XB-70 Valkyrie's Last Flight: This Week In Aviation History

[@scottrubin4478]

My grandfather worked on the XB-70, specifically on the honeycomb sections. He talks fondly about the project to this day and laments its end.

[@teddy.d174]

My dad did engineering work on the engines. He always had a fondness for this aircraft.

[@aidenkahn4338]

My grandpa grew up in Cali he was beat friends with Joe walkers son and he says he still remembers when the cops pulled him from school and told him what happened to his father. Really a sad story my grandpa was friends with his for a long time not sure if that fellow is still alive my grandfather is he turns 70 soon.

[@smark1180]

My grandfather swept the hangar floors.

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

Well MY dad worked on bathroom tile, specifically glazed tile. He talks fondly on the tile projects he did and laments their end after five years. So pretty much the same thing.

[@MissilemanIII]

I got the grand tour of the XB-70 when I was a kid. Never forgot it.

[@PilotPhotog]

I'm planning to go to Wright-Patt and see it in person, that must have been quite an awesome experience you had!

[@earthwindflier]

@@PilotPhotogWright Patt is av geek heaven. Or at least I HOPE it's heaven. Truly amazing.

[@teddy.d174]

@@PilotPhotog I haven’t been there since I was a kid, probably 11/12yrs old. I’ve been wanting to go back recently, let me know when you go and maybe I’ll meet you there.

[@PilotPhotog]

@@teddy.d174 will do Ted, that would be awesome!

[@CrossWindsPat]

My all time favorite human creation

[@Kragatar]

When I visited the USAF museum, the Valkyrie was the main thing that stuck in my mind. It really is humongous and just has this otherworldly presence about it. Looks like something out of Star Wars.

[@wyattdean5192]

I live about an hour away from wright pat, so i’ve been blessed with seeing this behemoth in person

[@snowbirdlady7221]

My Dad was an electrical engineer at North American/Rockwell and worked on the cockpit lighting systems. We got to go to the roll out in Palmdale when I was 10. It was so impressive and huge. Quite the memory. Of all the planes and spacecraft he worked on, he was most proud of the XB-70.

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

Well MY dad installed bathroom tile and I got to see the roll out of a few cases of tile on a two-wheeler. So pretty mush the same thing.

[@tklube308]

Going up to WPAFB next Friday. She is on of my favorite birds ever. She is a marvelous work of engineering.

[@perrytheplatypus8802]

I flew 1/2 way round the world to see it, I was not disappointed

[@bigetnt]

I saw this in person at the Ohio Dayton museum. You can't understand how big this aircraft is until you see it in person. Powered by 6 massive jet engines. The size of this aircraft is unbelievable. It's absolutely beautiful. Just to see this one aircraft is worth the trip.

[@jxaparicio]

In 1972 I took an after school aircraft drafting class at North American Rockwell and all of our training materials were declassified XB-70 documents. I wish I had kept those manuals.

[@allgood6760]

Futuristic looking plane like something out of Thunderbirds 👍✈️

[@scottnj2503]

Gotta appreciate an aircraft so powerful, a B-58 Hustler plays the role of Chase plane. That's Mach 3 for ya :). I wonder...did they ever fly an A-12 Archangel against the XB-70. That'd have been an interesting mission to plan and execute.

[@smark1180]

How would they fly an A-12 Archangel against the XB-70?

[@bc-guy852]

This must have been a lot of work. VERY well done. I really enjoyed this. Thanks for your professionalism .

[@PilotPhotog]

Thank you very much! The goal is to make 52 of these, one for each week of the year and sort of make a "binge" list. Cheers!

[@amcds2867]

Very nice documentary. The top speed of the XB-70 Valkyrie, 3309 km/h is actually just over 8 football fields per second.

[@teafool753]

Anything but normal measurements

[@Von_Len]

I’m fortunate enough to have a Rollout Ribbon and Pin given to me by XB-70 technician and friend many years ago. I’ve always lived just a few miles from the Palmdale facility they were built at, here in the Antelope Valley. I went to Joe Walker junior High School named in honor of Joe Walker. Great video, Thank You.

[@JSFGuy]

Here we go.

[@douglascorley6630]

I enjoyed seeing it there it was awesome

[@Garaculas]

Great video to an incredible plane. Always loved the XB and remember playing it on flight simulators as a kid and thinking it was mega. Went to wright pat last week on a trip to the US from the UK. Had no idea the XB was there beforehand and was awe struck as I walked into the hanger to see her. Spectacular.

[@davidrivero7943]

Helicopter guy fixated on the beauty of this bird , since childhood.

[@hunterhalo2]

Awesome. Sounds odd to say, thanks for narrating this and not using AI. Infinity more enjoyable.

[@PilotPhotog]

Thank you! I spend a lot of time recording my audio - I really appreciate it when someone points that out. Cheers!

[@ronjon7942]

Agreed. Plus, he has an excellent narrative voice.

[@PilotPhotog]

@@ronjon7942 thank you!

[@joaquimfonseca2047]

EXCELENTE CANAL...OBRIGADO...

[@PilotPhotog]

Gracias!

[@prosto_potomuwto]

A very underrated aircraft, and much better than sr-71. The instability created by the wing profile, is much higher, than by the fuselage not being in line with the engine.

[@jaybee9269]

Can you imagine B-70s, B-1B penetration bombers and B-2s? A real interception problem.

[@winternow2242]

nope. The B-70 had no penetration potential, and we'd be reducing the number of other available aircraft if we had to pay for B-1, B-2 and the B-70.

[@jaybee9269]

@@winternow2242 >> IDK. The Soviet Bloc went to an awful lot of trouble to try to intercept the SR-71.

[@winternow2242]

​@@jaybee9269not really. The SR-71 flew only at the edges of Soviet airspace. There's a reason we developed low level flying manned aircraft and cruise missiles.

[@sunilmisra1]

Wow, first flew in 1964! Looks so modern

[@PilotPhotog]

Still does look modern today indeed. Way ahead of its time. Thanks for commenting!

[@rgl9649]

That plane is scary this was back in the 50's I can only imagine what they have now

[@winternow2242]

Wasn't built until 1964. And you don't have to imagine what we have now, you can read it, just like you could have read about this plane in 1964.

[@Hurpdurpdipidydoo]

2000 mph is mind blowing

[@scottrutter1381]

At 6:10 the narrator says the B-70 could achieve a speed of 100 football fields per second. That’s 20,455 mph, almost Earth escape velocity! I think he meant to say 10 football fields which would be closer to 2035 mph.

[@mamarussellthepie3995]

Rip XB70 and Crew! 🫡

[@JoeBiden1776]

💝🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@Cutecataikitten]

What are the qualifications for glider tug pilot

[@jeremykinball2765]

....60 years separates the Wright Brothers and the XB-70....and 60 years separates the XB-70 and today. So just think what is actually flying today....

[@winternow2242]

why think when you can read. Why would you think that we're hiding anything when the XB-70 was heavily publicized?

[@rickylong1001]

Think 20 years into the future and imagine, that's what is in the skies of today and beyond! SG-1?!

[@DrMackSplackem]

I have a sample of the honeycomb sandwich from my grandfather's days at Rockwell. For some reason, there's a SPANDEX sticker on one side of it.

[@ronjon7942]

The honeycomb is added to plus sized spandex pants for the ‘People of Walmart’ series, to keep them from exploding.

[@Sc_carspotting17]

I’m not able to open your website when I type it into the internet. Is there a link to get to it?

[@PilotPhotog]

Here you go: pilotphotog.com/

[@Sc_carspotting17]

@@PilotPhotog thanks!

[@timbaskett6299]

An interesting design for sure. Wasn't the B-70 and SR-71 the reason why Russia built the MiG-25?

[@winternow2242]

Not likely. The Soviets began working on the MiG-25 in 1961, before either the XB-70A or SR-71 or A-12 had flown. The B-70 was cancelled in early 1961, and never built. Virtually all of the Soviets' work on the MiG-25 came after that cancelation. The motive for tge MiG-25's speed is probably more prosaic than the internet claims, allowing the Soviets to defend a vast Frontier with a comparatively small number of aircraft.

[@ronjon7942]

Mmmm, from Wings of the Red Star, the MiG-25 was intended to intercept the XB-70. But given the dates posted by Winternow, maybe he’s correct. But what else would the Foxbat had been constructed so quickly for? At any rate, the Blackbird was probably a surprise for the Soviets. That project seems to have successfully been secret, with no leaks discovered to this day. But who knows for sure, right?

[@Silver_Prussian]

It was believed that its main target would be the xb70 that why the soviets rushed the mig25 into production however the xb70 never materialised.

[@winternow2242]

@@Silver_PrussianThe MiG-25 was never rushed into production. Development began in early 1961, with a first flight in 1964, pretty much as long as it took for the F-14 go from RFP to 1dt flight, and longer than for the F-16. The Soviets took even longer to go from 1st flight to operational status. Recce Foxbats entered service in 1969, and teh inetrceptor model entered service around 1972, just 2 years before the F-14, even though its first fligth was 6 years earlier. "It was believed that its main target would be the xb70" I'd be very curious to know who believed that, since the XB-70 wasn't a bomber, or any combat aircraft, but a flight test aircraft with no weapons systems or the ability to carry them. The XB-70A actually did materialize in 1964, flying AFTER the 1st MiG-25, and being retired in 1969. However, it was obvious by early 1961 that the US never had any plans to putting a bomber B-70 into production, and as mentioned above, that's about the same time that the MiG-25 development began.

[@djpalindrome]

Fitz Fulton piloted the B-52 mother ship that dropped the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft at altitude

[@smark1180]

And?

[@laron_t_green]

The B1s Mother

[@thelizardbrosgaming]

is the drive worth-it to Dayton, Ohio?

[@Spectator1959]

To see the National Museum of the USAF? Oh yes. Go.

[@gandalfgreyhame3425]

This was the simple brute force engineering of the time - at the inception of the program in the mid to late 1950s, the Soviets did not have any ability to shoot down such high and fast flying aircraft. And so the XB-70 was designed to fly at Mach 3+ at 70,000 feet because it could outpace and fly higher than anything the Soviets had. By the time the first XB-70 was flying, in 1964, Gary Powers's U-2 had already been shot out of the air at 70,000 feet by Soviet S-75 missiles in 1969. That is what made the bomber obsolete by the time it first flew.

[@derrickadusei7987]

Did you say the Valerie flew again after 60 years

[@Aeronaut1975]

WTF is "a Fahrenheit" and "an inch" 😋

[@ronjon7942]

Laf

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

No one knows.

[@edutaimentcartoys]

it looks like a white swan

[@edwardcaseyjr5490]

I wonder if the XB-70 inspired the movie Firefox with Clint Eastwood.😊

[@wolfshanze5980]

Mig-31 Firefox fighter? No, the XB-70 bomber has nothing to do with the Firefox in the movie... at all.

[@DefaultProphet]

Oof imagine this with 8 F35 engines. Diabolical speed

[@PatrickAustin]

I think you have an error? Mach 3.1 is over 2300mph

[@Paleorunner2]

The greatest plane the Air Force never bought! I will always hate McNamara for canceling it.

[@winternow2242]

It was his boss's decision. Nobody wanted the B-70 by 1961. This was a plane with no supporters at all. This had nothing specifically to do with Mcnamara. And if it did, he was probably right. High-speed/high Altitude hasn't been a viable capability for years.

[@wolfshanze5980]

It can outrun a fighter but not a SAM... it was a HUGE target easily visible by SAM Radar... a whole lotta NOPES there.

[@blurglide]

Wait...a THIRD one was built?

[@PilotPhotog]

Built but never flew - thanks for commenting!

[@smark1180]

No. It was canceled 15 February 1964 and never completed. What was under construction was entirely scrapped.

[@bigmike9128]

High flying canadian B1A

[@RakHineUss9]

Rakhine

[@miker3298]

Not fit for purpose, took too long to develop, too expensive to maintain and did not have a complete operational requirement. Menawhile the older B52 still flies as the main US bomber.

[@dunder0827]

oil me up 😫

[@RobertEpple]

Use ky