SAC B 52 base ) DON WW 2 VET

[@matthewclark263]

We have an sr-71 here in Kalamazoo Michigan at The Airzoo an aviation museum.

[@benitollan]

I clicked almost as fast as the Oxcart flies.

[@hackerino9707]

So, is the device you're watching on dead now?

[@elemu3653]

@@hackerino9707 you want it to be ?

[@b.t.sanson4727]

@@elemu3653 Lol .. dead is over-rated. Been there done that twice already.

[@BogeyTheBear]

1962... Which means the Blackbird flew before The Jetsons aired on TV. When this airplane first flew, Pete Best was still a part of The Beatles.

[@Victura_Gaming]

Who? ;)

[@Dr_Do-Little]

@@Victura_Gaming Wrong band 😉

[@THE-HammerMan]

@@Dr_Do-Little No, he was right, they just weren't called The Beatles yet...

[@Dr_Do-Little]

@@Victura_Gaming De Qui?

[@Dr_Do-Little]

@@THE-HammerMan lol Was kidding.. The Who.. You know.. The band called The Who...

[@johnmichaelhall7348]

The blackbird and the U-2 are two of my favorite aircraft, and for very different reasons. On the one hand, you have the SR-71, a project built with a completely new engine type, and a principal of operation unlike anything else. A one-of-a-kind piece of technology that is borderline magic for it's time (and today too). The U-2 on the other hand, didn't need to rely on radical new advancements, nor did require a whole new understanding of supersonic flow. Instead it represents the pinnacle of specialization, with existing concepts being brought to their logical extreme. They each represent the ultimate of two different kinds of engineering. Dazzling innovation, and down-and-dirty super optimization.

[@johndee2990]

History has shown us that as cool as dazzling innovations can be, practicality and optimization breeds longevity in our machines and devices. (Hence we have different types of tires instead of switching to TESH-Drive Screw Tracks)

[@chrismcnee9287]

Back in the early 90’s when I was stationed in Germany we are pretty sure an SR-71 made an unscheduled landing at the fighter base in Baden Solligen which was a CF-18 base. Since I was an infantry guy on the base we had little knowledge of what went down on the airforce side, but that night something landed in the late eve and took off a few hours later and it was definitely not a hornet or anything normal sounding. And it also wasn’t a stealth.

[@alanrowley6402]

My uncle was an air traffic controller in the 90s he lived in Belgium so not sure it's Related but he told me once on an sr-71 flying from near the north pole to his base with 1 engine in 45 min

[@dannyboyy31]

Jeez, so even buying a used SR-71 you can't be 100% sure that it's not 2 scrappers welded together!

[@GumballAstronaut7206]

Wait what’s that mean?

[@scohspot]

Scott after a 10 minute video talking almost exclusively about the SR71 and its variants: “The U2 is pretty cool too” Me: 🤨

[@Orandu]

scohspot U2 is still flying

[@scohspot]

Atlas Hugged I’m aware of that…what was the point you were trying to make?

[@Orandu]

scohspot I was pretty drunk 12 hours ago, so I have no idea. Thank god for autocorrecting spellcheck.

[@scohspot]

Atlas Hugged that is the best response I’ve ever gotten on KZbin. Thank you for that one!

[@brendarua01]

"Wouldn't fly straight" and at 1,200 mph lol There are a few videos of Blackbird pilots talking about their experiences. They are well worth looking up. I would do almost anything to get a ride in one - except be in Congress!

[@jjhelios2077]

They need to bring back super sonic flight for passengers.. I as well do anything to experience that and zero gravity.

[@zakelwe]

Scott's wife : "Where are we going on holiday this year ?" Scott replies. Scott's wife sobs silently inside whilst dreaming of the Seychelles..... :)

[@nitehawk86]

I bet you can get some impressively dark skies in the Seychelles. Bring a telescope.

[@HuntingTarg]

My dad's last TDY while working for a dept. of the Pentagon (in CA, not *in* the Pentagon) was supposed to be the Seychelles in the mid-90s. I did some brief research and found out that their gov't. had been overturned 4 times in 5 years. He got someone else to go.

[@BogeyTheBear]

Palmdale: It's not the end of the world... but you can see it from here.

[@michaeldunne338]

Any mention of the D-21 amid a conversation about the A-12 and SR-71 merits a thumbs up.

[@jarrettporst4799]

Talked to a radar tech in the early 90’s. He was stationed in Japan. He caught the Sr-71 on the scope. His commander came up behind him and told him he didn’t see anything. He refused to tell me how fast it was going. The kid caught up with the operators at a local bar and asked to sit down. He was a quirky skinny dude with a cool personality. He was asking the operators some questions. They told him it’s so fast, the friction creates a massive amount of heat on the outside. They used to press their food up against the glass to heat their meals. They claimed that the machine had never been pushed past 40% because the engines would accelerate past each other so quickly, it would yaw the craft violently and through the occupants up against the inside of the plane. Felt like a train wreck they told him.

[@peterssynthetics-independe6786]

I was told on good authority the SR would get into the Mach 5 speeds. Dont know how true that is. The Mach 3.2 is for the public.

[@alanbare8319]

The amazing fact is that all of these aircraft, U-2, YF-12, A-12, SR-71, were that they were designed by engineers using slide-rules and mechanical calculators! Who needs a super-computer!

[@dadillen5902]

We went to the moon with slide rules. I still have mine and my first calculator a Texas Instruments SR 10.

[@mydogbrian4814]

And dont forget the abacus. And also the knoted rope for measuring length. - Seriously, the Saturn- 5 was also a slide rule project. - I was the last class in my technical college to use them. All that talent went to waste when at my first job I was given a hand held Texas Instrument Scientific calculator with red LED display which I found to be harder to use cause you had to remember what sequences of buttons to push for the unbelievable quick accuracy to 4 decimal places of the answers flashed in red digits. - Once I mastered this amazing gadget, I was shortly replaced there after with a floor model IBM computer that didnt take coffee breaks or vacations. Or sleep for that matter.

[@gregoryshaffer9956]

We all need a super computer

[@Wildcat5181]

They were all geniuses.

[@5Andysalive]

You know you CAN calculate things without computers. It's not impossile or superhuman or anything. Besides there of course were computers and calculators around at the time.

[@PedroNord]

In interviews, A-12 pilots referred to the SR-71s as “station wagons”...

[@johnpainter3426]

Well, the A12 pilots are in Ox Carts.

[@TheLp640fan]

the family model

[@robertchandler5055]

NEXT TIME SOME JERK OFF ASKS WHEN WAS AMERICA GREAT

[@ariochiv]

Did I hear that correctly? Is your son really named Orion?

[@astro_che]

caught that too...

[@ppsarrakis]

JK Rowling better not hear this.

[@cawfeedawg]

Do you have a problem with that?

[@theharbinger2573]

The bigger questions is, was he named for the Greek god, the astronomical constellation, or for the nuclear powered spaceship design?

[@robertlinke2666]

@@theharbinger2573 all 3, at the same time. his second and third names

[@darioinfini]

What's really dramatic is that within one lifetime we went from a fabric covered plane of sticks and chains hopping along the sand to this titanium skinned beast 3 times the speed of sound 15 miles in the sky. That level of progress seems almost incomprehensible and makes me wonder whether we'll ever see anything like it again. Something equivalent to landing on the moon and 60 years later visiting the nearest star.

[@davidbeal6925]

Hey Scott, great video. My dad worked on the SR-71 (as well as a couple other secret projects). I still have my dad's "Skunk" jacket he wore to work. Anyway it's really cool to learn more about it's predecessors. Great memories, I may have to make a trip out to Palmdale.

[@TheBuckStopsHere480]

Lot's of good information about these aircraft, presented in an interesting and engaging fashion. Good job Scott.

[@Markle2k]

The U-2 is probably one of the practical demonstrations of the concept of the Karman line. It explores the region of the atmosphere where a vehicle that is incapable of supersonic flight can operate. It can't fly higher, because it would need to go faster.

[@Tuulos]

It's absolutely horrible to fly to boot since at target altitude it's pretty much constantly on the edge of stall.

[@atomicskull6405]

The U-2 actually flies higher than the SR-71

[@sawspitfire422]

Atomicskull Do you have any sources to back that up? I don't want to be 'that guy' but as far as I'm aware the service ceiling of the U-2 was around 70k feet whereas the cruise altitude of the SR-71 was 85k feet. Something a lot of people don't realize is that the figures released to the public about the SR-71 are the cruise figures, not the absolute maximum, but if you have sources claiming 85k+ feet altitude for the U-2 then I'd be interested in reading them

[@rdubb77]

The actual ceiling of the U2 is still classified as it is still in use. Most likely it’s below 80k because it moves too slow to generate enough lift in air that thin. The SR and A-12 specs are declassified: SR Max altitude 85k, normally cruised in the high 70s. A-12, max altitude 90k, routinely cruised in the low 80s (according to Frank Murray.)

[@Trash_Lord]

I actually got to see the only remaining M-21 on display at the Boeing museum of flight in Seattle. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend a visit for anyone even remotely into aviation.

[@4edward61]

Yes, The Museum of Flight (not Boeing) has the remaining M-21 (one of the 2 modified A-12s for these tests) along with a mounted D-21. Great to see in person.

[@joelesher7106]

Scott, I love the fact that not only are you sharing this OUTSTANDING information with us but also your son. Good on ya brother!

[@zeo_crash7984]

This video inspired me to go to blackbird airpark when I was in LA on vacation last week. It was absolutely fantastic. Not only do you get to see an SR-71 a D-21 and an A-12 side by side, but one of the volunteers there when I went had been a test pilot on the SR-71, the F-111 and the B-2. I spent several hours chatting to him and it was awesome, like getting to hang out with an astronaut. Thanks so much for bringing this place to my attention.

[@JohnJaggerJack]

SR-71C is my spiritual air-plane, a bastard from the union of 2 very different frames, can't fly straight for dear life, but still blast the speed of sound 3 times over when needed.

[@TranceParadise]

I visited this exposition on May 2019 and I was amazed how incredible these planes look. Totally badass. I could even touch them. What a feeling! ;-) I am coming back to Palmdale in 2 weeks and I can't wait to see Blackbirds again and again. PS I would rather fly A-12 than SR-71. It just looks faster!

[@jaredragland4707]

While it was very exciting to get to touch (and sit in) an A-12 at Minn-St Paul ARS, it was neither faster nor slower than any other parked airplane. My only impression was, those pilots must have been very little guys to fit in there with a pressure suit, because even for a fighter, that cockpit is tiny.

[@benjaminramsey4695]

Ever since I was 10 years old and watched D.A.R.Y.L. I've thought the SR-71 was the coolest plane of all time ever. I'm still right.

[@TroaBarton]

That movie is the reason this is still my favorite aircraft.

[@cheddar2648]

Great flick.

[@jasondouglass3686]

Same here! This will always be my favorite!

[@JonInLondon]

That was really good - thank you! I also liked these comments from elsewhere: In 1967 they were both flying missions for their owners (CIA/USAF) and clearly there was a lot of overlap, so they had a run-off to see which one of the two types would be kept (the SR-71 didn't win but ended up being selected anyway BTW): "One way to help decide whether to keep one or both aircraft was to determine which performed better. CIA contended that the A-12 did because it flew higher and faster and had superior cameras. The Air Force countered that the SR-71 was preferable for intelligence purposes because it had three different cameras-for area search, spotting, and mapping- and carried sensors the A-12 did not at the time- infrared detectors, side-looking airborne radar, and ELINT-collection devices needed for its mission of post-nuclear-strike reconnaissance. "To resolve the question, the aircraft competed one-on-one in a flyoff codenamed NICE GIRL. Between 20 October and 3 November 1967, A-12s and SR-71s flew three identical routes along the Mississippi River about one hour apart with their collection systems on. Representatives from CIA, the National Photographic Interpretation Center, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and other military intelligence organizations evaluated the data collected. The results were inconclusive. The A-12’s camera worked better-it had a wider swath and higher resolution-but the SR-71 collected types of intelligence the CIA aircraft could not, although not yet of very good quality. However, some of its sensors would have to be removed to make room for ECM gear-a salient point now that North Vietnam had shot at two BLACK SHIELD aircraft." P.S. Apparently it was doing to be called the RS-71 but when the President disclosed the aircraft’s existence in July 1964, he accidentally transposed the letters. Air Force officials just came up with the Strategic Reconnaissance (SR) category instead, probably better than telling him he was wrong....

[@txmarko]

Nothing displays a more thorough commitment to the study of space than naming your child Orion. Keep up the Great Work, Scott...

[@shookings]

Scott, can you do a video about the most badass function-over-form plane to ever fly, the A-10?

[@crustykavkaz7836]

If I'm being completely honest, the F-35 would probably be up there. Well also I may be a bit biased, because in my eyes that is one of the sexiest mf in the sky.

[@HuntingTarg]

The A-10 has next-to-nothing to do with space, and everything to do with ground troop support. Scott is talking about the SR-71 and its predecessors because they were involved in near-space reconnaisance and NASA research. But it's a badass plane in its own right. Pilots swear by, not at it. Many a soldier or marine has been thankful to see and hear its distinct and distinguished design ready to whallop the enemy with flying fists of judgment.

[@Fin2001]

shookings all you need is *BRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrt*

[@kimik-sb1bc]

The form is just as good though...

[@johndee2990]

@@kimik-sb1bc A-10 and SR-71 designs work the best for me in Kerbal Space Program. The A-10 is not only great at achieving speed but can coast and glide very effectively making it one of my easiest Birds to land. The SR-71 is great for a high altitude Science plane until you unlock Rapier/Saber Jets and turn that bastard into a Space plane.

[@rollinwithunclepete824]

I saw an SR-71 at the local air museum in Seattle (sorry can't remember the name of said institution) but I was surprised by how small it was. Yeah, it's bigger than a a Piper Cub, but not overwhelming like I thought it would based on photos. Still one of the coolest planes to ever fly!

[@craigykart]

The one in the Seattle Museum of Flight is an M21. It's actually the only M21 in the world. The museum put a D21 on its back.

[@1930Granada]

​@@craigykartOnly M-21 in one piece at least

[@rebecaliza25]

who else is here after the news that grimes and elon musk named their baby after this aircraft?

[@michaelkitchin9665]

Me. Don't name your kids stupid things, guys. I saw an A-12 when I last went to New York and thought it looked so damn futuristic. If Elon ever makes one of his own, it'll look like and fly like a brick.

[@highbloodmoto7466]

me HAHAHAHA

[@Mosely2007]

Not me, was watching fighter jets break the sound barrier. Some outstanding footage onYou Tube

[@izuaff04]

Dang it.... you knew it....

[@stayfrosty2240]

10/10 would name my baby that again

[@michaelcomisse9478]

The more I watch Scott's channel, the more I love it. Ive seen pics of what I thought was an sr71 with a random payload on the back and saying nasa on the stabilizer but never could find out what the hell it was. Thanks again scott!

[@Alan-in-Bama]

Great video.... we have an A-12 and D-21 on display here at the ‘Southern Museum of Flight’ in Birmingham, Alabama. Awesome aircraft.. and a testament to the design genius of Kelley Johnson and his team of draftsmen !

[@zachazlett]

Are you sending me secret messages hidden in the white flashes?

[@bourbonwarrior1618]

I think it might be a bug with youtube

[@NoHandleToSpeakOf]

@@bourbonwarrior1618 I am getting this bug too

[@ecurb10]

Wow...great video Scott! Great footage! It makes you wonder though, that these fantastic machines were designed and built all those years ago - far out! - so you wonder what they've come up with since and haven't told us about yet.

[@neilbishop1686]

Yes but UAV's just don't have the soul of a manned A/C like the SR71....

[@brandona1370]

Wow! Scott, this was a great video! I'm impressed with how much information you shared, things I never knew about this "family" of aircraft. Thank you for sharing this!

[@f86fman]

Very nice report. Well done! I am a docent at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF), and I will be covering our YF-12 (M-12="mother)) and its D-12 ("daughter") tomorrow in our 4th Blg. tour. Anyway, did you realize that the relatively sharped-edged chines running along each side of the YF-12 did not extend all the way to the nose like the A-12 or SR-71? Kelly Johnson, it's designer, wanted those chines to stay right where they were, but he was convinced by his staff that if the chines were extended all the way to the nose, that would, 1) give the A/C improved flight characteristics (lift especially), and 2) provide additional strength in the nose for the potential use of carrying very heavy recon cameras and associated equipment, if required at a later date. Someone was thinking ahead. Here is another tidbit: The SR-71 was originally called the RS-71. The story goes that Pres. Lyndon Johnson goofed at a press conference, referring to our newest recon plane as the "SR-71", rather than its original name, the "RS-71". I think Johnson made the goof because his script-writers goofed when they wrote down "SR-71" for the President to read. Well, from that moment on the bird became the "SR-71"! It is my understanding that several thousand blueprints and documents had to be "revised", and no, there were no computers with which to correct the problem back in those days. Took a ton of erasing, retyping, copying, and reprinting. One final tidbit I just thought of: At least, the YF-12, and I believe the SR-71 as well, had a real problem with heat-related failure of the two rear tires. The failures were due to radiant heat inside the wheel wells. To solve the problem, a new tire compound was developed from, get this: silicone. Mixed in with the silicone compound before it was molded into tires, were very fine particles of silver. The final result were longer-lasting tires because the silicone did not break down as easily as rubber, and the silver-colored tires helped reflect radiant heat build-up in the wheel wells at hyper-sonic speeds (ie. cooler). The XB-70 tires (our first supersonic nuclear bomber = Mach 3.0) were silver as well for the same reason. You can also find this bird at the NMUSAF, and I will spend some real quality time with the XB-70 tomorrow as well. Again, very nice job Scott Manley.

[@oldgysgt]

The A12 first flew in 1963, but 56 years later it still holds the record as the world's fastest maned winged aircraft.

[@HuntingTarg]

Mane? You don't mean... It's really a Voltron Lion?!? j/k :}

[@drlong08]

A-12 was the CIA variant. Air Force pilots would be recruited and they had to resign their commissions to then become drivers for the CIA program. The SR-71 was known as either the "station wagon" or, as l prefer, the "family model" with 2 pilots. The length and size of the chines was smaller due to the payload requirements. The YF-12 for some reason had the chines stop short of the nose of the plane so you had a more X-15 type nose on those. A-12 Oxcart came first and even to this day it's performance is not totally known. All models were pretty much hot-rods for the drivers. Some mods included auto controls to compensate for the yaw issues that cropped up early on. The plane had a tendency to side slip due to the very low vertical control surface profile.

[@taproom113]

D. R. Long, The YF-12 was the "Interceptor" version of the A-12/SR-71 system. The missile used by the YF-12 required a very powerful radar. The large size of the radar dish in the nose necessitated the re-design resulting in the chines stopping just before the beginning of the radar enclosure. (A-12 ArchAngel/Cygnus is my favorite 'civilian' aircraft) Skal, ^v^

[@hamptonhansen6498]

Wow I've been to that place 4 times and I never noticed it wasnt just a bunch of sr-71's

[@danlock1]

Had to have it vocally explained to you, eh? Or did you just miss reading the plaques/descriptions? That could be easily overlooked... no worries! :-)

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

Have a brother that worked on the electronics of the SR-71. Was stationed at Beale AFB. Visited him in the summer of 1968. Was only 16 at the time but will never forget that summer. Ceiling is well over 80,000’ as I recall. Was in Desert Shield/Storm. The SR-71 was snapping pictures there. That was Aug 90 to Mar 91.

[@renotsttam]

I had the privilege of watching an SR-71 take off from the Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City in 1990. It was there for an airshow, on display only, it didn’t fly at the show. However my grandfather was retired military and an FAA employee and was able to get us out to the flight line to watch the departure the following Monday morning. There was a crowd of probably a few hundred gathered to watch. The pilot graciously made a full afterburner pass over us at maybe 200 feet. It was insanely loud and you could feel the power down to your bones. That’s something I’ll never forget.

[@Hovado_Lesni]

Man Orion is big. I wach this channel for long time.

[@leeterthanyou]

5:42 -- That's the thing they dropped Snake out of suborbital flight with in Metal Gear Solid 3; "Virtual mission" or something.

[@NJP695]

Eddie Mercury indeed it was based on it

[@Phos9]

The Virtuous Mission was a HALO jump, Operation Snake Eater used the weird manned drone.

[@timeflysintheshop]

Scott, did you have hair like your son? If so, post a picture at the end of your next video. Inquiring minds want to know.

[@Bcourtney7]

Paul, that is a tremendous story. But I would imagine that as proud as you must be, there had to be times of loneliness missing him & the frustration of not being able to talk to him about his work. My mother worked for a short time at a nuclear weapons facility called Pantex near Amarillo, Texas. It really messed with her head, the security was out of this world. I’d never seen her like that, she didn’t even want people to know she worked there. I’m sure there are things you can’t talk about & how frustrating that must be. Those people were a rare breed that we were blessed to have. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@parajacks4]

1 million views of this video! Congrats and kudos Scot, your channel is getting the recognition it deserves.

[@honkhonk8009]

His channel is amazing

[@Denzel_Watchington]

*Formerly "Super Secret"...* *The secrets out now, Victoria. Nice work.*

[@GalileoAV]

I just love the fact your son is named Orion.

[@zakelwe]

I heard his daughter is called NGC 6853

[@tetsujin_144]

Does he have a galaxy on his belt?

[@chesthairascot3743]

Another advantage of the U2 (versus the SR-71 family) is its loiter time. It comes in handy for ELINT/COMINT missions, since you don't need to be over hostile territory.

[@Dr.Westside]

A big disadvantage was getting shot down .

[@chesthairascot3743]

​@@Dr.Westside As far as I know, modern U2's fly over non-hostile areas in their ELINT/COMINT missions. Shooting one down over international water would most likely start a war with the United States. Perhaps we should have a separate category for 'hard to shoot down and get away with it'. What I was getting at with my prior comment though, is that they're different aircraft with different roles.

[@Ez4u2bnvs]

I got to see an SR-71 Blackbird at CIA headquarters in Langley VA during a family day visit back in 2007, my brother works for the agency, getting to see that masterpiece up close was an amazing honor, greatest plane ever created, awe inspiring!

[@patch5859]

I have, and read several times, Brian Shul's book "Sled Driver!" And several books of sorties and stories from many other pilots! My favorite aircraft period!!!

[@mqbitsko25]

"The Bastard" is on display at Hill AFB in Utah. Mighty impressive.

[@amigodesigns]

Epilepsy hazard is a strong one with this video, those white screen flashes from hell... :( Nevertheless cool video, and great topic, is amazing the level of engineering used in those aircrafts at that time.

[@EdwinWiles]

What ARE those flashes! They were extremely annoying. Almost got me to stop watching!

[@DanSlotea]

What flashes? Didn't notice any

[@DeadBaron]

The fact the CIA had this for years before the SR-71 is sketchy as hell. Makes you wonder what else they have that they won't tell anyone about.

[@jeffreyexposito3803]

Dead Baron I'm quite convinced they have a Mach 5-6 bird that's been flying for quite a while.

[@dynamicworlds1]

If the main thing you need to worry about the CIA not telling you is them having some piece of cutting edge tech, it's a good day.

[@fixpacifica]

@@jeffreyexposito3803 I doubt it. There's no way you can keep these things secret for long.

[@jeffreyexposito3803]

fixpacifica I disagree. There is a lot of evidence out there that the USAF possesses an operational hypersonic aircraft that's been operating for decades.

[@danlock1]

Why is hell sketchy? Or were you saying it's not sketchy because hell isn't?

[@jaredloveless]

I've been to that museum in Ogden (actually in Riverdale), and had no idea it wasn't a simple SR-71. So cool.

[@dougball328]

There are an M-21 and D-21 on display at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. (Not to be confused with the Future of Flight museum at Everett)

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Like how Scott sorta acknowledges the D-21's failed mission over China without explicitly stating so.

[@galliman123]

Failed? Yeah...4 expensive ones (´・ω・`)

[@zeitgeistx5239]

@@galliman123 it failed because it was suppose to fly over friendly territory (Pakistan) and drop off the film negatives, they lost communication with it over China and it crashed in China. Thus, it failed and never completed its programmed mission.

[@tmseh]

Don't forget the version loaned out to Dr. Xavier in Westchester N.Y..

[@G31mR]

Regardless of what the placards say, the SR-71 was easily capable of reaching 100,000 feet. I worked on the SR-71 at Beale and at Kadena my entire Air Force career, so I have some familiarity with the aircraft. It was an awesome machine, especially back in the late 1960's. We never heard anything about an 'A-12', although we were certainly aware of the YF-12A. I wonder where the A-12 was based, since it took very unique support systems to keep the SR-71 flying, and I would expect the same support systems would have had to have been utilized for a nearly-identical 'A-12'. To have a duplicate support base somewhere in the free world to support an A-12 would not have been economically justifiable. Yet, if the A-12 fleet existed, there would have to have been that duplicate support base, since no 'A-12' ever flew out of Beale or Kadena during the times I was in either place. My opinion is that there was an A-12 produced, but, as a proof-of-concept vehicle, there would have been only one or two produced, not fifteen. The CIA certainly utilized the SR-71 regularly, using USAF crews to complete their missions.....so why would the A-12 be needed?? Next, why is only the one initial prototype A-12 in existence? I believe it's because that's all there ever was. There are a lot of myths surrounding the Blackbirds, some of them unintentional and some of them deliberately scripted by big egos and/or our government for tactical reasons. i believe the A-12 is one of those.

[@iami3rian394]

I'm not staying you're wrong, or trying to downplay anything you did, but the people who would've been working on that _needed_ to be more right lipped than a random plane tech, even if you were the most advanced "random plane tech" in the world. You're not vetted, you're not monitored, you're not given access. It's really as simple as that. Again, no offense, and it must've been SWEET to be able to check one of those suckers out while they flew, but in the eyes of the government, you're little more than a grease monkey. Like the pilots who flew the A-12, they had people trained for all kinds of special duties. You're right though, it's not even close to economically feasible.

[@charlesbates6178]

We used to watch the SR-71 fly out of Kadena on our army air defense radars. We couldn't believe how fast those things disappeared. One of our section radar operators actually got some pretty good photographs of the SR-71 but had them confiscated when he tried to develop them at the military local do-it-yourself developing lab.

[@hwoods01]

The A-12's certainly existed. Thier base was Groom lake. The reason the A-12s were shut-down was due to Gary Powers getting shot down and Kennedy stopping direct manned overflights. So the job the A-12 was in development for was now non-existent.

[@BogeyTheBear]

2:42 Tell me this: do these look like SRs? Is there more than two of them in the photo?

[@G31mR]

@@BogeyTheBear Believe what you want, makes no difference to me.

[@chickenrichard5024]

For clarification, if you ever get the chance to see the inside pictures of some of the Blackbird cockpits, there is a small piece of tape on the throttle controls. Essentially, pushing the plane past this point was both physically dangerous as the human body could not accelerate to that point without damage, but also used as the marker for where to be should you be fired upon as nothing fielded could hit you at that speed. Between being unable to fire munitions (the plane shooting itself down as it traveled faster than its projectile did once the projectile had left the barrel and encountered resistance) to having to be fueled twice, with gaps throughout the entire plane including the fuselage due to heat warping and stretching the materials used in its construction, this is truly a marvel.

[@rudyyarbrough5122]

I was a second lieutenant in the Marines stationed at NAS Key West in the mid sixty's as a new F 4 pilot. We were getting ready to deploy to Vietnam and were testing out different methods and procedures for that mission. We also had backup duty as air defense for the Southern US through NORAD. The Air Force was using F 102's which were obsolete even then so we were their backup even though if we launched after they did we would get to the target first! One day I and another F 4 were on the hot pad when we got a call to launch. We got airborne and were vectored to intercept a target coming from the southeast sector over Hati. Our radar picked up a small target and the computer calculated an intercept. The speed of the target and the altitude was so high that our computer told us to level off and then accelerate to Mach 2 and then presented us with a "Snap up" maneuver where we would try to have enough energy to reach the target. About halfway through the maneuver, the computer said "Never mind" so we broke off and reported that we could not catch the target nor reach its altitude. No explanation was given nor any questions asked by us. Years later we figured out that it had to be one of the early flights of the A12's or SR 71's.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

My friend who was in The Air Force said the published top speed of military air craft was 2/3rds of actual. One pilot that flew out of one base he was stationed would go vertical as soon as he was off the ground and break the speed of sound going vertical. If a jet was sitting too long the wing seals would shrink too much and the fluids would drain out. Seals and fluids would have to be replaced, then the aircraft would have to be inspected then taken up for a test flight.

[@wadecampbell5295]

Yep. I've had the privilege of meeting 2 SR pilots. The one who set the official transcontinental record of ~58 min said they turned around and got back to base in less than 40 min.

[@Mattomune]

A fleet of 90+ F-12s would have been amazing.

[@floobertuber]

And a much more attractive expenditure than the Vietnam war. THANKS, MCNAMARA.

[@Bartonovich52]

No it wouldn’t have. These were hand-built hangar queens that needed a week of maintenance between missions. Only the trainer exceeded 1000 hours in service. All others were retired or crashed with less than 500 hours-some a lot less.

[@noelwade]

I was lucky enough to get married under the nose of the surviving M-21 mothership. :-) Its on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle - and is still quite an impressive beast!

[@1king4all]

Loved the video! Back in the day the air force experimented with a lot of prototypes and models. There was more variety to fly than at anytime in history, before or after. Planes each had their own characteristics and quirks, which pilots undoubtedly had to learn and master in order to fly "straight" and not crash. Things were hands on, analog, not digital and governed by microchips. It made flying dangerous, yes, but, if I could pick a time period to be a pilot in, without a doubt, I'd go back to the good old school days. These flying machines were the epitome of what it means to blend man and machine together as one and not as separate entities. It was dangerous, but a hell of a lot of fun too! It gave life new meaning, and in the process enabled you to cherish the limited time you have on this rock. It was enlightenment in its best possible form.

[@BillfromtheHills]

I saw the A 12 that is on display at Battleship memorial park in Mobile AL, a few years ago. Awesome machine, my introduction to the different variants. Thanks for sharing.

[@ThomasHart59]

So umm, yeah. The drone never flew an operational mission, but one just happened to be recovered in China? Suuuure. :-)

[@TheLinkandmarioshow]

how could the CIA possibly lie to us :0

[@BogeyTheBear]

Never flew a successful operation. Lost the film pod every time and never got a single photo out of the thing.

[@dwizzleusa4202]

Dude u got to be dumbass it's talking about 60s tech there never was one found in China where u getting this information?

[@texasfossilguy]

@@dwizzleusa4202 from the video... there is one crashed and recovered by the chinese military on display in china in an aircraft museum. Did you not watch the video? Obviously it was used in either Korea or Vietnam, it looks like it was ditched into the sea or a lake, and recovered mostly intact.

[@joegibbs2508]

Good deduction skills.

[@caalcb7]

Before Gary Powers incident, CIA already planned to make SR-71, in fact when that incident happened the project already run at 50% progress. Cmiiw.

[@evanlin1660]

I remember standing guard at this place when I was in Civil Air Patrol. It was fun.

[@MikeMiller-fc2cc]

Thank you Mr. Manley. I was aware of the D-21 since I was a kid, and the idea behind it. Saw 1 photo and several drawings. But you have shown me more in this video than I had ever known about. Thanks again

[@TheWeatherbuff]

I had no idea about the different variants; thank you for explaining. I visited the SAC museum in Nebraska in 1990. They used to let you go up and touch the aircraft. So, I got to run my hand down the side of an SR-71. Haven't washed my hand since ;-) Thank you, Scott!

[@dennisvance4004]

There’s an SR 71 at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. A Beautiful and amazing aircraft.

[@ShadowBlasko]

Along with a YF A12

[@yobeefjerky42]

Which Hangar are they in? I've never seen them there. Maybe that means the stealth is working lol

[@ShadowBlasko]

@@yobeefjerky42 Hangar 4. (The new one) they used to be on the R&D tour, but when hangar 4 was finished last year they moved in there. The SR is in hangar 3 in "cold war" and the YFA-12 is in hangar 4.

[@yobeefjerky42]

@@ShadowBlasko Ah okay, it's been a while so it probably wasn't there when I last explored the place.

[@ShadowBlasko]

@@yobeefjerky42 it's been there for a while, but until hangar 4 was finished all the "really cool" stuff like the A-12 and the Valkyrie (!!!) Was at the R&D facility, and you had to take the bus to get there. It was actually on-base instead of at the museum proper.