SR-71 Blackbird: How the World's FASTEST Plane Became Irrelevant

[@megaprojects9649]

Thank you Squarespace for sponsoring this video. Check out Squarespace: squarespace.com/megaprojects for 10% off on your first purchase.

[@endymionselene165]

Please do a video on the covert operations to get the titanium for the sr-71 blackbird?

[@FrankRuiz66]

Oh the extremely shady and creative shenanigans to procure the titanium is an excellent example of what a government is willing to do to meet their goals unbeknown to it's citizens.

[@truthseeker8123]

FALSE. The classified A-12 was smaller, and faster, also still classified. Come on Simon.

[@exsappermadman25055]

@@endymionselene165 Bought on the black market via Russia....Bloody genius!...

[@b.thomas8926]

My father was in the Airforce during Vietnam. He was stationed in the Philippines and was part of the Airforce's radio intercept group. They had received a short briefing to listen for something different, because the Airforce intended to run the SR-71 through Vietnam into China to test the Vietnamese and Chinese reaction. He said it was funny as hell. In the past they ran U2's on the same mission knowing the Chinese didn't have the ability to intercept the U-2. Plotting the U-2 was pretty boring. Plot plot plot plot. Just slow going along it's way, Enemy aircraft would scramble, they'd climb but never could get high enough. They'd follow the U-2 for a little while like angry bees then eventually give up. He said when the SR-72 came through it was plot........ plot....... gone! THEN the air defense of China would react long after the SR-71 had blew on past. He said after translation and decryption the Chinese radio was like their version of WTF!

[@Ai-dz7ys]

A mega projects about how they procured the Titainium off the Russians would be awesome. Please Simon.

[@generalhyde007]

Yesssssss!!!! Must See!!!

[@willywonka4340]

Tge details are probably still classified 😂

[@sayUNCLE1236]

i'm behind this guy

[@danielwolf6875]

HEARD!

[@legbert123]

PLZ !

[@spamuel98]

Getting titanium for your super secret spy plane from the people you're spying on has got to be one of the ballsiest moves in history.

[@BlackAssBilly]

I'll never get tired of hearing about the blackbird

[@ShadowOppsRC]

Me either!

[@keshhan6412]

I thought I was the only one.

[@dilldowschwagginz2674]

Me either. I climbed up into the cockpit of one when I was a kid. My dad worked (still works) for Lockheed.

[@snteevveetns]

@@dilldowschwagginz2674my grandpa did (in skunk works -u2 & sr72 era, but they didn’t know what they were making) as did my dad (f117). Still top secret capabilities, amazing

[@BAR162O]

Agreed!

[@edwindrake4777]

Even after being retired for ~30years, it still looks like it came from 100 years in the future. What a sexy machine 😍

[@davidstepney5394]

I… What?

[@SavingPvtBryan32]

It looks like a ship from that star wars racing game

[@donaldnoell5378]

And not many saw them fly. When I was little my Dad was stationed at Beale AFB. One of the bases the SR-71 was stationed. My dad worked on it's Radio. I saw this plane take off and land. And when it went supersonic we had to bolt down our furniture so they didn't fall over. It shook trees and the house.

[@davemccage7918]

04:55 At this exact moment, Peter watching this video shit himself.

[@phantomechelon3628]

For my money still the best-looking aircraft ever made (that we know about).

[@theshadowoftruth7561]

I worked on The SR-71 in the late 70's at Beale AFB. I even sat in the cockpit once and ran the flight controls. We had to get ALL the air bubbles out of the Hydraulic Fluid.

[@menwithven8114]

So did you see them start it?

[@theshadowoftruth7561]

@@menwithven8114 Yes with a start cart with big V8 engines.

[@JETWTF]

I saw one leaving Beale in a westward trajectory from Highway 70 just before 40 Mile road from Wheatland(Ticket Town as we called it back then) in the late 70's. Possibly one of the birds you worked on. It was pretty high up but that distinctive shape and being black cannot be mistaken. Nothing for a kid to do back then when traveling north but look out the window so I saw allot of aircraft from Beale during our every other weekend trips to visit family up north.

[@SplurtMyGurt]

I would have loved to work on one of these beauties. I'm almost done with class to be an aircraft maintenance technician (June 28th being my last day)

[@theshadowoftruth7561]

@@SplurtMyGurt One time 4 of us went out to replace a module, it took over an hour to take out the 4 bolts that held it in place. We took turns taking them out as it was above our heads and behind another module. We had to do everything by feel. Remember this was in 1978 before smart phones and small power tools.

[@RageDavis]

The black paint was not intended to absorb heat, quiet the opposite, actually: it was meant to radiate heat away from the aircraft. Triethylborane was not "mixed in" the fuel, it was used as "liquid sparkplug" during startup of the engines and for igniting the afterburners, since it is hypergolic (burns sponaneously in contact with air).

[@hifinsword]

True. There was enough for a handful or so starts. If there was an UNSTART (stalled motor) inflight, the improved starting system would automatically inject the TEB in the UNSTARTED engine to get it burning again. Without the automatic injection, the uncommanded yaw could and did destroy at least 1 plane.

[@kavemanthewoodbutcher]

Also, the swedes who escorted the damaged blackbird were not unnamed, they received medals. Can't recall their names, but I'm sure I'm right.

[@panderson9561]

@@hifinsword IIRC, it was enough for 16 starts/restarts.

[@JohnWilliamNowak]

Yes, this is a fun bit in thermal management. Aircraft that get hot are white; aircraft that get very hot are black. The Space Shuttle was colored with most of it white, and the hottest parts black. So planes are painted white to keep cool. They are also painted black to keep cool. And sometimes they are black and white, to keep cool.

[@hifinsword]

@@panderson9561 I believe that is correct.

[@Fortunes.Fool.]

This plane is just enormous in person. It must've looked like a spaceship to the people who saw it for the first time.

[@disorganizedorg]

I was taken at how patchy the surface looked... both in the Udvar Hazy Annex and when I saw one up close on the tarmac at an air show in 1981. Being enlisted, I was permitted a bit closer than the public, but no closer than the gentlemen with M-16s were comfortable about. I also got a head's up when it would be departing and was at the end of the runway just outside the fence as it flew directly over at less than 100'... extremely loud.

[@calebcritcher8537]

The one in the Richmond VA museum is literally in your face! It takes up most of the building.

[@chrisward2245]

It's really not that big if you ever seen a tomcat or a phantom in person

[@Fortunes.Fool.]

@@chrisward2245 I have, grew up with Tomcats on runways and sat in a Phantom. They're at the Air and Space Museum too so you can walk around them.

[@chrisward2245]

@@Fortunes.Fool. o I been to Alabama to see them plus I have followed them since I knew what a plane was I'm 35 years

[@bobpond6381]

R.I.P. Brian Shul. Not just a hero but a great storyteller. Watch what you can find from him if you’re a blackbird fan or an aviation fan.

[@Wirenfeldt1990]

Reading his book, and that of Ben Rich is well worth it too..

[@larrydlam]

There is a TED talk here on KZbin that he did about it.

[@SuperiorAutocraft]

Came here for this. He will be missed.

[@neilo316]

Oh shit, he passed! Rip Major. What a man, and one of the best storytellers ever......

[@smhaceofspades2813]

Yes sir SPEED check never EVER gets old I love that story most of all.

[@MrPossumeyes]

The Sr71 was the most beautiful plane ever built.

[@barryfowler954]

She's certainly up there with the best of them, but more beautiful than the Mk V Spitfire? 🤷‍♂😁👍.

[@David-lr2vi]

Was about to type the same thing. It’s amazing that such a record breaking aircraft can also be the most beautiful aircraft ever made (IMO). Just goes to show that sometimes form and function can be the same thing!

[@MrPossumeyes]

@@barryfowler954 Weellllll ..... yeah, the Spitfire was a beauty, yes. But she didn't have those engines.

[@Baldevi]

Agreed.

[@whizzo94]

Concorde.

[@JioFreedOfOphan]

My dad was an Air Force kid growing up in the 60's and 70's. For his high school years he lived in Okinawa, Japan and had the chance to see an SR-71 take off from AFB Okinawa. He took pictures of that event and kept them. Years later he had returned to the states to live in Kansas and during the late 90's a museum by the name of The Kansas Cosmopshere in Hutchinson had an actual SR-71 donated to the museum. It was put on display and is the first thing you see when entering. When my dad went to see it in the early 2000's he checked the numbers on the body and they matched numbers seen in the photos he captured in the mid 70's. The SR-71 on display is massive and gorgeous to admire, you can reach out and touch it as well. If any of you haven't already, make the trip to the Cosmopshere and see perhaps the greatest space museum in the whole of the Midwest.

[@ronjon7942]

Wish somehow we could all see the pictures! It’s getting priceless to see ‘never before seen’ ones.

[@jonathanshumpert9549]

I was at Kadena air force base in Okinawa when they had the last operational SR-71. When it was leaving the base for the last time they let people on the base know so we could all see it. It was impressive seeing it take off just after sunset.

[@skyden24195]

That's awesome. I got to see it when I was living at Travis AFB in California during the 80s. (My dad was USAF medical staff.) The Blackbird did a flyover during an airshow that was held at Travis.

[@davepitts4479]

I saw a night takeoff while TDY to OK from Andersen. Very impressive.

[@ronhilliard8863]

My father was in the air force. And he and the family lived on Kadena AFB between 1964-1968. We visited suicide cliff among other places.

[@jonathanshumpert9549]

@@ronhilliard8863 I remember going there on a tour. It's a sad place.

[@rolandledesma-de7qd]

What year was that?

[@BLACKAAROW]

one of the most beautiful planes ever built, and the fact that they managed to build the SR-71 in a time before computers makes it even more impressive

[@CS-lb4ht]

Makes you wonder what planes they are using right now that nobody knows about.

[@robh_tex]

they had computers, just took up an entire room 😂

[@BLACKAAROW]

@@robh_tex LOL yeah the size of school buses haha. most of the calculations still used slide rules

[@blucksy7229]

By the 60s computers were deftinetly around and in use. Commercial computers had moved away from vaccumn tubes and onto transistors. This meant computers were now the size of an old TV or a desk.

[@justaskin8523]

@@blucksy7229 Almost, but not quite. IBM and competitors like Amdahl and Hitachi were making mainframe computers the size of school busses in the late 80s until the mid-to-late-1990s. After that, IBM basically moved to the standard datacenter "19-inch rack" form factor. Today, a mainframe looks like and can be placed right in line with all your Windows or Linux server racks. With software such as Cadam and Catia, mainframes in the 60s thru 90s could indeed be used to create engineering drawings of planes such as the SR-71. From the late 90s thru the 10s, Cadam and Catia started its transition from mainframes to Linux servers. There are still a lot of mainframes in use in the world today, but physically, you'd be hard-pressed to pick them out in a modern data center because they look pretty much like all the other racks and racks of servers in the same type of facility.

[@TheMoonShepard]

This Jet is one of the greatest achievements of mankind.

[@cannonball9177]

Whilst it is undoubtedly impressive, think of the pilots in their special suits when the Concorde is blasting along at Mach 2.2 with food service below. The SR71 is faster but far more maintenance heavy to keep in the sky and carried two people, it would never of rivalled the Concorde (It was not designed as a passenger plane tbf) but the Concorde is super cruising. The Blackbird used a ram jet system ‘after burning’ fuel in the exhausts, the Concorde only used this to climb and get up to speed, Mach 2.2 with no after burner or ‘reheat’ is unrivalled. Doing it with a hundred toffee nosed bankers or celebs is something else. Eco concerns would never see it fly today but with all the new money in the world 14 in service aircraft could easily be doubled! Zoom has rendered it’s business use ZERO but I wish I could get on holiday quicker and if I could afford it I would certainly pay

[@30AndHatingIt]

Dude, you’ve got problems.

[@livingcorpse5664]

I wish my family understood that. I tried showing this off to my sister and she laughed saying it looked like some cheesy spaceship from a B-sci-fi movie from the 60s :\

[@dextermorgan1]

​@@livingcorpse5664 Some people just don't appreciate the finer things in life. 🤷🏻

[@aaronmcconkey1062]

CERN/LHC > Any military equipment

[@danieltempas6062]

My Uncle flew SR-71s in Vietnam and out of Area 51. He liked to talk about how he could go wheels up at 6:00 AM in Nevada, cross the Mississippi River, and be back before lunch. "It took three states to turn around" was a favorite quote of his. He eventually became commander of Area 51. Amazing history.

[@hint0122]

Oo, I bet he had some good stories

[@JackMott]

if there aliens dont reply

[@mcouture8169]

If he went wheels up from anywhere in NV at 0600, he could cross the Mississippi and be back before an 0800 breakfast.

[@TJ-wg3ud]

This plane seems almost cutting edge today but it was built 60 YEARS AGO!!! Such an amazing aircraft!

[@theangrymarmot8336]

The book "Sled Driver" by Brian Shul is excellent - and written by someone who actually flew/RO'd blackbirds. It is a good read and glimpse into the operational experience. Unfortunately the book is quite expensive these days, so finding a digital copy is necessary if you don't want to shell out hundreds of bucks. Having seen several of these planes in person - it is amazing they were designed mainly by humans - not computers. As Brian Shul said - "the hottest of all the hot-rods."

[@dinsdalemontypiranha4349]

What does "RO'd" mean?

[@theangrymarmot8336]

@@dinsdalemontypiranha4349 Recon officer, the backseater.

[@somedudewithakeyboard]

Fun fact: I learned from the comments more than from the video itself.

[@ARWest-bp4yb]

So it's taken almost 60 years to come up with a replacement for the SR-71, those guys were way ahead of their time! Definitely a video for the 'procurement' of the Russian titanium. Another video suggestion: The design & construction of pads 39-A&B at KSC. Saw a brief description of that recently that left me wanting more! 👍👍

[@andreasmuller4666]

They kinda didn´t need a new plane being able to do what the SR-71 could do in those years.

[@kensanders6241]

So sad that one of the pilots, Brian Shul, passed earlier this week. His story of the speed check from the LA flight tower is epic. RIP Mr Shul and Blackbird 😢

[@psychochicken9535]

And he met one of the women that was in the tower that he buzzed years later! Such a great story!

[@lapislazuli5451]

Hmm, so sad. Why must we by all means die?

[@BuddyLuvve]

He's such an entertaining speaker! I'm sad to hear he passed. RIP, Brian. Fly high and fast forever.

[@honkbob]

Great video! RIP Brian Shul, Blackbird pilot who stated they got the SR over M3.5 and 100,000 feet evading missile(s) over Libya. Fastest operational claim from a pilot I know of.

[@thevegastan]

I remember that copypasta. Being in a plane whose default defense mechanism is to just book it is just insane 🤣🤣

[@Blazeww]

That's not even it's top speed. It could go faster than it's highest recorded speed. Limiting factor I think was engine materials that couldn't survive the forces within them at higher speed. Cause the air would make shockwaves deep inside the engines and materials couldn't handle it... They had no way of slowing the air enough inside the engines. Then the plane retired. And the design stopped being improved.

[@matchesburn]

@@Blazeww Technically, very technically, the SR-71 was capable of Mach 5+. In theory. That's when the air inlets would start to fail. I don't think it was ever actually ran to that speed, but I would not be surprised at all if the aircraft touched low Mach 4.

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Fastest "JET" - Fastest "Plane" is the rocket powered X-15

[@Baldevi]

Oh thank you Simon and Megaprojects Team! I did have a friend, an older gentleman who was retired from Skunk Works who used to chat with me about the Blackbird. He told me [and swore me tos secrecy for some reason] what her true top speed was, and regaled me of stories about her test flights at Groom Lake. He got a kick out of my being a woman who loved this plane of all the flying goodies out there. She is a beauty, and I did climb up onto a display platform to touch a trainer at a museum; this might have been the Bastard, but I don't remember. She had the two-man cockpit and was a trainer for certain. Her skin felt so interesting, the paint felt like an Orca's skin, with the folded or corregated metal under it. It makes me shiver happy like even now, tho breaking the law to touch a plane was a thrill too. [it was a long time ago, cant get me now!] I thing that taking the still working planes and updating their systems and some of her more fragile sections might be a useful idea, as she still has uses and is an intimidating tool for the US Reconn groups. Still, there is no way to explain why we all love the Blackbird so much. Is it her sheer, majestic beauty? Her speed? What is it? I just love her whole. Wish she was still working for us up there...

[@NoelMcGinnis]

So glad I can see one of these amazing aircraft whenever I want. The Wright-Patt Air Force museum is less than 10 miles away. I was so happy when they first brought it to the museum. It had always been my favorite, and to actually see and touch one was kind of a childhood dream come true.

[@dinsdalemontypiranha4349]

Yes please, I would like to see a video about how the CIA got the titanium for the SR-71s. That was awesome Simon! This is one of my favorite aircraft ever. I even have a friend who, while serving with the United States Air Force, worked on SR-71 engines for a while. I'm glad that you put in the part about how they leaked fuel when they were on the ground.

[@lujanhm99]

Agree 100% look forward to the video. Great job at this 👏👏👏

[@richardmartin6533]

They told the Russians they needed titanium to build pizza ovens, which was purchased through dummy corporations the C.I.A. set up.

[@abraxys]

Thank you Simon and your team for doing an AMAZING recount off the Blackbird's life. It was simply a stunningly unmatched plane, despite its mechanical faults. In a world where satellite reconnaissance takes precedence, the world has lost a true human engineering marvel. RIP Blackbird-gone but NEVER forgotten!!

[@WasabiSniffer]

One beautiful piece of engineering, not just the bird itself but how it was designed, the materials put together, built, maintained, records broken, and with 60s era tech. The SR72 might have its own mythical place in aviation history but the blackbird will always be something very special

[@budbuddybuddest]

SR71. Puts me in awe of flight, proud my country can produce such a feat.

[@trixrabbit8792]

The LA speed check is one of the best military stories ever told.

[@ronjon7942]

Chuckle, yes.

[@manilove2pwn]

Seeing one at a museum i was amazed how big but sleek it was looks quick sitting still. My mum and dad had to drag me away to see the rest. love this plane

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

It could of maybe been named "Dagger as it { Cuts } through the Air.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:20 - Chapter 1 - Skulking at skunk works 3:00 - Mid roll ads 5:05 - Back to the video 8:55 - Chapter 2 - A12 to SR71 12:10 - Chapter 3 - A magnificient invention 18:10 - Chapter 4 - Alone in the skies 22:25 - Chapter 5 - Records & happy retirement

[@vr6swp]

My dad was a long time Lockheed employee, he worked on this contract for years. Don’t know what all he did on the program (machinist) but the last few years he was assigned to a follow-on contract machining spare parts and repairing the fixtures used to service the airframes (the SR71 would literally tear itself apart on every flight)

[@dextermorgan1]

Has he ever hinted if they ever built a successor to the SR71?

[@vr6swp]

@@dextermorgan1 Not really. But Lockheed had a lot of contracts that were top secret or classified, and if you weren’t directly working on that project they didn’t tell you about it. The last things he worked on before retiring in 1983 (that I know of) was machining parts for some spy satellite project, and in between he may have worked on the Have Blue contract. He took his security clearance and the non-disclosure agreement pretty seriously and didn’t share much about his work

[@dextermorgan1]

@RedactedMisinformant What are Gambit and Hexagon?

[@lyianx]

"the SR71 would literally tear itself apart on every flight" Can't say im surprised. That thing pushing the limits of aerodymanics and therodymanics every flight. Its pretty much redlining every time it flew.

[@ChatterboxFM]

What’s insane is that it was built in 1964, retired between 1998-99, and still holds the record for the fastest plane ever built, that we’re aware of.. Which is both a interesting and TERRIFYING fact. There is something faster out there (or was, and is also being replaced) and it is doing its job VERY well.

[@templarw20]

Eh... maybe. Unless you're building a SSTO spacecraft, going that fast is more trouble than it's worth. Having the record is fine, but there are more efficient ways to get the job done. Still really freakin' cool.

[@TheCynicalOptimist88]

Yes the satellites these days.. ... can you imagine the camera technology we have now compared to the 1960s. The camera systems would be classified and Beyond what is publicly known... There's no needing to outrun anything when you're in low orbit 😊.

[@Baldevi]

I was told by a retired Skunk Works developer that her unofficial records much faster than the speed we're told of publicly. Two flights during testing were allowed to just go for it; she did not disappoint, tho she did scare the pilots silly. They had no idea if she would break up, but for those two flights she was glorious and fast-fast-fast. Can't say that the figure I was told for that top speed is possible with a smaller jet except as a test of concert type thing, as those speeds are really only useful for recon, fighters really could not be too useful flying that fast for any other reason.

[@zethloveless7238]

@@Baldevi lmfao you are so beyond full of sht 😂. Pegged they did little over 3.56 mach and only briefly. It’s not some top secret thing anymore

[@JohnWilliamNowak]

@@templarw20 This. One of the aircraft that "replaced" SR-71 has a wooden propellor.

[@Alphqwe]

On April 14th, 1980 the first Space Shuttle mission (STS-1) ended. Just after the Columbia passed over Hawaii Massion control stated that they were at Mach 6. 10 to 20 seconds later they announced that the chase plane had caught up with the Shuttle. Approximately 20 to 30 seconds later Massion control stated that the Shuttle had slowed to Mach 5. Three quess's as to what aircraft it was: 1) SR-71 2) SR-71 3) SR-71

[@ToTheGAMES]

What a load of bollocks

[@michaelwerkov3438]

They flew an sr71 past mach 4....?

[@MichaelW969]

Found your channel doing a deep dive on post WW2 Germany and found your SR-71 vlog. I was in the US Air Force in the 1980s and spent 3 years assigned to Kadena AB Okinawa, Japan. We would go out to the flight line late at night midnightish to watch the SR71 take off. It never took off during the day. Your vlog on it is easily the best I've seen. Thanks for the memories!

[@Yuvattar]

For the love of all that is holy and pure, the video's thumbnail is not an SR-71. Amazing video though, thank you.

[@jameswhitehead6758]

TEB was used as a starter fluid for the engines/afterburners. It was NOT mixed with JP7 @15:04. TEB is a hypergolic fluid that automatically ignites when it hits oxygen. JP7 was impossible to ignite on the plane without TEB. Once burning, JP7 kept the engines/afterburners running, but when the SR-71 had to refuel they would turn off the afterburners (to slow down enough to refuel). The limited number of "shots" of TEB was the limiting factor of how long missions could go. IIRC the plane carried 14 shots of TEB.

[@infernotyphoon]

At the airzoo in Michigan they have one of the 2 seater variants along with an engine. Let me tell you. You don't realize how big these planes are if you've never seen one

[@svenmorgenstern9506]

Oh yeah. One of my first encounters with the Blackbird was seeing it on final for Norton AFB (now San Bernardino International Airport). I was stopped at a traffic light, Habu goes sailing across a couple of hundred yards away, and my initial thought was "That thing's HUGE!!!" 😲 Being in Southern California, plenty of SR-71 airframes on display; well worth checking out if you're interested.

[@paulbeck6410]

I've been there and seen it.

[@moniack]

The Airzoo is amazing!

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Hello there. I live in Washington state - home of the Boeing. Boeing has a very Awe Inspiring : Museum Of Flight. The Museum has the last set of the M-21 / D-21 that were made. Also the museum has a recovered cockpit from a crashed SR-71 and you can sit in the cockpit - so amazing you get to be that up-close to such an AirPlane. I was born at Cannon AFB Hospital when my dad was stationed there. It's not often that your efficiency increases the faster you go - like with the SR-71's. So it was beneficial that the SR-71's could take advantage of such a capability.

[@thecraigster8888]

A few comments on the engines and fuel. The SR-71’s engines transitioned from turbojets to ram jet at higher speeds. It continuously used its afterburners, which is why it needed so much JP-7 fuel. The JP-7 had such a high flash point that it was used as a heat sink as it circulated under the skin of the aircraft. The chemical added to it, TEB, was only needed when starting or re-starting the engines. A small dose was injected into the fuel and the TEB would self ignite when it came into contact with the air. There was just enough of it carried on board for about 16 uses. There was a very brief green flash when it ignited, which in turn ignited the JP-7.

[@laurenpeck77]

Growing up in southern California, I used to hang out with a kid who's dad had SR71 stuff all over the house. He was an engineer at Skunkworks and had a hand in designing the blackbird. I always wish I could have gotten a tour of his work.

[@abarratt8869]

Of all the vids on the SR71, this is the only one I've come across that addresses the aircraft's availability issues. Excellent stuff. 1 week's post flight maintenance, + 1 day pre-flight prep, 4 flights a day across the whole fleet at absolute best; that's not great. Poor availability of serviceable aircraft is always going to be a tough challenge, financially, especially if the military need has gone away, no matter how great the aircraft actually was (and the SR71 was certainly great!). This is largely why the F16 is such a good sales success. They're reliable. They've been undergoing constant refinement for decades, and are now pretty solid performers, and have a strong logistics chain behind them. Not necessarily the greatest fighter to ever fly, but it will fly for you, when you want it to, without much difficulty or expense. The comparison to Concorde's availability is also interesting. Concorde was famously maintenance heavy too, but none the less British Airways and Air France could reliably run commercial services with a small fleet with enough left over for charters. Concorde had far more hours at supersonic speed than anything else that's ever flown. Ok, so it wasn't as thermally stressed as an SR71, but it still wasn't a walk in the park. Getting Concorde to that point of reliability must have been a lot of work! I read years ago of a chance encounter between an SR71 and Concorde over the western Atlantic. The SR71 was on the way down to 60,000ft, Concorde was on the point of beginning its descent, and they met up. The SR71 pilot was deeply impressed to be toasted by passengers wearing shirt sleeves waving champagne glasses, whilst he was sat there in a pressure suit. What this betrays is the measures taken in the Concorde design to make the aircraft safe for passengers, in the event of depressurisation (at that height, you cannot survive even on pure oxygen. You need pressure too to keep you alive). Concorde's a/c system was designed so that even if two windows blew out, it could force air into the cabin quicker than it could escape through the windows, preserving the pressure inside the aircraft. That would have been very, very noisy but you would live through it.

[@kevinm3751]

I was lucky enough to get to see this beast take off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa on our last day there as we waited to board our flight back to the states. Watching the afterburner reach a length that was almost as long as the airframe, it screamed down the runway and as soon as it lifted off and retracted its gears it literally went vertical straight up into a cloudless sky and vanished in less than a minute! Was an experience I will never forget!

[@connorsmith2059]

when i was a boy, I saw a blackbird at an airport and I'll never forget it, such an amazing looking aircraft. learning about its technical abilities now is really mindblowing

[@vitsobotka6268]

Every single aspect of this plane is mind boggling. The speed, the stealth, the altitude it operated at and mainly the year in which it was designed and built in. It is all just so surreal.

[@kaufmanat1]

Almost feels like alien tech. It still feels advanced by modern standards.

[@caseycatob5069]

I used to live about an hour from Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum, where the last flown SR-71 is stored and shown, the museum is also right next to the airport that the plane flew into on the official SR-71 Final Flight. I loved going there, walking in, looming down on the SR-71, proud, front and center. Gave me goosebumps every time

[@Apocalyptico100]

My fave plane of all times! Imagine the skill and knowledge from the pilot to manage that glorious cockpit 16:10

[@ShadowOppsRC]

Crap ton of training besides being required to be married to fly it operationally.

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

There was no "Top-Gun" pilots in the program. All pilots were married and the absolute best of the best pilots in the Air Force.

[@flexinclouds]

To anyone visiting NYC, I recommend going to the Intrepid sea, air & space museum. It's the one on/in an aircraft carrier (shown in a scene from 'I am Legend' where Will smith is golfing off an SR71/A12). Well it was an A12, and they still have it there just as it was in the movie.. along with Concorde & a space shuttle to name a few. But seeing/touching an A12 was definitely bucket-list worthy lol. (Although the space shuttle was the real mind blowing one in terms of size, just the fuselage was seemingly 3-4 stories tall)🤯. I recommend that place to anyone though (especially to other history/aviation nerds like myself)

[@spyersecol0013]

YES, YOU NEED TO DO A VIDEO ON THE PROCUREMENT OF THE TITANIUM!

[@JohnSmith-lw2bm]

Blackbird forever. What a dominant legend.

[@Shadowace724]

One of the most beautiful planes ever built.

[@dunkie976]

Perfect....almost spooky timing there guys, Since childhood I've wanted to see an SR71 in the flesh, that has been a bucket list thing for many years untill yesterday..... when we made a bit of an effort and called in to see the only one outside the US. So to see this video be launches the same day is just the cherry on top for me. Well done guys.

[@thegrimsniper]

the tri-ethyl borane was only used to light the engines, and re-light the afterburners in flight after in-flight refueling, it was not mixed with the jp7

[@cdstoc]

I saw one at Norton AFB at an airshow in the 1980's. It was on static display with an armed guard and a rope around it. Later, the crew walked up in their flight suits, went through pre-flight, taxied, took off, made a couple of high speed passes, then climbed near-vertical out of sight. Magnificent! Another time, while working at a radar facility in Germany, I watched a plane take off from the UK then reach 80,000-feet and Mach 3 over the North Sea, making the plane's type pretty obvious. I watched it cruise over W. Germany right next to the border with E. Germany, turn around over Bavaria, go north along the border, then back to land at the UK.

[@kittredgeseely3542]

Simon: Also interesting is the fact that th J58 engines used in the SR-71 changed dimensions from cold to running temperature. The engine diameter increased by 2 inches and the length by 6 inches. The challenge was accounting for the dimentional changes without having the airframe destroy itself.

[@garthl85]

I had a small book about the Blackbird when I was a young kid and the facts in that small book were awe inspiring to my young mind.

[@tkskagen]

The first time that I saw a SR-71 Blackbird was within the 1986 movie D.A.Y.R.L., and that was the movie that encouraged my Engineering Degree. Many thanks to this "unheardof" movie!

[@stevenlarratt3638]

Tri ethol boron (TEB) was only used to ignite the JP7 not mixed in with it. It had a limited amount to ignite each time they put the afterburner on, this happens multiple ti es per mission...

[@ShaunieDale]

TEB was also used to start the engines on the Westland Wessex helicopter. Stationary to turning and burning in a matter of seconds. Failure to check the pipes were clear before starting could result in engine parts on the apron apparently.

[@AtlRopeGuy]

Simon, my father is an American air force pilot that is quite familiar with the blackbird. He loved this, and enthusiastically requested I comment about the Soviet mega project to get the titanium. Please do a video

[@Istandby666]

The blackbird has celestrial navigation. Behind the REO, is a clear window looking up. This is how the crew knew where they were.

[@johnforsyth7987]

Thank you for another very informative video. If anyone wants to see a SR-71in the middle of the USA. The Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas has one on display inside their museum. It is a sight to behold, and that part of the museum is free.

[@dlemon90]

This plane is an absolute triumph of engineering, not to mention sleek and beautiful… they could unveil this plane as brand new today and it’d still look modern

[@lyianx]

Correction. It would still look futuristic.

[@LordMcKrakenVonLittleBits]

I remember ,being a child ,playing with a toy version of the Blackbird and a family friend who was visiting us came up to me and told me she was part of the project on the real plane. She went on and on about some of it's features. I always thought the Blackbird was the most badass looking plane ever and I'll never forget that I knew someone who was a part of that amazing project.

[@paulelverstone8677]

If you're a petrol head and this plane isn't in your top 5, then you are a little bit dead inside imho. For those who love the plane, I highly recommend Brian Shul's seminar on this. At least for the LA Speed Story. This pilot had the most remarkable career in some of the greatest aircraft known...

[@davidallen3774]

'...but our instruments say a little over two thousand...'

[@zacharyhumphries1707]

I love the fact that this thing was designed and built before we even had pocket calculators. The math and measurements of its construction (and there was a LOT of math involved) was all done long form by people with slide-rules. It truly is amazing what ya can accomplish with a few hundred million and a roomful of the smartest engineers in the world.

[@iamnotpaulavery]

Just the fact that the "Archangels" and "Blackbirds" we're built with no computer assistance, using only sliderules and manual drafting is amazing enough! And "only 32 were built". Let that sink in for a few minutes. Also, _the actual top speeds and flight ceilings_ are still classified to this day.

[@zacharyradford5552]

Not to mention Lockheed created a fake company to get the titanium from Russia and had to invent the tools and processes to work with titanium.

[@jamiejude]

my late grandfather worked on the development of this plane at lockheed so it is super awesome to get a video on this! ty!

[@Driveby-Viktum]

Yes Simon , I think that the titanium procurement story and the shell game and shell companies used would be a good thing. Please work on that episode!

[@jezzter4293]

Thanks as always Simon. The SR71 is the sexiest aircraft ever built. Sorry F16, you come second. Sadly Brian Shul an amazing pilot who flew the SR71 passed away recently. RIP Brian.

[@PvtPartzz]

What a cursed thumbnail

[@o234]

The fact that it can just pull on a surface to air missile like a fast car on the motorway is absolutely insane

[@Superdummy803]

One of the most beautiful aircraft ever produced. I doubt anything will ever beat its capabilities within my lifetime. One thing I wish this video touched on a bit more was the engines. The J58 engines on the SR-71 had bypass valves installed that opened at speed above mach 2.2 allowing the engine to act more like a ramjet than a turbojet. Making the J58 on the SR-71 a turbo Ramjet engine, the only aircraft to ever have this style of engine install before or since. There is a great video going into more detail about this unique engine that I will link. It's definitely worth the watch. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGTEoGiJeMqXf80

[@Blox117]

its already been beat, its called spacecraft and satellites

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Yes could say a very early Hybrid - that got more fuel efficient the faster they went. The turbojet operation was for take-off and getting up to speed to run in ramjet mode for the duration of the missions.

[@michaelfisher1931]

A couple of not so minor points. In the air, the Blackbird was ALWAYS on afterburner except during aerial refueling, when it needed to fly as slow as it could while the modified KC-135 was flying nearly as fast (and high) as it could. Once it had it's 80,000 pound full fuel load and it was ready to go -- the afterburners came on. The afterburners were on during take off. When they started the engines and taxing to the runway, no, the afterburners weren't lit. But once it started it's takeoff run, they came on and stayed on except for refueling. They came off again when landing. It carried a rather small amount of triethylborane, whose sole function was to ignite the JP-7. Each plane took off with enough triethylborane for about a dozen restarts to allow for restarting the afterburners after refueling and a very few starts to recover from unstarts or other engine malfunctions. You seemed a bit confused on that point. There were a few other minor mistakes but those two, my god. I finally just had to say something even if nobody ever reads this. I don't know who helped with the research/script, but no lollipop for him.

[@EAWanderer]

No wait hold on Simon. A couple of years ago, you presented the A-12 Archangel, that is THE ACTUAL fastest jet plane!

[@MTStingray]

You mean A-12 / YF-12?

[@jaws666]

Give me the X-15 anyday....Mach 7

[@jaws666]

How ironic is it that the US govt and the C.I.A, through front companies,bought the titanium to build the SR-71,from the soviet union

[@Icu-812-me2]

Well one reached production and the other is a one-off

[@ShadowOppsRC]

There is a "unofficial" speed of the SR-71 of mach 3.5 when they fire walled it to avoid surface to air missiles. They had colder then normal temps at altitude so they had more power with less heat.

[@eionjons1991]

Every year our museum opens the cockpit to the SR71 trainer and bring in 20 or so pilots, engineers, and maintenance professions who worked on it. Because ours is the only surviving trainer, just about every pilot has flown it. I also have a photo of Ed Yielding holding my kids in the cockpit. Everyone off those people are the nicest, humblest people ever!

[@EminencePhront]

The thumbnail looks like you entered “SR-71” into midjourney.

[@smhaceofspades2813]

Sr71 Beautiful piece of engineering and BEST speed check story ever told. Major Brian Shul RIP sir True Hero of the skys....

[@tyho6521]

In 1982 I was a 16 year old Scout canoeing in the sea on the west side of Singapore when a SR71 flew in with its landing gear extended soaring over my group's heads. The next day when I went by Tengah Air Base, I saw a C5A and the SR71 there. Never saw it again. I have never read any account of the SR71 in Singapore before but Scout's Honor it did happen!

[@DaDankStrafe]

I grew up right next to Eglin Air Force Base in Northwest Florida and I never appreciated how cool it was to have one of the very few Blackbirds on display at the Air Force Armament Museum. For anyone ever in the area, it's free to go look at and I recommend it.

[@sdericmonty]

As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute…….

[@JamesWoodring-mu2iz]

so if what you say is true? which all the viewers off this vid highly doubt, why not give us ur real name instead off some stupid basement dwellers delusional made up bullcrap comment .

[@elwap0]

Bob Gilalland told my son....it is way faster than what is said...

[@Charsept]

I've seen an A12 at a museum. Really something special to see in person.

[@doomdimensiondweller5627]

I can't beleive Simon hasn't made a video about the Mirage or Rafale. He covered the Eurofighter Typhoon and most people would argue either of those are more important then the Typhoon.

[@bryanblackburn6928]

As a young lad, I collected little metal models of aircraft (F4, F15, etc) and one of those was the blackbird. If you put any of the other planes into a pool, they would sink like the piece of metal they were. But if you put the SR71 into a pool, it would glide down through the water and land on the bottom like it was doing it naturally. Something about the shape of it, even in a little metal toy, made it different from the others.

[@scali84mtry]

If your title is going to mention the sr 71 then make the thumb nail an actual pic of that plane

[@billymania11]

Back in the late 70's, I drove out to Norton AFB in San Bernardino to watch the SR71 make a courtesy call (from Beale AFB.) It was impressive watching the Blackbird come in to land. On the tarmac, the thing radiated heat like crazy. After a couple of hours, it did the green flame engine start and took off. Those J58 engines were very loud. The Blackbird was the star of the show.

[@Narco42]

Simon you didn't even mention the most EPIC of the Blackbird's stories. The speed check!!!!

[@Narco42]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnLceXtvfJ6YqpI

[@AVOWIRENEWS]

The SR-71 Blackbird is such a fascinating topic! It's incredible to think about how this aircraft, once the fastest in the world, played a significant role in aviation history. The advancements in technology and engineering that made the SR-71 Blackbird possible are truly astounding. It's a testament to human ingenuity and the relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries. Even if it became irrelevant in some contexts, its legacy in the world of aviation and aerospace is undeniable and continues to inspire future innovations. What a remarkable journey from being at the forefront of speed to becoming a symbol of technological evolution! 🛩✨

[@hemidenis]

One of the is in the Dulles airport in Virginia, what impressive piece of aircraft it is

[@vw2112]

thats the one at udvar hazy annex right

[@hemidenis]

@@vw2112 yes. I was lucky to donate to the construction to that museum and my name is in a plaque outside. The amazing Horten Ho 229 is also there with the Enola Gay B29, Dornier Do 335 and many more

[@johannjohann6523]

Not to say too much, but this video is spot on regarding the SR-71. A magnificent flying machine per anyone who has flown it. With its top speed only regulated by how much fuel it can carry. As it is always hoped to be a 2 way trip, and getting back home. The SR-71 though still in service, ended up taking 2nd seat to the new Space Shuttle program.

[@liamfoley9614]

It was about 60 years from the first flight of the Wright brothers to the first flight of the SR-71. It's about 60 years from the first flight of the SR-71 until today. Either the pace of aeronautical advancements has slowed or there's a lot out there we don't know about.

[@Dre_Key]

We know it’s the latter

[@CoderDBF]

I think it has slowed down. But there might be some crazy capable drones in development. It seems maintenance is the main cause of death for fast airplanes. So perhaps they stopped building them, and invest the money elsewhere. They might see more value in F22’s linked to satellites than building another Mach4+ manned aircraft.

[@captainjohnh9405]

Fun fact: in the mid 80s the maintenance cost was about $90,000 per flight hour. That is roughly 1% of the original price per airframe per hour.

[@SIRHC119]

Is no one gonna mention the thumbnail? That's definitely not a blackbird lol

[@mrdebris1217]

Very funny the "SR-71 Blackbird Speed Check" with Major Brian Shul. Truly recommend it.

[@syotos42]

Is the thumbnail AI generated? Thats not what I remember the blackbird looking like.

[@ronjon7942]

This is sad to hear about Major Shul, the Blackbird chapter is sadly moving to recorded history. Recently, I went on a massive binge watch of dozens of interviews of personnel related to the SR-71 - mostly Air Force pilots, but also Lockheed and initial AF test pilots (if memory serves, all Blackbird candidates had to go through Test Pilot School), maintenance technicians and engineers. All of the interviews were just fascinating; Lockheed test pilot Bill Weavers’ famous flight 20:36 was the most captivating and exciting to me, tragic though it was. If you’re a serious lover of this jet, you’ve probably already watched some of these, but I was amazed at the sheer volume when I started digging for more - there were at least two interviewers that were on some sort of museum-sponsored mission to get these stories recorded before the men passed. And retiree seminars like Peninsula Seniors were another treasure trove too. I learned SO much more about the plane, SO many subtle scraps of information I’d never even thought of, and SO many references to historical and technical data, especially about the interaction between the airframe and the J58. It was really fun being ‘super secret Soviet spy and analyst’ piecing together bits and pieces of information to make the entire program come together - it fast turned into fun hobby! A very exciting journey. Start digging.

[@Iamthelolrus]

What is that in the thumbnail?

[@COYOTE_N8]

My grandpa was good friends with Kelly Johnson and worked on this project. He helped design the jet engines at Pratt and Whitney then moved on to work for Lockheed

[@TheRichMarion]

Can you do a Biographics on Brian Shul?

[@markbailey6230]

Yes, I love watching his TED talks and my favorite is when he talked to the JPL staff. Great man, great pilot, great American. I can't afford one of his "Sled Driver" books, but I hope to get one in the future.

[@TheRichMarion]

@@markbailey6230 same. His story is truly amazing and probably worthy of a movie.

[@EdSmith93277]

I'm proud of the work I did with the SR-71 and her crews. I miss those days.

[@kilianclasen5521]

What on EARTH is that abomination of a plane in the thumbnail and what godforsaken lands did you get it from?!

[@Teryn180]

Hearing about this thing NEVER fails to turn me back into the airplane kid I used to be, just for a little while. I got to sit in one in an airplane museum a couple of times, and it was amazing in person.

[@DarrylHart]

Video starts properly at 5:07 to avoid all the Squarespace crap 🙄

[@ChrisZukowski88]

Thx lol😊

[@vetalveral8920]

There're was another unofficial speed record of 3609km/h. "Be quick, be quite, be on time". Incredible 3.2M titanium bird in aviation history. Many thanks indeed for introducing that breathtaking information. We're looking forward...