SR-71B Blackbird Cockpit Tour with its Former Instructor

The Air Zoo is a world-class, Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with over 100 air and space artifacts, inspiring interactive exhibits, full-motion flight simulators, indoor amusement park rides, a theater and over 100 education programs!

[@AirZoo]

Sorry about the video quality folks! 🙃We'll re-shoot it next time the SR-71 crew are in town, and do something even more in-depth. If you want a close look at anything specific, let us know by replying below before we close the cockpits next week!

[@bobster1982]

If possible could you get closer to the equipment?

[@mud5377]

Thank you so much for this, Air Zoo! The SR-71 has captured my imagination since I was a kid. This is the most comprehensive video of the aircraft itself I think I've ever seen. This is the best tour ever, short of getting a guided tour in person!

[@Yasser-mf9nb]

A front seat tour would be great if that's possible

[@ALSNewsNow]

Detailed pics of each cockpit quadrant would be nice.

[@ParadigmUnkn0wn]

You built up hype by setting a premier for a video that looks like it was shot with a dirty potato? My thumbs down is for the awful video quality combined with the fact you made it a premier that sat in my recommended for the last day... only to turn out as an epic disappointment. It's disrespectful to this former instructor to waste his time with such terrible video quality. You know better, so do better. No excuses.

[@clintonmorris8222]

This man took his job SERIOUSLY

[@clintonmorris8222]

Respect to you Sir!

[@AeroworksProductions]

Love how the instructor talks about the training as if is still going on today....

[@benjaminperez7328]

😉

[@haitiano1982]

You don’t know!

[@TheSniperGTO]

Funny how these things stick with you. It’s been years, but if you stuck me back in a Tomcat, I am 100% certain I could still remember everything in the front seat, and Gonzo could still remember what all the switches in the back did, cause I sure can’t 😀. That was the most realistic part of the new Top Gun movie. Maverick remembered about the pilots seat, but like he told Rooster, “I don’t know. That was your dad’s job.”

[@billotto602]

If only it was 🥺 🫡 🇺🇲

[@Threetails]

I'm old enough to remember when this view was 100% off limits to anyone without a security clearance. First time I got any kind of look at an SR-71 was about 1993 at the air museum at Warner-Robbins and the interior was not visible, and most of the important instruments were removed. Then in 2015 I saw one at the Evergreen museum and they had some of the gadgets on display. But the kid in me is very excited to finally see the cockpit of one! Now if only Evergreen would let me sit in it I'd be 5 years old again!

[@TechNaOkami]

i went on a school trip to robbins and saw it probably between 2004-07 give or take and i remember it being soo cool to see

[@freelectron2029]

This is a training aircraft. So no spy stuff on board

[@Threetails]

@@freelectron2029 I'm guessing they had a separate systems trainer or simulator for operating that gear then?

[@whatthesigmaW]

​@Threetails yeah, I'm assuming they would do lessons on the ground before going up.

[@RV4aviator]

SR71 Instructor..! When this guy is talking you know he is one of the best. Retired, getting on, but perfect memory and confidence in what he is telling us..! Awesome..! Thankyou.

[@ragtowne]

He mentions the Astro tracker was designed in 1963 and is still used as the “back up“ in the B2 bomber…amazing

[@davecrupel2817]

That is one fascinating piece of equipment! Could be used for interplanetary travel, with some number & formula alterations!

[@chikato7106]

My great grandpa worked on that. He was a contractor from Minneapolis-Honeywell, and I have some never before seen photos. I wish I knew more of his involvement but from the pictures I have I believe he was a head or director of the Honeywell involvement in the black project. What's insane is that's a role where he knew more and kept secrets from the CEO of Honeywell. He would ride a black bus with blacked out windows, he'd leave his house with a briefcase handcuffed to his arm. He'd fly janet flights and wouldn't tell the family a peep. I thought he worked for Lockheed most of my life until I looked into it more and more info came out which revealed he was at Honeywell.

[@nunyabusiness8538]

such a small cabin, not much separating you from 2000mph air. that’s wild

[@ssnerd583]

2000mph and 600*F+.....they used to hold their ration tubes---like a toothpaste tube...against the canopy to heat them up a bit before they ate them.....if you set your home oven at 450*F and let it get hot and touch it....it WILL brand you

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

And if you have an engine unstart at cruise speed the turbulence and upset will cause the whole plane to break apart, and you’ll get a forceful ejection at supersonic speeds

[@ssnerd583]

@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 ...NEGATIVE there ghostrider....when the stability control systems were being refined, it was quite common to get an unstart and not destroy the aircraft......one pilot described it as like being 'in a train wreck', but it was not destructive of the aircraft.....and there were several pilots who reported that they had multiple unstarts on the same mission.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

@@ssnerd583 there was an accident involving the loss of an SR-71 due to the engine unstart, the pilot landed in a field where a farmer picked him up in his crop sprayer helicopter and flew him to the hospital

[@ssnerd583]

@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 ....unstarts didnt always lead to destruction of the aircraft......and the incident you note, I believe, was a double unstart

[@darrensmith9356]

“Two fire lights, that we’d rather not see…” 😄 Great video and even though it’s weaponless - there’s clearly a lot to think about. Interesting point about the lack of comms with the tanker too. That astro-tracker is amazingly accurate for its vintage, as well.

[@deathsicon]

i loved sitting at a museum with a some family friends, a married couple, looking at one of these aircraft when one of them said "i remember working with this when it was classified", their spouse (the other in the group) looked over and said "you were on that project also!?", they were both CIA back in the day, married, and didnt know they were both dealing with intel that came from these birds, my dad was also there and had some loose connections from his job so it spawned some interesting conversations that i wish i had paid more attention to

[@kylejohnston3442]

When he says "you cannot get lost, you cannot make a mistake in the back seat." You can feel the weight of the comment.

[@CullenCraft]

It is amazing to hear an expert's perspective on the most exceptional aircraft ever built... And it makes me think about the designers who told him everything he knows. What else is hidden behind words like "that's how this switch works"

[@youtubasoarus]

Absolutely staggering amount of engineering. 😳 The triangulation of stars is outstanding!

[@ianmangham4570]

We invented that box of magic 🇬🇧🤠🤘

[@leisulin]

The SR-71B flew for the last time in the Edwards Air Force Base airshow in October of 1997 and I got to see it take off, fly around and land both Saturday and Sunday, and then taxi by not far away! I didn't know then that it was going to be that particular SR's final flight, but when I found out later, that added more meaning for me to my memories.

[@fntsmk]

Great job Jerry Glasser! Thank you so much for the SR-71B tour!

[@Francesco-mo5cl]

Such a legendary plane

[@whatthedeuce47d68]

This video would have been a childhood dream come true, grew up in the 80s playing those card games with the stats of different aeroplanes....forgot the card name. Great video, this guy is a legend!

[@olekaarvaag9405]

I did not expect it to burn as much fuel as it does. The burn rate in those first thirty minutes is insane. I'm also surprised they move the CG back when going supersonic. I would expect the craft to be more stable with the CG more in the front. Really interesting video.

[@michaelarlen7805]

It is more stable with a forward CG but more efficient with an aft CG. When going supersonic they were probably worried more about efficiency than stability being the control movements were minimal.

[@olekaarvaag9405]

@@michaelarlen7805 That is anotger thing I don't understand. How does moving the CG back make it more efficient at supersonic speeds? I assumed the craft is stable enough to not really do any corrections. Even then, I thought moving the CG only made it more sensitive. I also thought it didn't have any noteworthy angle of attack either. Amateur questions, I know. I don't know more than the bare minimum basics of aerodynamics, and practically nothing about trans/supersonic flight.

[@michaelarlen7805]

@@olekaarvaag9405 I know little about the aerodynamical differences between subsonic and supersonic flight on the airframe. I do know the basics that under subsonic flight an aircraft can achieve higher speeds with a more aft CG but at the cost of stability. The airplane is more stable at a more forward CG but can’t achieve higher speeds. It comes down to how much downward force the tail has to produce to counter the forward CG. More force on the tail means more drag, but more stability. I assume even at supersonic speeds it still applies.

[@FlyNAA]

@@olekaarvaag9405 It's a good question. What Michael A. above said, is true, and it's true for both sub- and supersonic, Cessna 172 to SR-71. An aft CG is less stable, but more efficient. So it's a trade-off, and there's a maximum aft limit the CG can be at; if it's aft of that limit then the stability is dangerously low. But one thing that happens when accelerating into the supersonic regime, is that the airflow around the wing changes such that the center of pressure moves aft, which increases the stability. This means that the aft CG can go further aft while still saying safe, while taking advantage of the extra efficiency.

[@youtubasoarus]

Same, that is the equivalent of pretty much 2 full fuel trucks worth of fuel per hour. Insane.

[@douglasjankey7580]

There are a lot of smart people today but we don’t have a growing number of SR 71 instructor smart people like this man. It’s a shame we can’t bottle his abilities.

[@danfreeman9079]

Good one. I remember it like yesterday. I'm still creating rings from mission flown titanium parts. Working upside down in the cockpits and on hot summer days, with all the blood rushing to my head. Doing whatever it takes to make the birds faster, safer, better.

[@googleuser868]

Liked this video a lot. Saw an SR71 at Wright Patterson. My favorite plane of everything they had. Just an awesome looking bird

[@jorklind]

That astrotracker sounds amazing. I know that in the early days, they did sextant based celestial navigation with the propeller planes, but I had no idea there was an automated system with that level of detail.

[@frisk151]

Love hearing from these ole' professionals that knew the cockpit like the back of their hands...

[@matthewrossilini5808]

Wow. This was years and years ago and you still remember everything as though it were class were today. Sad to see the program shut down

[@MarcelEnglmaier_1]

hey! I used to volunteer at the Airzoo! Spent a lot of time here. love this place!

[@deranged731]

Love the POV! Definitely A LOT going on in there while going that speed.

[@hotsawce3546]

It's crazy that some brilliant minds engineered this masterpiece and all of its thousands of features from scratch. I wonder if the engineers could explain everything as competently as this instructor, or would they only be well versed in specific aspect of the plane that they were tasked with designing.

[@daytonaeagle]

It was amazing how they must have to commit all of these gauges and switches to memory because half of them he probably couldn’t even really see with a space suit on.. especially the ones on the lower sides

[@beesmongeese2978]

Well said, with the bulky helmet on you wouldn't even have room to lean in and read!

[@RV6Pilot]

At 7:00 minutes he points to the map projector. Part of my job was to load the map strips before the missions. They were 35mm film strips of their route on WAC charts. There was another, larger one in the back seat of a normal SR.

[@aurorajones8481]

Top Secret breif in the 60's. We'd all be hunted down for seeing this. LOL

[@inlangford]

I've seen an sr-71 at the evergreen air museum in Oregon just a few weeks ago, so this is great! Thank you I enjoyed it along with the other two about this aircraft!

[@gwcstudio]

I was designed in 1963. Amazing plane.

[@MitchellConner-xb6jx]

I love this .I actually get to learn about the aircraft. Thank u sir!😊

[@matthayward7889]

What an absolutely fantastic video! Thank you

[@garyowen9044]

“Fire warning lights here, we tend not to like to see these…” such a dry delivery.

[@fofrt3004]

Wow this guy is amazing

[@ssnerd583]

"You cannot make a mistake in the back seat." BAM! w0w....just w0w

[@telescopebuilder]

Great content! Have been subscribed for about a month now. Really appreciate the professional pilots and crews talking in depth about these aircraft! I'm sure they're more than eager to do so, but still takes a lot of time and work on your end! Keep em coming!

[@Parkhill57]

The B-2 and B-21 bombers both have Astro-Trackers also. GPS can be jammed, and INS drifts. Although INS gyros are much better than in the 60's, plus you have all sorts of accelerometers in the XYZ.

[@johnnicatra570]

Love to take a ride in one.

[@fraire711]

Man those electrical engineers were geniuses. That’s a lot of wiring. Knowing where every cable went is just mind blowing.

[@distar97]

The wiring is child’s play.It doesn’t change in flight.The sensors and readouts are not as reliable. BTW, they use really good connectors. Granted the electrical diagrams for airplanes like this can fill books but its not like spaghetti, it’s presented in manageable sized sections and sub-sections.

[@BlackbirdSpecOps]

@@distar97 obviously you’ve never worked on her. The wiring was a nightmare. Everything was compressed in tight bulkheads. The golden rod wiring was fragile. No child play about it.

[@bcthomas2h90]

An expert instructor pilot (Jerry Glasser) gives an excellent tour of the instructor pilot's back seat in the SR-71B.

[@oxcart4172]

You would know, sir!

[@jcheck6]

Great tour by Jerry. With zero forward vis could a back seat IP accurately land the a/c? The cockpit doesn't look much different than an F-4 cockpit ie same engine gauges, ASI, etc.

[@bcthomas2h90]

@@jcheck6 Landing from the back seat of the SR-71B was a skill that could be learned quickly, especially since only experienced SR-71 instructor pilots flew in the back as pilot-in-command. From the back seat of the trainer aircraft, forward visibility was not zero, but the runway was obscured when established on final approach, glide path and on-speed. We could determine proper alignment by quickly tapping the rudder, or the aileron function of the elevon if necessary. Aircraft “flare” altitude could be perceived by quick glances left and/or right to watch the ground “rise” to the proper elevation, then “hold it off” until touchdown. It simultaneously was interesting and fun!

[@jcheck6]

@@bcthomas2h90 Thanks BC, forgot the rear cockpit was elevated with a windscreen that did not show in the vid. Actually the vis is better than the WSO seat of the recce F-4 I flew.

[@KNMK259]

Lovely. How he said you need to know what every switches does.

[@caryg4810]

This plane was just a masterpiece, like a bunch of Kelly's work actually...The Starlight nav locked on freakin stars and IC's had just literally been invented when they flew and hadn't existed at the time of design.

[@dvrsflrs]

amazing thanks for sharing!

[@bluerider0988]

Amazing video. Thanks so much for doing this.

[@BrokenRecord11943]

Now I know how to steal my local blackbird and get away

[@erikk77]

I'll bring the fuel...

[@BrokenRecord11943]

@@erikk77 we’re gonna need a lot of it

[@cfalkner1012]

“There’s two fire lights, which we’d rather not see” 😳

[@kaas12]

We need more on that R2-D2

[@SanjanaRanasingha]

Thank you for this!

[@wilhoroshak5035]

Yes please

[@RoBert-ix6ev]

I like how he calls the astronav unit behind, the R2D2 :) Also it's feels strange when he says "when we fly supersonic". The Concorde was supersonic, the fast fighters are supersonic(for a while). The SR71 is super-duper-sonic at least :DDDD

[@truthsayers8725]

the map display he discussed, i had a hand in producing during my time at Beale AFB. i held the highest security clearance in the Audio-Visual Services (graphic arts and still photography) shop, higher even than the shop chief...

[@williamcase426]

cool, now I can fly one

[@adamc7779]

You mentioned when discussing pitch that you would cruise climb during supersonic flight. What is the reason for climbing during high speed runs?

[@pascalcoole2725]

Thanks a lot verry interesting. Impressive how the designers managed to put all that stuff in this crampy cockpit. Most fighters are cramped but they do not fly that fast and do not need astronav. Still i'd expect a lot more equipment in this aircraft, however this instructor explaines pretty well what everything is needed for and i wouldn't know what else you need (appart from bigger gauges)

[@Ben-Wah]

I'd love to know what that blacked-over gauge is all about on the left-hand side...!

[@bassmechanic237]

Amazing and thank you

[@darrylonacloud3710]

“Copy K.A.D. my shy”

[@rdubb77]

Very important gauge: pretty much every gauge

[@whoami1162]

Passion😍😍😍

[@decespugliatorenucleare3780]

he never really left the business hahaha

[@andrewFJ]

Fantastic, would be nice to the wipe camera just a little bit.

[@Dave-lr2wo]

I don't know what kind of prep he did for this explanation, but he sounds like he could fly it today.

[@sal8372]

Cool!

[@EpicElmoRageZ808]

Would not want to take a checkride for this 👀:( studying for cfi, wish me luck

[@BsUJeTs]

Thanks. Amazing tour. That Astro tracker blew my mind. I always heard that the SR71 was shut down due to cost and the use of Spy Satellites in low earth orbit. What is your opinion ?

[@ssnerd583]

....spare parts.....no spares left

[@erikk77]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird#Successor

[@preachers4135]

@@ssnerd583 I’m sure we can find someone with a few spare pizza ovens…

[@ssnerd583]

@@preachers4135 ....weeeellll.....its just a BIT more complicated than THAT....and the advent of VERY advanced technology that originates....well...from the stars....that negates the necessity for anything like the SR71.....the SR71 isnt even a Wright Flyer in comparison.....more like a piece of paper carefully folded by a 9yo on a saturday afternoon and thrown across the den to simulate 'flight' for a few seconds

[@alexnutcasio936]

It still has advantages in 2022, but manpower and costs killed the program. They should’ve kept just one flying to show the world what we could do 60 years ago.

[@lenovo78gajos91]

Im exiteted.!!

[@mferrarorace]

Amazing!

[@geolos007]

"10000 pounds of fuel in the first 30 minutes" - so my V8 is fuel efficient after all.

[@Rondo2ooo]

I can't imagine how it must have been for pilots. Mach 3 in this small cockpit with these monsters engines aside at high altitude over the Soviet Union taking pictures of secret facilities during cold war.

[@jdean1851]

AWESOME!!!!

[@fernandomercado1404]

Awesome 👌

[@CraigGood]

The fire warnings "which we'd rather not see".

[@ranger2083]

When it seems to be impossible moving legs for a better view, why dont hold the camera in your hand instead? Please adjust the white balance next time.

[@Omnihil777]

Did you touchy-touchy the lensy-lensy with your sticky handy-handy? Oh, sorry, just emulating "pilot speak"... (pilot here ;) ) Awesome very informative video, thank you. I love your channel & follow it thoroughly.

[@kontrolledkhaos4853]

That's advanced how

[@zigwil153]

It sucks when you forget to check the lens.

[@12redruby]

What’s the temp of the cockpit glass when supersonic?

[@ssnerd583]

600*F

[@nathan40307]

Yeah....I understand about 30% of that....

[@BigBadDodge4x4]

So this jet was designed closer to the birth of flite then today. And it STILL the fastest jet in the world?

[@ssnerd583]

.....still the fastest ACKNOWLEDGED aircraft.....they have stuff that makes the SR71 look like the Wright Flyer, now......stuff that nobody would believe outside of a Sci-Fi movie.

[@preachers4135]

@@ssnerd583 Does that stuff have “breathing” engines?

[@preachers4135]

@BBD4x4 What year model is your Dodge?

[@ssnerd583]

@@preachers4135 .....yes and no...there ARE craft that are 'convertible' and go from air breathing to non-air breathing in flight and then there are the class that use purely gravitic manipulation to power their movements......these generate a field around them which can negate up to 90% of inertia allowing them to perform 'impossible' manouvers while 'manned'. There is technology out there that is in daily use around the world(and around our entire universe) that is so far beyond the capability of the average human mind to comprehend as we are to an amoeba.

[@MrVinamp]

Why is camera lens smeared with vaseline?

[@SamCanada1]

👍

[@evansnyder8461]

I wished they would’ve wiped the lense😂

[@AirZoo]

There was so much going on that day! Plus the harsh overhead lighting didn't help.... but we'll do something better next time Jerry is here ;)

[@PATRICKJLM]

Next time clean well the lens of your camera.

[@totallysmooth1203]

next time clean the camera lens first.

[@youdoyouplayer8529]

Trust me, I can get lost in that plane…

[@prashkd7684]

For a super advance, super expensive aircraft, it seems to be missing a lot of redundancy.

[@mrgone658]

The redundancy was in the fortitude and skill-set of the pilots who flew her, and the dedicated maintenance crews that made her missions possible. Recognize.

[@somekidzenvy]

X-men totally got the interior wrong

[@preachers4135]

That’s hollywood for you.

[@CrashTestPilot]

So matter of fact about it all. "When you're cruising at mach 3.2 through 70, headed up to 80/83 thousand feet..." Ooooh you know, just another day at the office, Hun. What's for dinner?🤣

[@ChelimYrneh]

Did i hear the instructor say "we fly at 26,000 feet" ? That sounds unfeasibly low altitude - even for training ! You got to train at the realistic altitudes (80,000 ft) surely ??

[@ssnerd583]

that is the cockpit altitude....what the cockpit is pressurized to

[@preachers4135]

@@ssnerd583 Thanks for clarifying, I was wondering what he meant by that as well.

[@ChelimYrneh]

@@ssnerd583 thnks : )

[@bimmerfan2126]

10,000lbs of gas to just get it in the sky ;)

[@preachers4135]

I wonder how many lbs leaked out before the tanks would reach temperature and stream.

[@bobbysnow5478]

JP-4

[@peterbird7979]

the people who designed it were geniuses. My question is this: When you said the airplane is cooled by fuel, did you mean that the skin has fuel running behind it in pipes that circulate, reducing the skin temp?

[@timbrink]

1,500 gallons of fuel to taxi and take off.

[@GDR8895]

Next time try to clean the camera before filming …..

[@ALSNewsNow]

Man, dirty lens. Ugh.

[@johnp8206]

Great video, next time STOP MOVING YOUR HEAD SO MUCH!

[@tyronealfonso]

You should really clean your lens before filming. 🤢

[@colelooney1430]

blurriest vid of all time

[@joelpierce3940]

The Chinese are listening to every word 😡

[@freelectron2029]

Wow. How can some one who is so knowledged on the aircraft be so bad at explaining everything. Spike indicators ? Rolling map? Star charts? Nozzle for the engines??!! Wtf. well done naming things is different to explaining things .