The Insane Engineering of the SR-71 Blackbird

[@RealEngineering]

Going to share some nice 4k wallpapers from our 3D models over on twitter shortly. Here's the link if would like to snag some of those. twitter.com/thebrianmcmanus

[@invisofupa78]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the hard work you do on these videos, surely they are serving as inspiration for a new young generation of engineers. Keep it up!

[@RealEngineering]

@@23chaos23 Didn't say it was, and no it's not. Turboramjet is the name giving to this kind of hybrid engine.

[@KillerQueenWarThunder]

@@RealEngineering hey could you make a video about oil platforms? they are quite interesting as such high and massive thing floats and doesn't sink :)

[@23chaos23]

@@RealEngineering Sorry, but its not even a Turbo ramjet, it doesn't use ram compression for the after burning bypass. There is a link to a playlist of documentaries and interviews in my last comment, i suggest you look at some of those videos and see for yourself.

[@21-70-o8m]

When is the continuation of the European zero emissions series coming out?

[@mikeoneil5741]

lets not forget, this insane engineering is from the 50’s. kelly johnson was truly a man ahead of his time.

[@danialphaomega]

Yes mr. Johnson was a remarkable Aerospace engineer.

[@ongod4824]

To Think That We Had The Worst Technology In The 1950's & They Had This Futuristic Machine MAKES ME WONDER What Else Was Made & What Technology Was Stashed From The Public

[@chrisding1976]

Wade yeah I can see military supercomputers being 10-15 years ahead of public ones

[@chrisding1976]

Wade but even if they had the technology, they most likely just had more current technology stuffed together to make a more powerful thing, instead of a more efficient system. Like there’s no way they had the format and size and efficiency of modern technology but they could’ve had the same level of power with older technology. You get what I’m saying?

[@Robzilla007]

@@DamageJackyl Your comment reminds me of what it took to save the Apollo 13 crew

[@charlesbissey9901]

It’s almost 60 years old yet it looks like something from the future

[@knightlife98]

In my opinion, that's a big reason why this aircraft was so amazing!!!

[@MissesWitch]

All it takes is 1 genius engineer with all the funding he needs to take us 100 years into the future!

[@dwldjon]

and its successor the sr 72 will go 2x as fast

[@betlogboy3]

Best Looking pLane for sure.

[@electricjellyfish375]

Charles Bissey - Look up the Bird of Prey, a declassified aircraft from the 90s I believe.

[@danieleriksen1130]

My step Dad, now 95 years next month, November 2020 was the lead engineer for the SR-71 engine, when he worked for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft back when we all lived in Connecticut. I forwarded this to him today. Lots of memories for him.

[@Benjamin-uc7ii]

Wow.

[@toprime581]

Whoa

[@philips170t]

Wow... that is legendary....

[@ericmatthews3780]

Being any engineer on this project is huge, but lead propulsion engineer? Absolutely untouchable status

[@hyypersonic]

Your father was built different

[@DanielIXVIMCMLXXXI]

Its crazy to think this thing was engineered without computers.

[@driftmaster206]

Imagine what we have now that we dont know about

[@brianwhite9339]

@@driftmaster206 It would make a great escape plane for the presedent!

[@rodriguezrogelio96]

If we had today’s tech when this beauty was built we could only imagine what ufo’s we’d have now😮

[@brianwhite9339]

@@rodriguezrogelio96 If I were presedent I'd keep one as a getaway veicle!

[@rodriguezrogelio96]

@@brianwhite9339 haha that would be awesome

[@Legandos001]

"Before their atoms begin to diffuse and slide over each other" - that has to be the most scientific way of saying "before it melts".

[@clockworkdave9850]

Ikr..I'm definitely going use that instead of saying melts

[@PalladianPD]

It actually softens, it doesn't melt. It can cause the metal to creep at stress points. Most materials tend to soften as their temperature rises. A very stark example is certain plastics like polyethylene have glassy properties below certain temperatures. It's not a smooth transition, it happens quite suddenly.

[@aaronseet2738]

my ice cubes are sliding part!

[@ShaunRussell93]

How weird is it that I scrolled down and read this as the dude in the video said it

[@bogdanmarceta2057]

You really think that titanium melts at 300 degrees centigrade?

[@harrisonjuhasz4045]

An utterly stunning piece of engineering. Looks beautiful and futuristic even now!

[@Azakadune]

Harrison Juhasz I want to take aeronautical engineering after I get a degree in mechanical engineering right now... this stuff is so cool.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

So you are paid by the military industrial complex and renewables industry?

[@barry3612]

@@VeganSemihCyprus33 ok then.

[@tomzzx]

imagine.. this thing is 50 years old.. what do they have today.. it is awesome to think about what technologies they developed that we dont even know about.. I mean, the engineering behind this plane is simply stunning edit: grammar

[@harrisonjuhasz4045]

@@Azakadune I'm currently studying Aeronautical Engineering, hope Mech Eng is treating you well and good luck!

[@FixitWiz]

I served with the 9th SRW in the early 70's in the Supply section (they call it Logistics now). We had a list of all the items that could (and could not) be used near the aircraft, down to even the brands of coffee. The tools used were all deplated, ie soaked in acid to remove the outer layer of rust protection. We were told this was to remove the cadmium from the tools, which would react with the titanium in the aircraft. Then in mid 1973, someone came up with a money saving idea (yes, they received an award) that every maintenance man on the line did not need his own tool kit, that each shop could have a couple of sets for everyone to use. So, there was a mass turn in of wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, etc to us in Supply. However, we could not declare them as serviceable item because they did not have plating, and needed to be sprayed with protectant to keep them from rusting. We tried to send them to Redistribution and Marketing (Surplus Sales), but they refused to take them because they looked serviceable. These were the early days of $800 hammers and $1200 toilet seats, and they were wary of trouble. Typical Catch-22, not serviceable, not unserviceable. We were locked down during the October 1973 Israeli war, (flying missions over the Suez from New York and then South Carolina), we had 4 large (pallet sized) boxes of tools that were "Redistributed " to people in the wing. Problem solved. I am proud to have worked with the Blackbird, my part of it included keeping 70 lb and 140 lb rolls of film in refrigerated storage sorted by pull date, and getting up at 4 in the morning in our Operating Location to help put drip pans under the Aircraft after it had taken pictures of jungle. MSgt Richard C Olson, USAF, Retired

[@Eduardo_Espinoza]

what kind of hardware did the SR71 have?

[@dan-ez8lg]

I was under the impression that the Sr-71, or Rs-71 XD, used two different types of fuel. JP7 for getting off the ground and another when refueled. Do you have any first hand knowledge of this?

[@LiberRaider]

Hey, I really appreciate your comment and your service to our country!

[@Baigle1]

You are lucky to have experienced and participated in the management of such a noteworthy piece of history. Thank you for your service.

[@jonnybgoode7742]

Drip pans?

[@Epicmonk117]

It's so funny to me that the Blackbird's anti-missile strategy was to just fucking floor it

[@XenithAxe]

I mean when you are faster than the missiles that are pursuing you, why do the extra work?

[@Shadow_YT267]

@@XenithAxe 🤣

[@surubutna]

I see a Real Engineering notification, I smile. I see that it's about the SR-71, I get chills.

[@grlt23]

Some people call it the fastest, highest flying and most badass aircraft ever build... They are of course wrong. It is the slowest and lowest flying spaceship ever build. Only badass part is right. :)

[@mattclark5866]

Who is disliking this?

[@firstletterofthealphabet7308]

@@mattclark5866 not me

[@rickt151]

@@mattclark5866 3 dislikes versus 1k likes is one of the best ratios I have seen. On a lot of videos the ratio is ~1:10. I still don't get why someone would dislike a SR-71 video (could be a former tsar).

[@angelusnielson7135]

"the military doesn't care about cost." Truer words have never been spoken.

[@nilstrobaggia735]

No, they care about in a lot...but only when dealing with gvt outside the DOD.

[@garysarratt1]

Have you ever ordered parts and supplies in the military? Especially after Graham-Rudman-Hollings?

[@enochlo9156]

the military doesn't care about cost because there are greater things at cost

[@benjibyte8612]

Lost of lives is too expansive of a price tag to pay

[@kitemanmusic]

You've gotta do what you've gotta do!

[@somethingtojenga]

SR-71: *goes out on a mission* Alien UFO visiting Earth: WTF WAS THAT??

[@ralanham76]

Jerry found out the PIN code ...

[@somethingtojenga]

@NOVA Guy Yeah, except the video is for people who love the SR-71, so I was kind of appealing to them. But I'm sure the aliens will appreciate your comment when they get here.

[@specialopssoldier1]

@NOVA Guy the difference is one is real and the other not so much nice try though

[@Colstonewall]

There were multiple UFO Reports every time this thing flew. I mean that sincerely. Look it up.

[@Hr1s7i]

Oh, yes. Space travelling aliens are totally going to be taken by surprise by a fucking airplane.

[@Wombats-1]

The coolest thing about the blackbird, seeing footage of it creeping out of a hangar you’d swear the plane was just revealed the day before, but then you see the chase cars from the 60’s to show its actual age. Beautiful plane

[@OmarAQQ]

What makes this machine amazingly interesting is that, it was designed and engineered in an era where computerized assistance was minimal.

[@Baigle1]

When everyone used their brain instead of going on Facebook or most sections of Reddit, where they're brainwashed into cattle by each other.

[@mikemassino]

A lot of calculations done on slide rules back in that era

[@howtogaintime739]

@Blake Brown Books

[@maxk4324]

@@howtogaintime739 you know how hard it could be for non academics and non industry professionals to get literature on highly niche topics? Local libraries usually only have introductory texts to a lot of stuff like this. The internet is a much more efficient method of information proliferation than books ever could be or ever were. Although they also increase the amount of false information out there, which is the risk, but the rewards have far surpassed the risks in that regard, even despite all the insanity with stuff like "fake news" and what not.

[@howtogaintime739]

@@maxk4324 true

[@hyypersonic]

The fact that the engineers calculated all the math using slide rules is the true marvel for me.

[@gglreallysucks5512]

It’s mathS :)

[@aaronbearl2424]

no

[@steamyninja8881]

@@aaronbearl2424 Is that a fucking Oppressor MK II in your profile picture?

[@aaronbearl2424]

@@steamyninja8881 no

[@sseltrek1a2b]

nothing pushes creativity more than "limitations"...absolutely amazing that this and XB70 were imagined/created before the 1970s...

[@geethsan1567]

The design is so out of this world that I can't think about this plane without thinking it's alien. What a marvel of a creation.

[@lorenipsum93]

apparently, this design is what inspired the x-jet from x-men

[@lokkj8570]

@@lorenipsum93 Actually the X jet from X men is a modified Sr-71 blackbird.

[@lorenipsum93]

Lokk J exactly 👌

[@crislemer674]

Shhh, not so loud

[@RafaAelM]

@DerpyMerpy 1 cause is dumb and you should feel bad for using reddit references outside of reddit

[@43labontepetty]

When in middle school and high school I loved planes like the SR-71 but after going to school for mechanical engineering and learning how each of these individual parts work, I have so much more of an appreciation of what a work of utter genius this plane is. The question they always asked was, how can we get more. And no matter what the obstacles were that stood in the way, they still managed to find a way to make it work. Even more key, they were able to do it WITHOUT compromising their previous breakthroughs. THAT is what makes this such an incredible plane. There were no tradeoffs in the engineering. They somehow managed to make EVERYTHING work together. I will forever be enamored with this plane. It's just nuts.

[@TheLiamster]

The SR-71 is my favorite aircraft ever built.

[@najlitarvan921]

mine too

[@DrZbo]

Yeah me too!

[@laju]

I prefer the A-12, just because no-one remembers it. And it was the precursor of the SR-71. The SR-71 just was a bit more developed version. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_A-12

[@MikaTheAboveAverageDog]

Agreed, hands down it's top 71 for me

[@grlt23]

This one and X-15!

[@jeffneinenstein5923]

If anyone wants to see an SR-71 in person, there’s one in the Dulles Air and Space Museum in Northern Virginia. It has a bunch of other aircraft, but the SR-71 is pretty much one of the highlights of the museum. It’s massive, and the lights at the bottom make it absolutely menacing. Definitely worth it in my opinion.

[@John-bz2rp]

Also one on the Intrepid (Aircraft Carrier) Museum in NYC.

[@pfadiva]

There's also at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ. So very cool!

[@jacobvelica3116]

Museum of flight in Seattle

[@voltronmccloud3310]

Also Evergreen aviation and space museum in Hillsboro Oregon. Bonus* there is also the spruce goose.

[@Hoss04-05]

@@pfadiva along with phantoms, black hawks, longbows, x-15s an A-10 c5 ETC

[@finsfann2]

My grandfather, James Plummer, got to fly in an SR-71B when he was Under Secretary of the Air Force. He remarked on his experience in a letter to me before he passed away: "...it was the smoothest flight I have ever made in any airplane. Even at the minimum turn radius permitted in the aircraft, there was no sensation of Gs or any other discomfort. Most spectacular, of course, was to sense the extremely high altitude where the sky is near black rather than blue and where cumulus clouds are in miniature. The only sensation of speed was watching the digital navigator tick of the miles, one every two seconds."

[@dsdy1205]

I mean if the minimum turn radius is the size of Texas I can see why he wouldn't feel any G's

[@bronsonpadmore3565]

Would you be willing to share such a letter?

[@goprojoe7449]

@@bronsonpadmore3565 I believe he just did...

[@calvinnickel9995]

The SR-71 was limited to 2.5 Gs. Even a Cessna 150 can pull more.

[@kaalen24]

Caden Howlett That is incredible. And to think, your grandfather flew this. This plane still looks futuristic. I would love to hear more pilots stories from this era.

[@b.p.879]

It's hard to believe how old this aircraft is now. Mind boggling! This was my favorite airplane growing up, and I had multiple models of it!

[@THANASIS5185]

There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment. It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet. I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace. We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: "November Charlie 175, I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground." Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the " Houston Center voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that, and that they basically did. And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios. Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. "I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed." Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. "Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check". Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: "Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground." And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done - in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn. Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: "Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?" There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. "Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground." I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: "Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money." For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A.came back with, "Roger that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one." It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day's work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

[@CAMSLAYER13]

I really like this story

[@DaveChurchill]

Unforuntately this has been shown to probably not be true. Great story though: www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/8x5ndw/til_when_the_sr71_was_retired_in_1990_it_went/e21c0jt/

[@elontusk610]

Dave Churchill great story. So outside the window of the small population that could relate to this story tho... so I would have no clue if it were true or not... your assessment has detracted from my reading experience. Hopefully due to truth and not due to the troll epidemic that has graced internet culture. Edit: he does have a linguistic similarity to online erotica... I’ll say that much

[@thehavoccompany-a3]

@@DaveChurchill Wasn't this a direct account from a former SR-71 pilot in an interview?

[@Croucher72649]

I ain’t reading all that holy shit

[@connorspies1842]

When you asked a while ago what kind of content your audience is looking for, this is it!

[@bradcomis1066]

First thing I thought when I saw the title! haha

[@nahometesfay1112]

Could have sworn he made a video about the SR-71 already, but I agree. Great video.

[@MBobLamy]

I agree, you went back on that horse real fast. Congratulations, my interest is renewed. Plus I'm glad you expressed your concerns, it made me feel connected to your work in a special way.

[@bugproductions9050]

Spot on.

[@AdityaMishra-vy8re]

Damn ! there's nothing more badass than out flying an attacking missile.

[@calvinnickel9995]

The Iraqis did it with Mig-23s against AIM-54 Phoenixes shot by USN F-14s in the 90s. It’s not quite as exciting as they make it sound.

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

They didn't OUT FLY THEM, the missiles of the time simply couldn't reach those altitudes.

[@patricksedler9697]

Charles Angell Yeah, thats kinda out flying them lol

[@Lets_Go_Brandon2024]

Fk Iraq.

[@seanthompson258]

take the masks off on mass then we win!!! never give up!! we are many they are few!

[@carolinef4558]

While most girls had pictures of their crushes on their walls when they were young, I had pictures of the SR-71 Blackbird.

[@coolx9357]

Then you’d be on men’s walls as their crush lmao

[@christophervanerp1133]

My grandfather flew one of these. Fun fact, Titanium was extremely rare outside the USSR. So the US gov't set up a hoard of shadow companies to buy titanium from the Soviet union to build these. That's right, we spied on Russia with Russian metal.

[@camerons6028]

Same story for the U2

[@FIREBRAND38]

@@camerons6028 Sorry to block your pile on but the U-2 wasn't made of titanium. Nice try though.

[@FIREBRAND38]

Christopher van Erp Minor correction, the SR-71 never overflew Russia..

[@Happy-xi9hl]

@@FIREBRAND38 they peeked over the iron curtain, right?

[@ankitkasi5595]

John Simpson that we know of... this was one of the most secretive planes ever...

[@___Me_]

The most amazing part is that it was designed on a drawing board with a rule slide. No fancy 3D modelling and simulations.

[@Dm-dk9zp]

I was speaking with someone recently who used to design propellers for submarines. He was contracted once by the Swedish Navy because of a design flaw in one of their new subs, the prop was too noisy. I asked him how he figured out what the problem was and he told me with his slide rule!!!! I couldn't believe it, with computer technology this guy was still using s slide rule!

[@95m3ltw]

Actually not true. Great story but they did use computers for computations in the design.

[@michaelscarn7375]

@Nybbl er Lets see you sketch out even a simplest jet engine. What about particle accelerator. All talk

[@jordancrocker939]

@@95m3ltw oh of course but no where near the computer tech now

[@scottallberry6713]

@@95m3ltw 1950 computer? no. slide rule was faster

[@grlt23]

"Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?"

[@Sekir80]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking! :D

[@jimsvideos7201]

That is without a doubt my favourite story in pretty much all of aviation.

[@Sekir80]

@@jimsvideos7201 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpiaZHqBopx6nas

[@dsdy1205]

I like how I only have to scroll once to see this

[@Dudi4PoLFr]

This is one of the most (if not THE most) badass story in the aviation history.

[@MWL4466]

Titanium can be tough to work on but the stainless steel alloys can be a nightmare in the machine shop. Hastalloy, Inconel and the other wear resistant alloys work harden quite easily and will make you pull your hair out !! I just cant imagine working on this stuff back in the late fifties. Lots of respect to those machinists and engineers !

[@Kumquat_Lord]

I have had the unfortunate fate of dealing with A286, I can't imagine how shitty inconel is..

[@philiphugoofficial]

You missed the main reason why they painted it black, this being it just looked incredibly rad

[@ricchburglar]

Matte black everything

[@octaviusdelmonte9019]

Eh,.. I think it would have looked even more badass if it were solid chrome colored. 😉

[@TheJayson07]

It’s black because of its stealth feature .. so it matches the colour of the night

[@JoeyBaby47]

It wasn't painted black, but a very dark blue.

[@philiphugoofficial]

@Bull Durham lol why

[@Der.Geschichtenerzahler]

The most beautiful and mesmerizing airplane ever

[@bruhdabones]

Elton Freitas Elon musk

[@alexander1485]

Bad habit to be close minded and biased, but im sure you do this with everything.

[@RockHudrock]

Edwin Jansen YES! It’s purpose was defeating the evil empire of the Soviet Union! Mission Accomplished! 🇺🇸 That makes the SR-71 even more beautiful! And has been used by NASA for scientific research as well!

[@alexanderhorvath6887]

Honestly the coolest plane ever built

[@Alextipping5]

to kill little brown children :(

[@hamentaschen]

My first thought when they retired this in the 90's was.... "What did they replace this with that we wont know about for 50 years?"

[@RealEngineering]

Satellites? Because it was satellites. Spy planes are still useful though. Satellites are predictable and if you are fast you can move things out of their sight quickly.

[@Statusinator]

@@RealEngineering Keep in mind that they used the RQ-170 for a decade before it became publicly known in 2011.

[@Sekir80]

@@RealEngineering So predictable I even managed to take a photo of one of them. Unfortunately, it isn't moch more than a bunch of blue pixels, I need better equipment :)

[@AaronShenghao]

Mig-25s (and Mig-31) played a role as well. Although they are not as fast (Mig-25s can fly Mach 3 but it will cause severe engine damage), they can fly as high and close enough to potentially fire Mach 3+ AA missiles. At those speeds AA missile avoidance is impossible. It is the same reason why XB-70 was cancelled. After U-2 shot down incident, US stopped all Soviet flyovers.

[@hamentaschen]

@@RealEngineering Well, at the time (1999) I was working inside 'The Beltway' (Metro Washington, D.C.). We were not government or military. According to the 'knowledgeable' among our group we (the US) had a vehicle that could get people "anywhere in the world within 90 minutes". That sounded like some sort of ballistic transport. I agree satellites can 'see' everywhere. But they cannot transport. Anyway, the conversations my fellow 'unknowledgeables' and I had on this topic have long stayed with me. I mean, they created the SR-71 in the 50's. Imagine what was created in the 90's that we still wont know about for some time?

[@Jim.Hummel]

From the era of slide rules and #2 pencils comes one of the most technologically advanced pieces of engineering ever. Setting records even on her last flight. Superb film! Excellent presentation!

[@edmundwongprop]

Engineers: How much fuel can you afford to burn? Airforce: Yes

[@jaewok5G]

airfare; what defense systems have you included? engineers; refer to prior answer

[@michaelarlen7805]

CIA: Yes The SR-71 predecessor was actually an aircraft developed by the CIA. Surprised it wasn’t mentioned. Airforce planes piloted by CIA, not Airforce pilots.

[@justinwalker5274]

I mean, when the plane costs a billion dollars, a couple bucks in extra gas doesn't really matter.

[@calvinnickel9995]

No, they were CIA planes. It’s actually why lots of the SR-71 was so ramshackle. They couldn’t design a brand new Mach 3 engine. They had to make one out of an engine designed for a flying boat. They had to figure out a starting system for it using a couple of Buick V8s because no existing APUs or air starters were powerful enough.

[@bestamerica]

hi E W... ' not important about currency to burn the fuel

[@raflystiansahlatif5293]

This plane is such a technological marvel that it uses it's own fuel as a coolant

[@jungletroll3844]

thats kinda normal for high performance jets

[@22airjordan1]

This isn't unusual for Jet aircraft. The Challenger 300 for example has multiple Fuel/Oil heat exchangers, and Hydraulic/Fuel heat exchangers. The Hydraulic lines are simply routed INSIDE then out the fuel tank which dissipates some of the heat of the Skydrol Hydraulic fluid which is under very high pressure

[@22airjordan1]

Jet-A used in normal day to day jets fuel also isnt special really. Glorified Diesel. You can absolutely run Jet-A in your Diesel car or truck.

[@skiebroth2462]

A marvel? This is more like a miracle to you third-worlders! lol.

[@raflystiansahlatif5293]

@@skiebroth2462 at least in the third world, we don't pretend to be a know it all smartass when we don't understand something. A trait that you should consider to integrate to your annoying self

[@martinzanazzi9025]

Imagine being the badass that flew that thing

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Lucky rascal

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

Pilots always brag about the airplane they flew. But only SR-71 pilots have all the right to do it.

[@squarecrusher]

Imagine being a badass that flies TR-3B

[@Finallyfree423]

@@squarecrusher poor bugger can't even brag about it

[@crashnebula7]

@@DonVigaDeFierro I'd say B-2s are pretty impressive as well

[@HybridTheorykid1]

I have been researching about this beast for a very long time. i have the same theme for this on my car(R32 GTR Gunmetal colour). You did a great job in summarizing this all in one video. I used to know a guy who was stationed in Okinawa - He told me that it was so excruciatingly loud on take off.. the whole town knew when one of these were there!

[@12201185234]

Probably my favorite plane. The SR-71 Blackbird and the A-10 Warthog. I know that they're on the opposite ends of the spectrum in just about every way, but they're both incredible places. The Blackbird designed around an engine, the Warthog designed around a gun.

[@dougmphilly]

totally agree with love for both.

[@FalconWindblader]

The A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-22 Raptor, & SR-71 Blackbird. Top 3 in my list of favorite jets to date.

[@Bombers57]

Same A-10 then SR71

[@Megalith79]

Grandad was a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot in WWII in the pacific theater. Passed away in ‘02, but man can I remember some of his stories…(miss you grandad❤) never did he think that his daughter (my mom) would marry a guy who was in flight school who would spend the next 25 some years flying none other than the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Hog. Upon retiring my dad was given one of the barrels from the Gau-8 Avenger Gatling gun mounted on a beautiful one-piece of solid mahogany for wall mounting. But being my dad, he had to one-up that; he had the barrel removed from its mount and had the entire thing custom-dipped into a vat of liquid chrome, both it and the unfired round he got with it. Fast-forward to now and you go into his office adorned with all sorts of badass A-10 memorabilia and all of it kinda fades away at the sight of the barrel with its bullet both in flawless/fingerprintless, flawless shiny chrome. 🤤 Suffice it to say, the Warthog is very near n dear to me. But the SR-71 is, most definitely, solidified as a close runner-up. _She is the uncontested absolute King of the Skies. And she only ever flew for the Red White N Blue_ ❤🫡🇺🇸

[@joecasey581]

Why's it called a warthog? Looks more like a puma to me.

[@kaizen5023]

I saw the SR-71 at the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle some years ago, and I was in awe, it is HUGE when you are standing near it and it is very intimidating, it looks like a deadly alien spaceship. It is hard to express with words, but it was the most powerful object I've ever seen in my life. A true marvel of engineering by many brilliant minds. Now if only we could use more of that kind of thinking for peaceful endeavors :)

[@aslatabistaalphonso4250]

Is this the same jet that feature in transformers 2 revenge if the fallen movie? In the Smithsonian Air Space Museum

[@jimmymartino5433]

Aslatabista Alphonso Yes

[@sidjiiimenudo842]

@@aslatabistaalphonso4250 Jetfire yeah

[@ColoradoStreaming]

I actually met a SR-71 pilot on a flight a few months ago. It was the coolest conversation I ever had with anyone.

[@aries3479]

Im from the Antelope Valley and used to watch it fly all the time when i was in elementary school. The stealth fighter as well. Beautiful aircrafts

[@PegasusTenma1]

When a 60 year old plane looks futuristic, you bet it was a technological marvel. Imagine what they have now.

[@louiefence6579]

Spooky, we will find out within the decade :P

[@RonPaul42069]

The UFO in that Pentagon video is the SR-72.

[@PegasusTenma1]

Stephen not really

[@gigihcondro1089]

instead we got f-35...

[@marciep00]

Gigih Condro that’s only what we know of

[@mikaxms]

Also, keep in mind this was all done in the 60s.

[@tonyj4435]

Mika de Grote and with slide ruler

[@Belioyt]

I think we as humans have regressed with the advance in technology; that or we are no longer excited by advancement for its on sake. Everything is about cost and who consolidates power.

[@BogeyTheBear]

To say this looked like Jetsons'-level of technology is a disservice, since this plane came before The Jetsons hit the airwaves.

[@kalebbruwer]

@@Belioyt I wouldn't say that, look at Spacex for example. And the SR-72 he mentioned at the end of the video. There's some amazing innovations happening, it's just not everywhere and it isn't done with the same limitations as a few decades ago.

[@EstorilEm]

If anyone could do it, the skunkworks and Kelly Johnson could... will for sure be remembered as the ultimate aerospace engineering firm / engineer of all time (in my opinion!) I am a huge fan of Jack Northrop also though.

[@Vivaswaan.]

YES! YES! YES! This is exactly the type of content I've been desperately wanting from Brian McManus. We are on for a joy ride!

[@mirzaiscandle]

Imagine getting chased by a huge missile, outrun and outclimb it. That's why the pilots of this plane are badasses

[@Sekir80]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpiaZHqBopx6nas

[@dantevale0]

You mean the engineers and designers

[@nosferatu5]

I think it’s more badass to dodge missiles in a regular jet, than chilling in high altitude.

[@MasterMayhem78]

The pilots are known as 'Sled Drivers'.

[@Dunkopf]

@@nosferatu5 idk man it's pretty ballsy to fly into enemy territory with no guns and only your wits and thrust to keep you alive.

[@adriandapat1206]

Walter: Well, we do have one option. However, it was decommissioned in 1998. Alucard: The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. An advanced long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft capable of Mach 3 at an altitude of 85,000 feet. Integra: You sure do seem to know a lot about it. Alucard: DO YOU EVEN READ MY CHRISTMAS LIST?!

[@ManojKumar-qc5zx]

I don't get it..

[@adriandapat1206]

@@ManojKumar-qc5zx Hellsing Abridged reference...

[@ManojKumar-qc5zx]

@@adriandapat1206 ohhww.. thanks

[@neondead2.0.15]

THIS is literally the reason why i want to know more about this plane.

[@sengtry3244]

(edited) -number of units: 32 -dimension: weight: 27,220 kg/60009.83 pounds; length: appro. 103.876 feet/31.66m; wing: 55.62/16.95m feet and height: 18.5 feet/5.6m -price: $34m about $250 today -designer: Kelly Johnson (deigned with pencil and slide rule) -first flight: 1964 -retirement: 1998 (USAF); 1999 (NASA) -max speed: 2,200 mph/3,540 km/h at 80,000 ft/24,000 m (3 times faster than speed of sound); fun fact: this speed is only powered by 1 of its 2 engines-Pratt & Whitney J58 -34 years of service, 3500 + missions, 1000+ missiles fired at yet not even one got close -92% made of titanium (savagely bought from the Soviet Union that "didn't know who" the fuck" they sold it to") -Pilot requirement: same as astonute -reason for retirement: extremely high cost of operation/satellite

[@michaelwallbrown3726]

reason for retirement should be slower than the U.S. gubment wastes our money

[@Ro0mg]

>Pilots must be married thought you meant married to each other for a sec

[@Tycy2014]

this is great

[@Lozzie74]

Sunyata you can’t draw a design with a slide rule. It doesn’t mark a page!

[@louisezeng5652]

Auntie Qiu actually 4000+ missile fired

[@axeldaval3410]

That is EXATCLY the type of videos we were talking about! Suh good quality, technical, and upmost entertaining! Keep it up!

[@RealEngineering]

This took a solid month to make, but definitely worth it! Going to make this "The Insane Engineering of ____" a series. Each one will have nice 3D renders like this and explore the engineering concepts in different machines.

[@axeldaval3410]

@@RealEngineering Will definitely watch them all! I've even shared that one to my gramps!

[@ThZuao]

Early on in development, the test pilots found out in the event of an unstarted engine that unstarting both engines and restarting them both at the same time was far safer than trying to restart the unstarted engine. So that eventually made into the engine management computer. This plane turned really badly due to the risk of unstarting an engine. Standard procedure to dodge a missile was to climb and accelerate. It couldn't outrun soviet missiles back then. Those could easily reach mach 4 already if launched from an already fast moving aircraft. But it flew so fast and so high the time between detection and scrambling interceptors meant it was already out of range by the time they could take off and climb for interception. Regarding SAMs, the tech at the time didn't allow for on-the-fly calculations of interception vectors, so instead they relied on radar pings, mening they would have to follow and then catch up to the SR for a kill. They ran out of fuel before they could catch it. By now, SAMs can detect and cut the corner to catch a Blackbird, making the plane tactically unwise to use. That's why the USAF retired it in 1998 with no plans for a replacement, until scramjet engines came along. The soviet plane of choice for interception would be either the MiG-25 or the 31 after 1975. Those could sustain Mach 2.8 greatly sacrificing range or Mach 3.2 while the engines destroy themselves. One SR-71 pilot claims he reached Mach 3.5 flying away from one interceptor. And speaking of the USSR, most of the Titanium for the SR-71 was purchased by CIA front companies in foreign countries from them.

[@bartoszbaranowski604]

Well, not 100% true as to why it was retired. Spy satelites are better(now, compared to back in 70-80) and cheaper in the long run to maintain. SR had to undergo full refit after flight due to damage those planes sustained on "normal basis" - like missing panels etc etc. JP7 awas also problematic - TEB is toxic and hard to handle, each flight == risk of running out of it. So all in all, it was expensive gamble to operate.

[@scottbarron611]

My great grandpa worked on the SR 71, I didn’t get to meet him as he died before I was born. Wish I could meet him🙁

[@scottbarron611]

Comment from my grandson...

[@45pints87]

@@scottbarron611get help stop being a compulsive liar you waste of space

[@alexisbeaudoin9967]

17:28 the guy putting his glasses on his face when he see the camera XD !

[@paulian1888]

madlad

[@Cujo5]

"whoops! The boss is gonna kill me!"

[@alikhamis3367]

Nothing like safety first

[@slayer8actual]

I see things like this all the time given the current situation with masks. (I'm talking about COVID-19 for all you future readers that will have forgotten about the Great Plague of 2020). People will walk around with their masks on their forehead or chin, until someone gets near them. Then they pull them down. After that person leaves their vicinity, they partially remove them and scratch their nose, rub their eyes, touch their mouth; having just touched all the stuff around them moments before. But I don't know what's a bigger waste of time because I often see the following as well: Two people with masks on approach each other and begin to talk. After a moment of talking, they both remove their masks off their mouths so they can talk easier. Then as they leave their close proximity, they put their masks back on. I don't think people understand how masks and gloves work.

[@slayer8actual]

@J B Yes, I was being completely sarcastic. Though it will be interesting to see how this plays out in future references to this time. I mean the entire world is dealing with this in one respect or another. I was at a auto dealership the other day and noticed that a family had just bought a car and having their picture taken next to it. They were wearing their masks around their chins and over their mouths but not their noses as you described. Before the photo I heard them mention to the car salesman to wait a moment while they put their masks on so they could remember the time when they bought their car during the pandemic. This has been a life changing time for many people with the economy failing, jobs lost, families and friends separated, and lifestyles changed drastically in so many areas. Of course, it has devastated families with lives lost, and not to sound heartless, but that's life in general every year, but a plague? Certainly not on the scale of past plagues in history, and let's hope that continued stupidity with people ignoring common sense approaches to health does not allow this or any other pandemic to grow to that scale.

[@rjgonzalez9220]

And to think this design was made a concept in the 1950's. Those skunkwork engineers were badass.

[@gregh7457]

my brother married the daughter of one of the skunkwork engineers. lady is crazy as a loon. she tried to burn her parents house down with them inside. i met her father only once. seemed like a really nice guy. he talked about the fuel tanks that would leak when the aircraft was on the ground and the science around their design. It was way above my head. when her parents died they left her with a nice tidy sum which she promptly blew thru. that was money he earned building that airplane.

[@paulh4943]

to think that only 15 years before they were flying with piston engines..

[@Rawdiswar]

@@paulh4943 Unbelievable progress, truly astonishing.

[@ganjalfthegreen5312]

@@gregh7457 well this took a chip out of my faith in humanity lol

[@smort123]

What will it cost? Everyhing.

[@johnhenrykorth449]

I just finished my compressible aerodynamics class and this spike inlet is literally used for so many examples, absolutely an amazing peice of engineering.

[@D3ranged982]

This is definitely my favorite aircraft in history. And I appreciate this video since it cleared a misinformation I had regarding the leaking fuel issue. In a previous documentary (cannot remember what it was called or where I've seen it) they said that the leaking fuel was by design. Given the expanding and contracting properties of the fuselage, it was designed like this so the gaps would seal themselves during flight. Your video cleared that up for me, thank you!

[@X-Caliber02]

Clicked the notification as soon as I saw it... Been praying you'd make this video. Probably the only Engineering channel I actively rewatch videos

[@pukhrajsingh2729]

Real engineering needs to be REAL ENGINEERING, keep up these kind of videos.

[@jamiedenewt2]

"So high that the pilots can see the curvature of the earth" Flat Earthers: I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that!

[@rob379lqz]

Jarry Henlou ...it is flat. Our plane-et is a flat earth.

[@beetee7670]

@@rob379lqz there goes one now!

[@scroogemcduck4594]

It's because of the curvature of the glass on the cockpit

[@armadillotoe]

@@scroogemcduck4594 No it's because of the roundness of the eyeball. LOL.

[@jeffvader811]

Scrooge McDuck The Earth only looks flat because windows are flat.

[@Bryanscott88]

By far the best video I've ever watched explaining the SR-71 & how everything works! Absolutely GREAT JOB!!

[@ImKibitz]

Holy shit they essentially put a jet engine in a jet engine wtf! I knew this plane looked cool but wow this is some insane engineering! Thanks for the awesome video!

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

No, they adjust a cone inside a venturi to pressurize the airflow as needed...airspeed utilization. Insane NO, Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson surrounded himself with sharp engineers. INSANE IN THIS CONTEXT IMPLIES THAT YOU SHOULD BE wowed...... In essence they created a natural first stage compressor, the turbine would have increased MUCH in weight with a mechanical first stage.

[@Maximus20778]

@@charlesangell_bulmtl I think we get it

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

@@Maximus20778 Maybe you did, but some might need a little visualization.....Or did you?

[@JakenTheGreat]

You know that pretty much describes every modern day jet engine, right?

[@onlythaclonessir2525]

I KNOW FRED HOLLOWS AVOIDED THE FAIRYS TO GET TO ME !!!

[@elslick]

First test pilots probably felt like they were in a space craft instead of an airplane. Was so advanced for its time.

[@arora_for_life]

Even today. Design itself is like a space craft.

[@fst-timer7107]

Brian Shul described the cockpit as 'Your standard 57 Chevy'

[@elslick]

@@fst-timer7107 Hahahaha, don't know what Chevy he was driving, but I get what he meant. It was probably laid out in a very similar way and I imagine thwy probably used some of the same process to build cockpit components that the chevy guys were doing on those 50 dashes.

[@Heraclitean]

That was very information dense. Wish all documentaries were like that.

[@supersoupss]

This channel deserves alot

[@dinod7687]

U can't get all info about classified projects even if it's declassified. The video failed to mention accident that happened due to pilot error

[@TheSummoner]

Heraclitean - Amen to that.

[@jauzaafaishalahmadpadmadis3846]

@Michael Lochlann and some royalty free rock songs

[@grimcity]

When I was in 3rd grade, one of my teachers had flown one of these for a living before retiring from the Air Force. I'm 46 now. It's insane that such a futuristic looking aircraft has been around so damn long. It's a gorgeous machine.

[@JeremyPickett]

I've watched just about every SR71 documentary, and it never quells the pride I feel. From a little kid playing with the miniatures, to model airplanes of the thing, to an engineer that gets the work of thousands of engineers and scientists, it never gets old.

[@MulaBatiswaHutagaol]

I feel you. Every articles and documentary about SR-71 were fascinated to me. Even today, I look my son's SR71 model toy with the same fascination.

[@JeremyPickett]

@@MulaBatiswaHutagaol it's it great? If you ever get the chance to go to Evergreen in Oregon, or the one hard in Arizona, it's like being a kid again. Srs, spitfires, guppies, spruce goose, it's like you're ten years old again.

[@ryanchristopherson374]

The fuel leak information isn't entirely accurate. The truth is no sealant was ever found that would work at all temperature ranges. Instead, realizing the expansion properties of titanium, the gaps that allowed the leaks were deliberately engineered into the design. So when the aircraft got to operating temperature, the leaks were sealed off mechanically. The sealant applied to limit the leaks only ever worked at ground temperatures and shortly after take off. By the end of each mission the sealant was mostly useless.

[@larryfry1310]

You are correct. As a maintenance airman on the SR in the late sixties, I got to experience the leaking fuel and resulting drip pans for four years. Loved it.

[@JC130676]

That's also the reason for the grooves in the wings which you can see at 8:51. Thermal expansion could cause the wings to bend but instead now the grooves just get a little deeper and the wings remains straight.

[@Carfeu]

Larry Fry did you work at Area 51?

[@bigbaddms]

Something else caught my eye, the leak table, showing Zone 15, Dry Bay areas, 950 cc/Minute/Side. That seems unbelievable. By my calcs, that 950cc is 1/4 Gallon. So that would be 2 sides x 1/4 gallon, per minute, or 1/2 gallon/minute. 720 Gallons/Day. Come on... I've never heard of a leak like that. Is that right? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZm8hKGvi7Ggfac

[@coolx9357]

This is what I heard too when I saw this plane at a museum in southern california last year.

[@rsaunders57]

It's a classic engineering understatement to refer to Unstarting as "a sudden yaw". Pilots were knocked unconscious several times. The "solution" was to detect the unstart and snuff the other engine. Pilots reawaken in the world's largest lawn dart on a course to slam into the ground at mach 2-3. Fortunately, they were starting from such a high altitude that there was time before impact to restart the engines and start aviating again. Compared to the risk of the aircraft killing you in a flat spin, Soviet missiles were not seen as dangerous.

[@fedomandez]

Exactly, not a sudden yaw. But a violent shaking that caused pilots head to hit the cockpit windows and walls... Not a really nice behavior

[@jaewok5G]

@onyeka onyyebuchukwu "high velocity vertical non-elastic impact test"

[@wowomah6194]

Jesus Christ, I don't usually get all "OH MAH GAWD THE USA IS SO COOL" about my own country, but god damn, our military tech isn't just effective and powerful and all, but a lot of them are pure works of art with such unique designs and creative engineering. If this isn't an advertisement for the "American" spirit of innovation and "Fuck it, let's do it" attitude I don't know what else is. No, this isn't me saying "Wooo war is awesome" but just admiring cool technology. Whether it's the B2 Bomber, the SR71, the A10 warthog, the F35, the Abrams, the Apache, and so on...just some really unique, instantly recognizable designs that are also highly effective and reliable.

[@jhonnythejeccer6022]

When your plane is so dope that you use fuel for cooling

[@kiwikiwi2483]

The Su-144 had the same cooling system and that plane was NOT dope

[@calvinnickel9995]

Pretty much every engine uses fuel for cooling. Look up power enrichment. The phase change of fuel from liquid to vapour is one of the best air conditioners, ever.

[@janstankiewicz9816]

What you meant to say, is: "SR-71 - even it's fuel makes it somehow cooler"

[@iliketopumpit]

A lot of planes use fuel for cooling think fuel oil heat exchanger

[@janstankiewicz9816]

@@iliketopumpit :) yes, indeed, you are correct. And I believe a lot of liquid fuel rocket engines do that, too. But still, the way I phrased it is technically correct AND cheesy, and I find it fun to put it this way. this aside, shout out to "Original Skunk Works" talk by Nicholas Means @ LeadDev; and Tim "The Everyday Astronaut" Dodd's video on Raptor Engine; those two videos are something I'd recommend to aviation/tech enthusiasts :) Cheers!

[@sashali6666]

Russians: Noooooo, you can’t just escape all our missiles! America: Ha ha, plane go nyoom Edit: I may have caused a little war in this comment section. rip Zky Dominic Galford, it’s cool bro

[@SuperTufka]

Also America: Whos rushin' now?

[@litewind1793]

Bro that was sooo fucking funny I'm literally on the floor dying of laughter 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@duo496]

*_NYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_*

[@andrewpod5693]

Long time ago. Now is not not an issue.

[@matthewvanburen6415]

What is even funnier is that the titanium used in the Blackbird came from Russia. The US just bought it through intermediaries.

[@adancingpenguin3137]

When your main defense for issues, like missiles being fired at you, is just to outrun your problems.... I felt that

[@froyocrew]

damn the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is just like me fr fr

[@MexicanZombie1722]

Frfr

[@D1ragebait]

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. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual “high” speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let’s just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn’t previously seen. So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked, “what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?” This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we proceeded to find the small airfield. Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat, and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray overcast. Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it.. The longer we continued to peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges. As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this point we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank. Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass. Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes. After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet’s hats were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable. Walt and I both understood the concept of “breathtaking” very well that morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach. As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since “the pass.” Finally, Walter looked at me and said, “One hundred fifty-six knots. What did you see?” Trying to find my voice, I stammered, “One hundred fifty-two.” We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, “Don’t ever do that to me again!” And I never did. A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer’s club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows. Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred. Walt just shook his head and said, “It was probably just a routine low approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane.” Impressive indeed. Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories. It’s ironic that people are interested in how slow the world’s fastest jet can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it’s always a good idea to keep that cross-check up…and keep your Mach up, too.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. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual “high” speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order. Let’s just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to Mach numbers we hadn’t previously seen. So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations, someone asked, “what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?” This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following. I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England , with my back-seater, Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea , we proceeded to find the small airfield. Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat, and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as far as I could see in the haze. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing in my windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes of picking up anything that looked like a field.How's it going gamers? Y'know, online dating is a modern day miracle. Instead of going outside and being a functional member of society, you can stay indoors and talk with a Russian hottie online who is, in reality, your creepy uncle George on the other side of the screen. I think we've all willingly, or unwillingly online dated before. I remember going onto Club Penguin and sitting on the corner of the pizza store wiping out my sad emoji, and all the penguin baddies would come rushing in asking me "oh my god, what's wrong ;(" One of the more prominent online dating games in the modern age is has been IMVU. Yes, it's that same game that would spam their creepy-ass advertisements on whatever website you were in. Me, personally, as a kid, was never really inclined to "find my Bella". However, the other day I decided to finally stream it and experience IMVU with all my viewers, and here's how that went 　　　.　　　 　　.　　　　　。　　 。　. 　 .　　 。　　　• . 　　 • 　　　　• 　　ﾟ　　 Red was not An Impostor.　 ඞ。　. 　　'　　　 1 Impostor remains 　 　　。 　ﾟ　　　.　　　. 　　　　.　 .

[@D1ragebait]

did you read all that?

[@noahsiegel3127]

@@D1ragebait yes

[@D1ragebait]

@@noahsiegel3127 bru

[@stevejones1318]

What's the bit about online dating got to do with it?

[@Xlappahony]

Kind of yes. Then kind of huh?

[@Tbal_96]

This is literally the best and most informative video of the SR-71 that I've ever seen

[@taintsweatnope5093]

Check out the TED talks with one of the former pilots. Time well wasted!

[@RaptorProducts1991]

I can't even describe how genius this thing is

[@Crunkmaster]

you don't have to, this guy just did

[@wallymcguire2033]

What an amazing feat of engineering. Much respect to those that created this beast. And all those that maintained it and kept it flying.

[@ianminer3162]

This video got mentioned by an actual SR-71 pilot, in the newest episode of the “fighter pilot podcast”. He said it’s a “very well made video”

[@carlcantrell4781]

Hey, I know, let's end a few more myths about the SR-71. I was in ECM, was trained by SAC to work them so, in a pinch, I could be moved TDY to work them, and had friends who did work them. First, from what we were taught in 1972, the shape of the SR-71 was not just for speed. Contrary to what you have been taught about the FB-117, the SR-71 was the first plane to use shape for stealth. The U-2 was the first to use radar absorbing paint and materials for stealth. We could tell when the Ruskies were tracking an SR-71 because they would say something to the effect that eagles don't normally fly that fast because that is how big an SR-71 was on their scopes, which, if you are familiar with radar scopes, that alone would make them difficult to see. Imagine trying to track something on your radar scope that is the size of an eagle and traveling at Mach 3+. Just a wee bit difficult. Then, when you add in the ECM, which masked an already small picture on the scope, it was almost impossible to see. Plus the thing flew so fast that, if they entered the range of the scope just behind the radar sweep (I know this from talking to radar weenies) the plane could fly cross a significant part of the scope and out of range before the radar sweep could get back around and see the bird making it even harder to see. The way the Ruskies ended up having to track an SR-71 was to see it on one radar scope and tell another radar further down range the time, location, direction, and altitude of their siting and the next one or two radar units would note when they saw the bird, time how long it took to get there, and then have to calculate the speed of the plane for a guess shot with a missile. It was ye ole poke and hope. The bird was significantly faster than they tell you. They only tell you the "declassified" top speed not its actual top speed. That is still classified.

[@mr.peanut2096]

That's really cool! By the way, what do ECM and SAC stand for?

[@raftash5279]

@@mr.peanut2096 ECM means electronic counter measures SAC means strategic air command

[@dan-ez8lg]

I think the official ceiling is listed at 85,000 asl, add 25,000 to that.

[@bradchang5076]

Add more than 25k ft to elevation... my dad flew A-12 Oxcarts and SR-71 for the "Company" and everyone in his squadron had astronaut patches on flight suites... the AF drivers were forbidden from going outside of the performance envelope. The Company drivers didnt have these restrictions... but because they flew so high above 100k ft most of them passed away from acute leukemia from over exposure to unshielded UV radiation from the sun. This is what my dad died from shortly after retiring.

[@737smartin]

@@bradchang5076 Sorry to hear you lost your dad to work-related radiation exposure. He is a hero in my book, and again, I'm sorry for the sacrifice YOU took but didn't sign up for, even if HE (kind of) did.

[@user-om2fg7yh6s]

Crazy how this was built in the 60's, even if it was built today it would still look futuristic. God knows what kind of projects they're working on now.

[@anotherrandom5476]

yea that is why f-35 is a turkey.

[@ec-uploads]

They ain't doing squat. Today's engineers are lazy and stupid.

[@Elrog3]

@@ec-uploads Do you work in engineering?

[@nosamuigbinnosa4081]

@@ec-uploads Today's engineers are more classified.

[@thepotato405]

@@nosamuigbinnosa4081 engineers back in the day didn't know calculus and built perfect 70km roads. Today's engineers can't do shit when Autocad breaks.

[@nicegy0197]

As interesting as the 3D printed titanium parts are for the future planes, I'm much more impressed by the Blackbird's clever engineering from the 1960's.

[@DanSlotea]

Also computer vs slide rulers!

[@christalbot210]

Most of the SR-71's design came from the A-12 which was designed in the late 50's and built around the turn of the decade. Kelly Johnson and the Skunk Works were incredible.

[@jcolbyt82]

I’m sure that many of the UFO sightings back in the 60’s and 70’s were due to top secret flight testing of planes such as this. Even today to see one roll out it looks like something state of the art for today. Actually it looks futuristic still. I can’t imagine what people thought about it if they saw it in the 60’s, not knowing that it even existed yet. It amazes me how advanced planes like this were built in such a short time period. I mean in 1945 99% of airplanes were slow lumbering piston engined airplanes. True, by the end of the war there were some very early turbojet fighters around that proved the concept and demonstrated the speeds that could be achieved. But the thrust was small and the failure rate was very high, with those surviving having very short overhaul periods. In a little over 15 years, engineers went from very few unreliable turbojets, to the incredibly reliable and incredibly complicated turbojets on the SR-71. And not only that plane but the Concorde as well. The only thing that made Concorde possible as a long range passenger jet was the fact that it could fly at Mach 2 without afterburner. Afterburner was used during takeoff, then was turned off during the noise abatement procedure. Then once they were over open ocean they would go to full throttle and turn the afterburners back on and leave them on until they made it to around Mach 1.7 I believe. Then they would leave the throttles at full, but shut off the switches to the afterburners. The Soviet supersonic passenger jet couldn’t be flown supersonically without the afterburners on all the time, greatly reducing the range. The engineers took a different route on Concorde. They installed a series of movable doors on the intake nacelle for each engine. Those doors were controlled by two computers for each engine, one being a backup. When supersonic, the doors would move to a position that would slow the incoming air to around 500mph, where the turbojet could use it and still generate adequate thrust. It amazes me that engineers in the 60’s designed these two advanced aircraft when only 2 decades earlier jets didn’t even exist in significant numbers. The sr-71 and the Concorde both look like they could be rolled out the door today and accepted as modern state of the art aircraft. Of course us and the Soviets were going into space during this time as well. It sure was a time of major technological advances and lots of major achievements.

[@jainickvishani5185]

The irony was that the titanium used to build the SR-71 came from the Soviet Union

[@georgevassey3729]

We also used Russian titanium in its construction.

[@howardbartlett3419]

Russia was the Soviet Union...

[@isaacflynn26]

George Vassey Bruh

[@Rockstopmotion]

Jets came from nazi Germany

[@calvinnickel9995]

@ Muchen Tuchen You couldn’t be more wrong... lol. The US was almost completely dependent on British jet engines until well after WWII. The Soviet Union used German jet engines in the immediate postwar and bought British engines which they reverse engineered until they designed their own in the 1950s The first jet aircraft was indeed flown by Nazi Germany.

[@DrZbo]

Real Engineering + SR71? Yeah that's gonna be an instant watch, like, and comment.

[@janloncaric3621]

I wanted to subscibe for the second time

[@ryanfisher5376]

When I was 7 my dad bought me a model kit of the SR-17. Been fascinated with them ever since! Thank you.

[@Wirenfeldt1990]

You may want to check out Skunk Works by Leo Janos and Ben Rich, and Sled Driver by Brian Shul, have you not done so already..

[@ryanfisher5376]

Wirenfeldt1990 hadn’t seen this. Thank you very much!

[@dustin628]

Haha I got a model of the sr-71 as well and same thing, been fascinated with it ever since. It really is an incredible jet!

[@SWN1975]

this is the video that got me into planes thank you from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to this world.

[@johnswick4593]

Fascinating stuff. When I was a boy I had a model of the SR-71.I was intrigued then, and still am. When I got the model, it's specs were top secret. After watching your You tube documentary, I now know much more about the "Blackbird" that I didn't before. Cool stuff.

[@mikemotteberg3527]

When I was a boy I had one too.

[@jaewok5G]

I got one of these hanging on my wall thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0718/18/estes-sr-71-blackbird-1942-flying_1_fe83c8106076e917c92b6eee94b18189.jpg

[@NewsMoto]

I was looking for home-made black squid recipe during lockdown. KZbin showed me this video. Not disappointed! 😂

[@marcusaureli0s95]

How did the squid go

[@xavierdole7307]

Cooking with Babish?

[@dhupee]

@@xavierdole7307 hey what's up guys, welcome back to binging with babish

[@patrickstar1723]

JOOOOOOJO

[@Baigle1]

*shudders at thought*

[@samarvora7185]

"One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring radio traffic pf all the airplanes below us. First of all, a Cessna pilot asked the Air Traffic Controller to check his ground speed. '90 Knots', ATC replied. A twin Bonanza made the same request. '120 on the ground' was the reply. To our surprise, an S-18 came on the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator on his cockpit, but wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley what real speed was. 'Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground', ATC responded. The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller with a ground speed check from 81000 feet. In a cool professional, the controller replied, 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground. We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast."

[@litewind1793]

I'm doing my 1st solo flight in a pa38 when this virus fucks off 😂 wish me luck

[@dheemanrajkhowa2866]

Where is this text extract from?

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

lol, were the 1982 knots from an sr71?

[@samarvora7185]

@@dheemanrajkhowa2866 I don't know. Found it on Pinterest a few months back. I just had to save it.

[@jbigg4]

@@samarvora7185 It's a story from a former SR-71 pilot: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnLceXtvfJ6YqpI Edit: he also made a great book with stories about the SR-71, there are some pdf's floating on the internet

[@MarqFJA87]

I still can't get over the fact that they designed a plane with an engine that proved to be *too powerful* for the airframe even when they specifically used the best materials available to them, forcing them to cap the engine to a much lower level of power than it's actual maximum.

[@ronwalsh]

When I was stationed on Okinawa, we used to watch the tanker take off and then the Habu (what we called the Blackbird) would come bouncing out of its hangar, line up and take off. Nothing better than the smell of JP7.

[@JakenTheGreat]

What was your squadron?

[@wherearetherobots]

82 RS?

[@mintyfresh2281]

I swear that knowing that they made this absolute beast of a machine in the damn 60s makes me wonder even more what they have right now

[@AndrewDorsey27]

chris mowery and using a pencil, paper, and slide rule.

[@smith8281]

chris mowery tr3b. Look it up

[@ShaunHensley]

Mind control

[@allanfraser8515]

trump towers

[@m5184jhd]

A mystery of Area 51.

[@Oc7ave]

It was actually designed to leak on the ground before takeoff to account for the thermal expansion of the materials. Once friction caused it to heat up, it would expand and seal itself. Insane forethought and ingenuity.

[@AaronShenghao]

Real Engineering: made a video about SR-71 Mustard wants know your location

[@MihkelKukk]

The models really reminded me of Mustard this time, weirdly similar... then again, there's not many ways you can model an SR-71...

[@PrimaryRoot]

Was this a Mustard collab?

[@aria7083]

"So high that the pilots could see the curvature of the planet" Flat earthers: EXCUSE ME

[@climbnc]

Aaron Aksel No flat-earther would be allowed within spitting distance of that plane!! Lol. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the whole flat earth movement was an elaborate rouse to get a ride with SpaceX, NASA, or an SR71 so they could be proven wrong??!!!?? I may join!!

[@Marinealver]

@@climbnc they would still be in denial

[@rob379lqz]

Will Tourtellot ...People-kind are impossible to go to the moon in 2020... never-mind 2025 future. That is 55 years after 1970. Prove me wrong anyone... you can’t.

[@BillyBDosio]

rob379 what are you saying man

[@ihatepeoplewithlongusernam366]

@@rob379lqz Lmao look at this clown

[@DevAvidon]

From one engineer to another, it's a joy listen to these videos. Your explanations are clear and just the right ratio of technical to approachable. As someone whose core educational training was in fluid dynamics, I can get very touchy sometimes when necessary simplifications in popular explanation obscure important truths. Your core simplifications are the most effective yet essentially correct I've ever seen in a more popular science oriented video. Well done.

[@babylov3r]

SR-71 look like future space fighter jet

[@persinitrix]

I personally found the fuel storage part the most interesting. Always thought it would be in a long tank and insulated to keep it away from the scorching exterior when up to speed. Never would have guessed that it WAS the insulation for the plane's components.

[@MrMarinus18]

Getting fuel hot isn't a problem because fuel by itself doesn't burn. As long as you don't allow oxygen in the tank and you have pressure valves it doesn't matter what temperature the fuel gets. Something like what happened with TWA 800 happened because there was oxygen in the tank. I don't know if the SR-71 had a nitrogen gas system or if they just didn't let the tank run dry. Liquid fuel doesn't burn, it's vapor that does and only within a certain ratio. The only time you have a risk of explosion is if you let the tank run dry.

[@Bluelevitron]

The range of the SR-71 was limited to approximately 11.5 hours, by the amount of liquid nitrogen stored in its dewars, used to inert and pressurize the fuel tanks. The inlet system was designed by Ben Rich and his small team. He was awarded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Award in 1972 for designing the Blackbird's propulsion system. The SR-71 had "tactical limits" of Mach 3.35 with a maximum Compressor Inlet Temperature of 427 C. In addition to the air, by-passing the engine to the afterburner for additional cooling and thrust, the front of the inlet, with its associated doors and spike, provided an inlet duct pressure of 18 psi, while the outside air pressure at 82,000 ft. was only 0.4 psi. This large pressure differential provided a forward thrust vector, pushing on the back of the spike and providing 54 % of the total thrust, while 29 % was produced by the ejector, and only 17 % by the engine. The speed of the SR-71 was limited by thermal temperatures, recoveries from "unstarts", and the shock wave, coming off its nose, entering the inlets, creating "unstarts." Above 3.35 Mach, there was a high probability that the aircraft would be unable to recover, if an "unstart" occurred.

[@justinhannan1713]

I had thought that triethylborane was the primary limitation on the max number of mid-air refuelings. I didn't know about the nitrogen tanks; thank you!

[@Bluelevitron]

@@justinhannan1713 The SR-71 had 16 "shots" of TEB (Triethylborane) per engine, which was more than enough to accomplish its missions, regardless of their duration, 1 shot to start each engine, leaving the remaining TEB to relight its afterburners after refuelings or, in the event of a flameout, to restart the engine.

[@sb859]

"Chicago Center, Aspen 31 requesting Flight Level 600." Chicago Center controller, laughing..."Buddy, if you can climb there, you can HAVE Flight Level 600!" ASPEN 31: "Roger, DESCENDING to Flight Level 600..."

[@adventtrooper]

It was only free because the US wouldn't allow Concorde to fly over their mainland. Of the two, I still nod towards an airliner that anyone could book a flight and sip champagne even though the SR71 was faster and higher. It was a staggering piece of commercial engineering on a par with the SR71's military engineering.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

@@adventtrooper Concorde was really amazing but I can totally understand why they didn't fly over anything but the Ocean. Can you imagine some of those jet trails that you see be accompanied with a Sonic Boom? Talk about incredibly obnoxious, which is the exact reason they didn't do that.

[@sidefx996]

@@adventtrooper "On par?!" LOL you must be English.

[@kingbmw01]

I remember when i was in 4th grade, there was a book i found in class about the SR-71. I read it cover to cover so many times that the teacher had to take it away from me and forced me to pick literally anything else to read.

[@sammue6349]

If the US gov built this in the 60's just imagine what they have built since.

[@nicksalvatore5717]

Sadly not much lol. F-35?

[@danaolsongaming]

@@nicksalvatore5717 do we need this though? With how high fidelity satellites are and how much more cost effective drones are I don't know if it makes sense to design something like the SR 71.

[@christiandauz3742]

Imagine if the US built it during the 1930s

[@e30_jp]

@@danaolsongaming exactly... when this was developed, that sort of capability was unheard of at the time. Just think of things that are unheard of at this point in time... that's what they're developing. Things you can't comprehend in this point in time.

[@bavareze]

German engineering!

[@danieltorinsson7100]

That transition to the commercial in the end is so smooth

[@notsoanonymous686]

“Skunkworks” is such a good read. SR71 is easily my favorite aircraft. Great video!

[@ShadowOppsRC]

I could not agree more! Amazing book!

Yes! Was looking for this comment! Fantastic book - audible has an excellent audiobook version.

[@luck112a]

Have watched this a few times now. You are a great communicator. Humbly, and admirably, not with face blocking the content. Would assume the gannets at youtube don't shoot you enough cash for your efforts, but i'm glad you still allow us in the cheap seats to watch, learn, and be wholesomely entertained. There is surely no channel i enjoy more.

[@TheLiamster]

When I was in the RAF I saw an F117, I was on patrol in the middle night and the runway lights came on and about 30 seconds later they went off again, I then saw a hanger door open which revealed the Nighthawk. I never said anything and I went back to my posting.

[@makr0295]

Not sure if you are the same guy but i remember readkng this exact post on reddit.

[@warrickmiller7651]

I have also seen this exact story

[@TheLiamster]

Makr 02 I posted this story on reddit a few years ago, I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath which is where most US Air Force aircraft are based in Britain. I saw the F117 shortly before it entered service in 1983. This was at the height of the Cold War so the US government kept its development secret and very few people knew about it. Not even the soldiers guarding the hanger or other personal on-site knew about it.

[@mandalorian_guy]

There was a point in '85-'86 when the US offered to sell the Thatcher government F-117's but the the RAF declined as they are a bit of a one trick pony (granted it is an amazing trick). The US also offered an updated British version of C model in '95 but was also turned down. It's a pie in the sky thought, but it would have been nice to see RAF roundels on such an amazing craft.

[@TheLiamster]

Mandalorian Gaming it would have been cool for the RAF but it was too expensive and the government decided the money would be better spent on building a lot of cheaper fighter-bombers than a few costly stealth aircraft. The MOD also disagreed with the fact that the program was to remain classified and that the UK would not have access to the software or technology onboard the aircraft.